Aokuso ready to stoke Fire championship bid
THEY’RE “big shoes to fill” but rising star of Australian basketball Zitina Aokuso and her size 13 boots are ready to explode.
Post the retirement of Townsville Fire legend Suzy Batkovic, Aokuso, now standing 193cm, is ready to take on the mantle of the team’s premier centre after a big off-season in the gym.
“I was wanting to get stronger as the big (players) are bigger this season and I need a lot of strength to match up with the bigs in the other teams,” Aokuso said.
“It’s (Batkovic) definitely big shoes to fill, but as a team I think we can fill them and do a really good job this season,”
Front and centre of a new era for the Fire, Aokuso’s confidence comes armed with a “fresh” roster set to be led by coach Shannon Seebohm after the departure of Claudia Brassard.
Headlined by Australian star Abby Bishop, the Fire have also added Belgian and Canadian internationals in Julie Vanloo and Bridget Carleton respectively, former Canberra Capital Hannah Young, former Rockingham Flame Christina Boag and Fire fan favourite Kate Gaze.
Complementing returning stars in Micaela Cocks, Darcee Garbin and Tess Madgen, Aokuso, entering her third season, sees a bright future for the Fire as they zero in on a return to the Women’s National Basketball League finals after securing three championships in the past five years.
“So far Bridget is not here, but Christina got here yesterday and Julie’s been really good so far, so it’ll be really exciting to see how we go as a team,” Aokuso said.
“I’m really looking forward to playing with Bishop. So far we’ve been training really well, we connect really well, we all do, but it’s really exciting stuff to have Bishop here.
“It’s a fresh roster, but I think we’ll be really good. We’re really quick, we like to play quick, and (Seebohm) does too, so I think we can really do something this year.
“We are going for the championship, but we’re just going to take every game like a championship game, so when that championship game comes, we’re more focused and we know what we’ve got to do.”
In a boost for Fire fans, Aokuso has also set her sights on becoming the first female in WNBL history to dunk in a match.
Working on her spring, the 20year-old, who went viral at 17 after a video showing her dunk went global, said she planned on “going big” after having the perfect warm up leading into the upcoming season. “That’s (dunking) definitely the aim,” Aokuso said.
“I got two cheeky ones in WNBL1, which was real cool, but hopefully this season in the WNBL I can get a real big one in. It’d definitely be big for me to do.
“I’ve been working in the gym to get my vertical (jump) higher than it is now, and hopefully when I get a fast break or post up I can throw one down.”
Regardless of whether the dunk arrives sooner rather than later, Aokuso has cemented her status as a rising star.
A former Australian junior, Aokuso spent time with the Opals in April and while she’s focused on a big season with the Fire, the future is bright.
“That (Opals camp) was really, really fun. It was a lot to learn … it was a big learning experience.”