The Dandenong Basketball Association has announced that Tayla Roberts has signed with the Jayco Rangers for the 2017-18 WNBL season.
Roberts will join fellow AIS alumni Sara Blicavs, Carley Mijovic and Tessa Lavey on the 2017-18 Jayco Rangers squad, having all last played together in the 2010-11 WNBL season.
An established veteran centre at just 24 years of age, Roberts will bring a strong inside presence to a Jayco Rangers team filled with hot outside shooting.
Rangers coach Larissa Anderson was thrilled to hear that the 2010 Rookie of the Year award winner had signed with Dandenong for WNBL 2017-18, stating that she is looking forward to working with the young star on her development.
“It is fantastic to have Tayla on board with the Rangers for the upcoming season,” Anderson said.
“We have seen consistently what she is capable of at WNBL level over the last couple of seasons and will be a valuable contributor to the Rangers front court, complementing the rest of our group really well.”
Roberts is known throughout the league as a strong post-player and fans got a first-hand preview of what she will bring to the Jayco Rangers last year when she visited Dandenong Stadium with Adelaide.
Lighting the Rangers up with 21 points on 8-11 shooting, Roberts showed off the brilliance that earned her AIS selection in 2009.
Bringing that same brilliance and passion for the game consistently is something Roberts is looking to grab hold of with the Jayco Rangers and, in particular, with head coach Larissa Anderson.
“I had a couple of years where I kind of just plateaued and was no longer enjoying my basketball,” Roberts said.
“But over the past 12 months I have really regained my love for the sport and have made some big improvements to my game.
“I feel that joining the Jayco Rangers will really push me further down that path – they have a great culture and feel about them.
“You look at the team and coaching staff and see what amazing chemistry and comradery they all have, it’s definitely a big selling point for me.
“I have great friends on the team and Larissa is an amazing coach, I think she’s really going to help take my game to the next level.”
Roberts now rounds out the core 10-player rotation for the Jayco Rangers in 2017-18, joining what seems to be a team poised for another deep WNBL finals run.
But while finals success is always on a player’s mind, for Roberts the most exciting part of the upcoming season is being back on TV screens, with the league broadcasted live each week on FOXTEL.
“I’m thrilled to have our league back being televised again, it’s the best way to promote women’s basketball and will show off what an amazing brand of basketball we deliver,” Roberts said.
