Rangers sign star import

By Paul Pickering
AS OF this weekend, Dandenong could have two WNBA championship players on its roster for the 2010/11 WNBL season.
The Rangers last week announced the signing of American import Ashley Robinson, who is currently playing alongside Aussies Abby Bishop and Lauren Jackson in the WNBA finals.
The Seattle Storm trio are locked in battle with the Atlanta Dream this week as they look to close out the championship series.
Bishop, who has played a key role in the Rangers’ off-season recruiting campaign since joining the club in April, was last week credited with convincing Robinson to head south for the American winter.
The 193cm centre – a seven-year veteran in the world’s top women’s league – looks to be a more-than-handy replacement for Ellie Manou, who recently suffered a serious knee injury after joining Dandenong from Sydney Uni.
Robinson, 28, is regarded as a defensive specialist and strong rebounder in the WNBA, where she averaged just over eight minutes per game this season.
She played her college basketball at Tennessee and was the 14th overall pick in the 2004 WNBA draft.
MEANWHILE, Dandenong’s SEABL men’s team has announced that former NBL journeyman Darren Perry will take over the coaching reins at Stud Road in 2011.
Perry, who is the current director of coaching for the Rangers junior program, will fill the position vacated by long-time mentor Warren Dawson late in the 2010 season.
He said last week it was “a great opportunity to work in a strong organisation”.
“Dandenong Basketball has a proud history and I plan to bring a high standard of play to the club and provide a product that people are going to want to come and watch,” he said.
The club also made a point of thanking 2010 assistant coach Andy Sherwell, who stepped in as a caretaker after Dawson’s departure.