IF: Ellie Cole wasn’t playing WNWBL this season

THEN: Hannah Dodd would be a runaway winner of the League’s Best New Talent Award

She still might very well win the award and while she hasn’t set the world on fire with the number she’s put up, Hannah Dodd has made a seamless transition into basketball. She pushes her chair so well and has the look of a 10 year player.

At 21 years of age, Hannah comes to the WNWBL from the sport of equestrian. She competed at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London in the Dressage and while she may still have ambitions to compete in Rio on her horse, she has a future in wheelchair basketball if she wants it.

She’s picked the game up as quickly as anyone and has improved out of sight between rounds one and three.

It’s fantastic to see so many new girls playing in the WNWBL this season and of those rookies, Hannah Dodd is one of the most exciting.

 

IF: Amber Merritt rests in Round 4

THEN: The Stars will have to find a new way to move the ball up the floor

Clearly hampered by a wrist injury over the weekend, if Amber were to sit out in round four the Stars will have a big hole to fill in their line-up. Amber brings 32 points and 10 rebounds per game to the Stars but that’s not going to be the hardest thing for Coach John Triscari to replace.

Sure the Stars offence will take a hit but they can cover the loss of points. Amanda Nott has scored in double figures five times this season, Deanna Smith had her first twenty point game in round three and Clare Nott is the best scoring low pointer in the country.

Where the stars will notice the biggest change is in their ball movement.

If the Stars do go into round four Merritt-less, it might be time for them to throw the ball to Georgia Ingls and let her step up into that point guard role for a round.

 

IF: The Bears can’t find some support off the bench

THEN: 2013 might very well be the one that got away

The Bears were short of numbers over the weekend, playing the first two days without a bench and by the end of the weekend, they’d simply run out of puff when they were rolled by Victoria.

The WNWBL is very physically demanding on players. Teams play four games over a weekend and by Sunday afternoon it’s the freshest teams that are playing the best basketball.

Melissa Collins and Lisa Edmonds both put in huge efforts over the weekend playing a full 40 minutes in each game and while the loss to Victoria is great for League ensuring a three-way tie on top of the WNWBL ladder, the Bears can probably chalk that one up to tiring players.

If the Bears want to play off in a Grand Final they’ll have to play between 2-3 games over that finals weekend and now more than any other year in the WNWBL, benches will be vital.

 

IF: The Comets aren’t more proactive in offense

THEN: They might not win a game in 2013

Defensively the Comets aren’t as bad as their 0-12 record this season suggests. They do make it hard for teams to score and get away as many shots as their opponents.

Sure a higher shooting percentage wouldn’t go astray but it’s tough to shoot at a high percentage with the shot clock running down and I would wager a guess that they take more shots with one second left on the shot clock than any other team in the league. What’s really hurting them in offensive is movement in their players without the ball.

Bridie Kean will generally bring the ball down court and take it to one side, trying to find a way around a screen that’s been set for her while the rest of their offence sets up and waits for the ball to move.

The key to wheelchair basketball is what happens off the ball. If the Comets players off the ball can get moving they’ll start to see more holes open up in opposition defences and with more holes comes better scoring opportunities, a higher shooting percentage and that first elusive win.

 

IF: Leanne Del Toso’s ever been underrated in the WNWBL

THEN: She won’t be anymore

Leanne was the hero in round three. After barely playing a minute in the first half against the Flames she came on in the second to give Victoria another avenue to the basket. She only scored six points for the game but her last two were the ones that counted.

Trailing by seven going into the last quarter, the Flames were on the verge of a huge upset until Leanne Del Toso’s game winning buzzer beater pinched it for the Victorians. Not many people will ever even get the opportunity to take that shot let alone feel the rush when they see it go down.

Leanne is averaging 15 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists per game in 2013 and with much of their opposition’s focus on teammates Cobi Crispin and Shelley Chaplin, she continues to put up consistent numbers game after game, year after year and will be a big part of Victoria’s quest for three in a row.

 

Written by Joel Mackenzie