Familiar Fire out to spark

PAST experiences have built Shannon Seebohm’s Fire, however that was not initially by design.

The Townsville WNBL coach has finalised his roster for the 2020-21 campaign, completely rebuilding the side that finished at the bottom of the ladder last season.

Only two players — Zitina Aukoso and Kate Gaze — remain, but a host of new recruits have previously played under Seebohm’s tutelage.

Shyla Heal, Lara Mcspadden and Steph Reid were all coached by Seebohm in various national set-ups, while he also played alongside Mia Murray in their junior days in Adelaide.

However, the Fire mentor said he did not set out to develop a side of past players, merely that it was a by-product of having coached in multiple set-ups country.

“It obviously always helps when you’ve coached players before and had a bit of relationship with them, and also knowing what type of person and player you’re getting,” Seebohm said.

“There’s probably a lot of players out there in the league I’ve had something to do with at some point, so you’re bound to cross paths with them down the line. From my point of view, I think I’ve got a good idea of what I’m getting and what they’re going to do on the court and off it.

“For the players, they have a level of comfort with what I’m like as a coach and how I interact on a daily basis.

“When you talk about culture I think having people who know what’s expected and take that on board will only help us galvanise the group.”

The hope is that the squad around the will be able to come together in mid-september to officially begin pre-season.

In the meantime, Seebohm has three contracted players, and development player Aliza Fabbro, who he has been training with since coronavirus restrictions eased in North Queensland.

It was only two seasons ago the Fire charged to the WNBL title, only to languish at the bottom of the ladder last year.

The coach said that not all the changes to the side were by design. Some were forced upon them.

“The team last year was very different, and to be honest it wasn’t like we were looking at making blanket changes, some happened organically such as no imports and Micaela (Cocks) getting pregnant,” Seebohm said.

“(But) the team finished last last season so some changes had to be made.”