Recruit’s NQ move pays off
Reid’s shift gives her time to focus on her game
A DESIRE for change away from home acted as the catalyst for Steph Reid to pack her bags for Townsville.
But the Fire recruit’s connection with coach Shannon Seebohm was the final push she needed to make the move a reality.
The 24-year-old point guard played under the Townsville mentor at last year’s World University Games, and she said it was his ability to encourage improvement every day that made the North Queensland move a no-brainer.
While she had a host of off-court commitments back home in Melbourne fuelling her basketball passion, Reid admitted it was hindering her from reaching her full potential, and she needed an adjustment and a bit of innovation for her career to prosper.
“I was just doing a lot there, I coached full-time and I was really involved in the juniors,” she said.
“As much as I loved that, I felt like I needed to give it my all in order to get the most out of myself. I thought Townsville was a really good place for that, and it’s definitely paying off.
“I know what he (Seebohm) is about, I know that he makes his players better every day and I wanted to be a part of that.
“I’ve been saying to my friends and family back home that I get better every day I’m here. As a professional that’s all you can ask for. It’s really
hard coming into professional sport and getting better every day, it’s hard to have a coach that is super invested in you every single day.”
Depth will be the Fire’s point of difference, according to Reid, particularly as the grind of the condensed WNBL season gets into the swing of things.
Back-to-back rounds of three games in four days will test the Townsville outfit, but
the former University of Buffalo star said the consistent calibre across the squad would put them in good stead as the days stretch to weeks.
Her time playing in America’s NCAA tournament has made her somewhat accustomed to regular matches, but nothing compared to the magnitude of the imminent six-week Australian campaign.
However Reid is confident
the Fire has the makings of a side capable of matching and exceeding the demands of the new competition format.
As for what she will bring to the court, she summed it up with three specific traits.
“I’m gritty, I’m pretty relentless and I will be an absolute pest defensively,” Reid said. “That’s what I like to do, that’s what Shannon wants me to do and I plan to do that every possession.”