By JARROD POTTER
“SHE belongs at Dandenong – she’s a Dandy girl.”
With an emphatic statement like that from Dandenong WNBL coach Larissa Anderson, it’s not a surprise to see Steph Cumming back at home for the 2015/16 WNBL season.
With a WNBL championship and two years of sunny Townsville life under her belt, Cumming, 24, originally from Endeavour Hills, is set to don the green-and-gold once again as she returns to Dandenong’s WNBL roster.
The livewire guard was a crucial part of the Townsville’s championship success as she rattled off 11.4 points, two assists and 2.8 rebounds a game.
The 203-game WNBL veteran was highly sought after by Townsville once she came out of contract, but Anderson was adamant about getting back one of her best lieutenants from the Dandenong SEABL three-peat of 2011 to 2013.
When the two-time WNBL championship winning guard became available as a free agent, Anderson sprang into action to ensure Cumming would return to Stud Road.
“I’m very excited to have Steph back,” Anderson said. “I knew that Townsville would want her back pretty quickly so the moment we had the chance to talk to her – she knew we always wanted her back.”
From the start of her basketball journey as a Dandenong junior and through the SEABL and WNBL ranks, Anderson believed Cumming was the perfect example to show young Rangers how the path to elite basketball can unfold as a Ranger.
“That we’re blessed with such a big, successful club with such great quality to select from in our own backyard – that’s really important for us as well,” Anderson said.
“It’s something that I personally take a lot of pride in – that you don’t want those girls going elsewhere, so it’s very important to show our juniors that there’s a clear path all the way to the top if you work as hard.
Aimie Clydesdale also signed on to stay with the Rangers after an exceptional 2014/15 WNBL season, as she stepped up to fill Kathleen Macleod’s point guard duties while the Olympic Games medallist was sidelined with a knee injury.
In other Rangers news, Alice Kunek has gone back to the Melbourne Boomers after two seasons at Dandenong.
