Alicia brings gritty Spirit
Froling’s ready to make her mark
NO MATTER how many times she gets knocked down, Townsville basketball sensation Alicia Froling finds a way to pick herself back up.
Call it grit, call it determination, or according to Bendigo Spirit captain Tessa Lavey call it as it is: “She has a little bit of sh-- about her”.
Froling ( pictured) has endured a horrid run of injuries since returning from her college days with the SMU Mustangs, with a wrist surgery cruelling any chance of taking the court last season.
“She’s just gritty, she’s one of those players where whatever comes her way she’s going to get it done however she has to, which is super impressive,” Lavey said of the 24-year-old.
“Anything can happen on the field and you know she has your back – I think that’s the sh--. She had an amazing college career and coming into Australia she’s had a bit of an injury problem, but I think that’s definitely something that would drive her.
“Personally she wants to cement herself in the WNBL and she’s going to have a long career ahead of her.”
Lavey said emerging from Brisbane hotel quarantine was a surreal experience in itself, but the focus quickly shifted to the round one assignment.
A first up meeting with a Southside Flyers outfit and their envious roster will be an early test of Bendigo’s championship credentials, with the likes of Opals stars Jenna O’hea and Liz Cambage sure to steal headlines in the North Queensland-based season.
The pair boast experience and skill that rivals any player in world basketball, but that is a task Lavey said her side are relishing.
And having already overcome plenty of obstacles off the court, a battle with the WNBL heavyweights is just another test to check off the list.
“It’s crazy, we walked out of the hotel in Brisbane with no masks on and sort of freaked out for a second,” Lavey said.
“Then we saw the cops and thought ‘oh my God we’re getting in trouble’, but it’s really nice to be able to be in this environment.
“You want to play against the best players in the world and that’s what’s going to happen to us on Thursday night.
“I’m pumped, I can’t wait to play, it is a challenge but it’s something our group is really ready to move forward with and take on.”