Gold Rush returns with tested core
Smith leading experienced group
A FAMILIAR lineup will take the court for the Otago Gold Rush this season as it looks to reclaim its national title.
The team returns the majority of its players from last year and has added several youngsters for the 2017 Women’s Basketball Championship.
It begins its season tomorrow at the Edgar Centre in Dunedin against the Waitakere Lady Rangers at noon.
‘‘It’s really good for the team,’’ coach Todd Marshall said of retaining so many players.
‘‘It helps all the newer ones that come in and just slot in to the way the Gold Rush have always done things, which has always been one of its strengths.
‘‘So it’s really nice to have that consistency of players that have been there before.’’
The team has a new captain in experienced forward Natalie Smith.
She will look to stamp her mark on the team, which also includes the experience of Janet Main, Danielle Frost, Soraya UmagaJensen and Natalie Visger among others.
Former captain Main has been a key player in recent years and will continue to turn out for the team, despite having moved to Whangarei.
She will be unavailable this weekend, but will play next weekend’s tournament in Auckland and may commute for the remainder of the games.
UmagaJensen is the only other player missing this weekend, as she is away at a rugby sevens camp.
Frost had picked up a finger injury during the week, although has been named in the team to play.
Marshall was happy with the preseason and said the side had a good hit out against the Canterbury Wildcats last weekend, despite losing 6455.
He was looking forward to playing at home this year, with the WBC moving away from its previous three weekend format.
‘‘I think [the new format] is a positive. It’s alway been the annoying part of women’s basketball.
‘‘The Gold Rush, noone in Otago’s ever really seen them play, except for when we played against Canterbury last year. It’s not right.
‘‘So now the team actually gets to have home games and they get to travel to play other teams at their homes and I just think its a real positive move for the league.
‘‘That’s a big help for sponsorship and more profile for the women’s game because its a real competitive competition.’’
The team was hoping to reclaim the title it won in 2015, after finishing third last year.
Marshall said it would look to fight in every game, lacking Tall Ferns players although possessing a group that was just beneath that level.
‘‘We’re quite intense and we really like to make a real good scrap of a game.
‘‘It doesn’t matter if we’re playing a really top team or one that’s supposed to be a lower level team.
‘‘Every time the Gold Rush come on the floor we really have to get stuck in to win the game.’’