UNSUNG GUARD SETS THE AGENDA
WHILE Shyla Heal and Lauren Nicholson typically consume the Townsville Fire’s spotlight, an unsung hero has established herself as a key cog in their operations.
Stephanie Reid has been dynamic off the bench but not for the individual accolades.
Her ability to bring out the best in her teammates has been on show from the WNBL season’s opening buzzer, and her efforts off the ball to put pressure on the opposition has been second to none.
Reid’s exploits were highlighted against Bendigo Spirit on Tuesday night when she finished with eight assists, three steals, three turnovers and a pair of rebounds.
While spectators might miss the diminutive point guard’s achievements, they are applauded by Fire coach Shannon Seebohm.
“Steph just plays her role, she plays hard every second she’s out there and gives her heart and soul to the team,” Seebohm said.
“She plays great defence and I’m really glad we’ve got her on our team.”
Yesterday was the first chance since it arrived in Mackay for the opening round that the Fire was able to conduct a full training session.
Despite the hectic start, it has launched into the top four — winning four of its five games in the space of a week.
And now with a rare chance to get some rest before seeking redemption against the Southside Flyers tomorrow, the Townsville mentor said now was the time to reflect and ensure the momentum did not stall.
“It’s going to be good to get some rest into some of our girls who are a little bit banged up,” Seebohm said.
“It was a chance to get some other people on the floor.
”(The Flyers) had a lot of transition points in the first half and Liz (Cambage) had a lot of easy points just running the floor.
“We understand the big picture, so we need to keep getting better every game.”