Maddy rushes to rescue
THE Townsville Fire are leaving nothing to chance for their WNBL title defence after signing QBL star Maddy Willey ( pictured) as a short- term injury replacement for Kiwi guard Stella Beck.
New recruit Beck has been sidelined with a stress fracture to her foot and has not played alongside her Fire teammates with just over a week until their season opener against Dandenong. Beck has trained without discomfort this week, but Fire coach Claudia Brassard said it was tough to put a time frame on her recovery which is why Willey, 23, was recruited as cover.
“We don’t want to push Stella. If she comes back too early she’ll be dealing with it all season,” Brassard said.
“We just have concerns about making sure we have a full team at training … ( but) we knew Maddy was available and she was able to come up on short notice so it worked out.
“She’s certainly been on our radar for a while and she’s had a good QBL season so it’s a nice opportunity.”
Widely regarded as one of the QBL’s premier guards, Willey averaged 13.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 4.4 assists for South West Metro in 2018 as she captained them into the post- season.
Willey only flew into Townsville on Thursday night, but she said she was ready to suit up for the Fire in Sunday’s final practice match against the Heat under- 23 men.
“One of the things I pride myself on in my game is my basketball IQ,” she said.
“I love to learn and feed off other players and coaches.
“I know what my role is. I’m not being brought in to be the superstar or anything. But I’m really excited just to be part of it and contribute wherever I can, even if it’s just for a couple of minutes.
“I’ve been playing in the QBL for a few years now and I’ve worked on my game a lot over the last off- season so I’m definitely ready to take the next step.”
Willey is only signed for the first two rounds, but Brassard said the Fire would be open to extending her stay depending on Beck’s recovery and how she fits with the team.
“I think if it works out for both parties and if she fits what we need then we certainly wouldn’t miss another body,” the coach said.
“We know she can shoot the ball well so she fits our style of play and I’m excited to see what she can bring.”
The Fire host the Heat at the Townsville Basketball Stadium from 3pm tomorrow. Entry is free.