Flames star’s fresh WNBL challenge a slam dunk

OPALS star Liz Cambage was the first to do it in the Olympic arena but the Sydney Flames reckon they have the highflyer to beat her to the punch of dunking in the WNBL.

The Flames have laid down the challenge to the 203cm Melbourne Boomers star after their tall, American Jen Hamson, came close to creating history as the first player to dunk in a WNBL match against Perth earlier this month. “It was a close call, twice,’’ Flames coach Cheryl Chambers said.

“She had the opportunity to do it against Perth and didn’t even realise it. The girls on the bench were going crazy, urging her to go for it. We’d love to see her dunk. We just have to get her a breakaway. It has to be in open court.”

The race to become the first player to dunk in the WNBL dates back to the 1990s when officials put up a $ 10,000 prize.

Despite numerous players taking up the challenge, the prize went unclaimed.

Shaded by Cambage by two crucial centimetres, Hamson ( right) is one of the few women who can dunk with ease in training with her team keen for her to create some history in her second season with the Sydney Uni Flames club.

“It’s never really been my thing but the whole team really want me to do it in a game,’’ said the shy former American college volleyball star. “It would be big for the league so I’m taking it more seriously.

“I do dunk regularly in training so I’ll try and do it in the warm- up and see what happens. Apparently I had two opportunities against Perth and blew it.’’

Cambage, already the standouts of the one of 2017- 18 competition, has set herself the goal of dunking in her return to the WNBL after five years.

“Seven years ago I was going to be the first person to do that,’’ she said in Liz Cambage, 6 foot 8 and Rising which aired recently on Fox Sports. “I need to finish that task I left up in the air so many years ago.’’

Hamson returned to the Flames for a second season after playing with Indiana Fever in the 2017 WNBA.