Adelaide Lightning looking to strike in the 2018/19 WNBL season opener against Perth
AS the new season of the WNBL gets underway on Saturday, a remodelled Adelaide Lightning team is looking forward to upping its defensive game and getting back into the finals for the first time in five seasons. See the squad and this year’s fixture.
IT’S been five seasons since the Adelaide Lightning last appeared in a WNBL finals series, but with two new American imports, a couple of New Zealanders, a veteran Victorian shooter and a stable of returning players, head coach Chris Lucas has reason to be optimistic.
“We’re a focused, hardworking group and I’m really happy with our team,” he said ahead of the Lightning’s season opener against Perth Lynx at Bendat Basketball Centre on Saturday.
Last year’s players Lauren Nicholson, Aimie Clydesdale, Chelsea Brook, Nicole Seekamp and Colleen Planeta are returning, with newcomers Nia Coffey (import), Kayla Alexander (import), Dandenong veteran Steph Blicavs, New Zealanders Penina Davidson and Mikayla Pirini, Queenslander Ashley Taia and 16-year-old local prodigy Ruby Porter joining the ranks.
Lucas expects Melbourne, Canberra and Townsville to be the teams to beat, with Perth around the mark.
But, for now, he’s less worried about the opposition and more concerned with how the team will cover the loss of tall American import Alexander who is going through knee rehab after damaging her medial collateral ligament and will spend another three-to-four weeks on the sidelines.
Alexander, 27, who plays for the Indiana Fever in the WNBA, arrived in Adelaide last week and is reportedly settling in nicely. The Lightning’s other American import, Nia Coffey — a small forward for the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces — has also impressed the coach.
Lucas, who last year went through surgery for kidney cancer as pre-season started, said he was looking forward to an improved year, after the team finished fifth with an 11-10 win/loss ratio.
“Initially, we have to improve defensively, there’s no question about that, we gave up too many points last year” he said.
“We’ve kept five players from last season’s team and (Blicavs) has come in and she’s going to be great; I’ve won a championship with her (in 2015) when I was coaching in Townsville and I’m really enjoying coaching her again.
“She’s a low-management athlete who is super fit and a really good player and … has wonderful traits not only as a player but as an individual and she just brings so much positivity.”
Lucas — who recently returned from national assistant coaching duties in Spain where the Opals came second at the FIBA World Cup — said an important factor to the Lightning’s success would be how well the team could get along both on and off the court.
“Gelling this group is going to be super important,” he said.
But Lightning reigning MVP, Seekamp, said there would be no problem with that: this team was already a tight unit.
“The league this year is stronger again than last year, so each team that we’re going to come against has great players and it’s always going to be tough,” the point guard who played at South Dakota University in the US college system, said.
“But the one thing I like about this team is that we all get along really well off the court and also on the court … I’m excited to see if that can take us all the way.”
Stephanie Blicavs, 28, who has enjoyed a 13-year-career playing most of her ball with Dandenong, made the move to Adelaide to avoid being stuck in a rut.
“I got to a point in my basketball career where I felt like I needed something different,” she said.
“I needed something different and something I knew I’d like and I knew I liked playing for Chris.”
