By Marcus Uhe
Pride, loyalty, hard work, effort.
Representing the name front of the guernsey and not the name on the back.
Being #rangerproud.
When Larrisa Anderson considers what it means to be a Dandenong Ranger basketballer, those are the defining characteristics that come first and foremost to mind.
Anderson, who won championships as a player in green and black and in her second year as head coach of the Rangers’ NBL1 South team, has a vested interest in the program more than an everyday coaching appointment, having grown up a Ranger and always keeping an eye on them, no matter where her basketball career took her.
In her first season as the program’s head coach in 2023, the side improved to an 11-11 record and narrowly missed out on finals qualification, but was a marked improvement on the previous year in which finals calculations were out of the picture from the very early stages.
But through 10 games the Rangers have established themselves as a force in the 2024 NBL1 season, with an 8-2 record and with a pair of impressive win streaks under their belts already.
And most importantly, those defining Ranger traits are on full display, which Anderson believes bodes well for the future of the club.
“We’ve kept a lot of the core group from last year into this year, so we’ve had that season under our belt together, which is the key to success at any program – that consistency and trying to keep that core group together,” Anderson said.
“We’ve managed to do that and add some really vital pieces to the puzzle, but that core group has really improved from last year, they really enjoy playing together.
“I’m probably most excited about the fact that we’ve got genuine Ranger talent that have played and come through right from Under 8s domestic, under 12s rep, all the way through to seniors and never played anywhere else.
“I’m super proud of the fact that we’ve got five or six of them in the team, which shows that our junior ranks would look at that and say ‘that is a legitimate Rangers team’”.
For Anderson, there wasn’t the same feeling when wearing another team’s colours in her decorated career, quite like what there was to wear the Rangers kit, and she wants the lure of being a Ranger instilled in the current and future Rangers.
“It just didn’t mean as much to me to go and represent another club when I’d gone right through the ranks at my own junior club,” she said.
“That’s really important and it indicates a really strong pathway and culture at any club, that girls want to stay there and be there and why would they want to be anywhere else.
“To me, that’s really important, and is really indicative of the most successful clubs; that your junior talent, once they go through the seniors, actually want to stay around and represent their own club, because for me as a player, that was a big deal to me.”
Recent WNBA draftee Nyadiew Puoch and Dallas Loughridge are the team’s young stars, embodying the Ranger way as much as anyone, having grown up on the Dandenong courts. Forward, Puoch, will remain in Australia and play the remainder of the NBL1 South women’s competition for Dandenong despite having her name called by the Atlanta Dream at last month’s WNBA Draft, while guard, Loughridge has made an excellent recovery from an ACL injury and has a bright future ahead, with Anderson expecting her to find her way onto a WNBL roster next season.
Amber Smith has returned for a second season as the team’s import while Anderson’s former Dandenong teammate in Clare Camac is back after missing last season for the birth of her third child.
The experience of Camac and Teyla Evans provide the steady, wise heads on a team otherwise reliant on youth and raw talent, including 21-year-old Elly Morgan, 20-year-old Imogen Rock and 17-year-old Manuela Puoch, the younger sister of Nyadiew.
The Rangers are learning to cut their teeth on defence and capitalise on the other end, showcasing their speed, athleticism and immense talent within the ranks at Dandenong.
They’ll soon welcome another import in Ashten Prechtel, a 22-year-old graduate from the Stanford University basketball program in the United States currently completing a season in Europe.
At 6’5”, Prechtel offers size and rebounding prowess to go with genuine two-way talent that is expected to make an immediate impact once she is ready to take the court, and make one of the competition’s already strongest teams, even stronger.
Twice the team has embarked on four game win streaks in its current record and faces a monster slate of games in coming weeks including sixth-placed Bendigo on Sunday and seventh, Ringwood on 25 May, both at home.
The Rangers’ most recent win streak came to an end on Saturday at the hands of the top-of-the-table Keilor, 64-69, despite leading by 23 points at half time.
Despite not securing the victory, Dandenong kept the Thunder to its second-lowest team score of the season, demonstrating that they can match it with the competition’s best.
“I think that belief is already forming amongst the girls, but absolutely these are the teams that they’ve got to really step up against,” Anderson said.
In further positive news for the club, Bendigo Bank Community Bank Dingley Village has signed on to be the naming rights sponsor of all four senior Ranger teams in 2024.
“This partnership signifies not only a significant milestone for our organisation, but also underscores our shared values of community, growth and excellence,” General Manager of Dandenong Basketball Association, Tamie Harvey said.
“We look forward to a wonderful partnership.”
