BASKETBALL Fire ready to come out all guns blazing
THE Townsville Fire will be looking to make it rain threes this WNBL season after bolstering their back court with the signing of LA Sparks sharpshooter Sydney Wiese.
A first- round draft pick in April for the WNBA champions, Wiese is one of the most decorated long- range shooters in college history, ending her career at Oregon State as the Pac- 12’ s all- time leader in three- point field goals ( 373) at an incredible 41 per cent.
In just her second WNBA game, the 21- year- old exploded for the Sparks against Washington, draining 22 points, with six of 10 threepoint attempts against a Mystics unit containing former Fire guard Natasha Cloud.
The WNBL is already looking bigger and stronger this season and Fire coach Claudia Brassard believed the inclusion of six- foot guard Wiese would ensure Townsville remained competitive across the floor.
“She’s very versatile, actually. She’s currently playing in the two spot for LA and she played the one in Oregon, so we can really throw her in anywhere,” Brassard said.
“She’s one of those young, up- and- coming players, but we think she can help us spread the floor for our big girls and make sure that no one’s able to double- team Suzy ( Batkovic).
“I like the way that she can score off ball screens and with the ball in her hand she can change the game because she’s such a deadly shooter.
“We had Mia ( Murray) and Mic ( Cocks) knocking down shots ( last season), but if we can add an extra threat out there and make sure that we’re deadly from the outside and pretty potent on the inside, it’s going to make us hard to defend.”
Brassard felt the Fire probably didn’t get the best out of their imports last year as they missed the grand final for the first time since 2012, but sees Wiese as the perfect fit.
“I had really good chats with Sydney a couple of times on the phone and I think she’s certainly a really well- grounded athlete and well- grounded person,” Brassard said.
“She’s at the point in her career where she’s just starting and she wants to come to a club where it’s going to make her better and she wants to contribute and make sure that she’s doing everything she can to get herself to the next level.
“I think we can provide that for her and at the same time we’re expecting lots of big things out of her on the floor.”
The Fire have nine players on their roster for next season, but Brassard said they were content to hold off on recruitment until they see the draw for the restructured competition.
“I don’t know if we’re going to have two or three games a week and the way it may affect training, so I’d like to just have a bit of an idea and then we’ll attack that player,” she said.
“There’s still some good Australian players left out there, but it’s just a matter of seeing what position exactly we’re looking for and then working in with that draw.” Townsville Fire squad: Zitina Aokuso, Suzy Batkovic, Micaela Cocks, Darcee Garbin, Cayla George, Mia Murray, Marena Whittle, Sydney Wiese, and Kelly Wilson.