Cayla joins fellow Opal in Texas team
BASKETBALL CAYLA George’s beloved huskies, Coco and Cesar, caught her stuffing suitcases this week and knew all too well the travelling Cairns hoops star was about to leave them.
“It was quite sad,” George said yesterday. “My eldest, Coco, she’s usually right at my feet but she wouldn’t even look at me when I started packing my bags.”
George finally leaves Australian shores today bound for the United States where she will join fellow Australian Opal Liz Cambage at the WNBA’s Dallas Wings, ending almost a month in limbo as she waited for a visa. It ends a bizarre chapter in the centre’s career after being traded by the Phoenix Mercury to the Connecticut Sun in February.
George reported for training camp with the Sun only to be the last player cut from the team.
The Wings swooped on the 193cm Commonwealth Games gold medallist, only to hit a snag when she applied for a working visa.
“The coaches said it was the hardest decision they had to make. Initially they were looking for a big. I felt like I’d trained well and I was quietly confident but it didn’t work out,” George said.
“I’ve watched a few Connecticut games since though and I think I would have probably been spending a lot of time on the bench. In Dallas, I think there may be some more opportunities for a post player, so we’ll see.”
While waiting for her visa, George returned to Cairns training with the women’s QBL team and local players CJ Ahwang, Mark Moseling, Patrick Griffith and Elijah Leafa.
“The last three weeks have been interesting having to wait for it to all go through,” she said. “Usually it takes 24 hours but mine took 13 days. It was pretty funny hanging around Cairns because everyone would say ‘Hey, wait. What are you still doing here?’
“I did a session with the Dolphins and worked out with a few guys that got me ready for the Commonwealth Games. Coming into this year, they reminded me of how much I love the game. I like to shoot threes and I can be that stretch shooter but I can do a lot more than that.
“I was putting the ball on the floor a lot more when I was training with them and making strong moves. It reminded me of how I used to play when I was younger.”
Wings president and CEO Greg Bibb said the versatile George will complement Dallas’ existing talent nicely.
“Cayla brings a versatile game to our roster, with the ability to play multiple positions on the floor,” Bibb said.
Dallas play the LA Sparks at College Park Centre in Arlington on Saturday with George hopeful she can suit up immediately.
“I’m really excited to be finally heading over. I’m ready to go. I’ve been training hard.”
IT WAS PRETTY FUNNY HANGING AROUND CAIRNS BECAUSE EVERYONE WOULD SAY ‘HEY, WAIT. WHAT ARE YOU STILL DOING HERE?’
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