Supercats gave career key boost
DEAKIN Melbourne Boomers star Ezi Magbegor has hailed the Geelong Supercats’ impact on her emerging career as she prepares for tomorrow night’s WNBL clash with the starstudded UC Capitals.
Magbegor (pictured) was full of praise for her time at the Supercats, an experience she believes has lifted her game to a new level ahead of the biggest season of her career.
The 20-year-old racked up 335 points for the Supercats in the winter en route to the NBL1 grand final where Geelong lost the championship by Kilsyth.
She will use that intimate homecourt knowledge tomorrow when her Boomers host the Capitals at Geelong Arena.
Magbegor said the laid-back Geelong lifestyle, combined with the mentoring of recently departed Supercats coach Dave Herbert, helped prime her for a busy year ahead, with the Tokyo Olympics also in sight.
“‘Herbie’ (David Herbert) was really great. He helped improve my individual game,” Magbegor said.
“He knows how to build your confidence. He told me to go out there and play my natural game. He has a real attention to detail, which helped with my shooting.
“It’s such a great city, everything is so close, the beach in particular. I think it’s just a great city to live in.
“The people also get behind their sport. I think we had over 1000 people for our NBL1 semi-final against Bendigo.”
Magbegor studied at Deakin University’s Waterfront campus during her time with the Supercats and has been examining tomorrow’s opponents closely.
The Capitals were crowned Australia’s top side last season and are in ominous earlyseason form, with two wins from two games.
But Magbegor is confident the Boomers will have the answers to any questions asked tomorrow.
“We’re expecting big things from Canberra as champions, but we’re just worrying about what we’ve got to do,” she said.
“We’ve been working on some things in attack and defence, hopefully that will show on Friday night.
“Canberra are always strong. They’ve kept a core of their key players from last season and they are one of the teams to beat this season no doubt.”
The Boomers enter the game on the back of a victorious double over their Victorian counterparts Bendigo Spirit, including a dramatic four-point win at the State Basketball Centre on Saturday night.
Given they finished second on the ladder last season despite a slow start, experts believe they have the potential to challenge for silverware again this season.
“Last year we had the World Cup and had four players joining the team just days before the first WNBL game, but this year we’ve had our full team together for a couple of weeks before the first game which has helped a lot,” Magbegor said.
“There’s a good feeling in the group and I’m expecting a great atmosphere on Friday night. We’ll need it.”