‘Really positive signs’: Kate Gaze lauds WNBL imports after the Townsville Fire dominate in round 1

Shannon Seebohm could be the best recruiter the WNBL has ever seen, steering his side to an emphatic 84-58 round 1 victory. Find out what impressed club legend Kate Gaze the most.

Townsville Fire coach Shannon Seebohm could be the best recruiter the WNBL has ever seen, steering his side to an emphatic 84-58 round 1 victory over Geelong United on Wednesday night.

Tasked with an almost complete squad rebuild after eight of Townsville’s players vacated North Queensland for a variety of reasons, the back-to-back WNBL coach of the year did it again.

The team he has pieced together – largely from Australians playing in the US college basketball system – has all the hallmarks of a championship contender.

The final two pieces of Seebohm’s puzzle, his two import players Zia Cooke and Lauren Cox, took no time to adjust to the physicality of the league.

It shouldn’t be surprising when Seebohm unearths hidden gems considering his strike rate when scouting, but this year’s pair could be his best yet.

Zia Cooke of the Townsville Fire handles the ball during the round one WNBL match between Geelong United and Townsville Fire at The Geelong Arena, on October 30, 2024, in Geelong, Australia. (Photo by Kelly Defina/Getty Images)

Although Cooke and Cox have distinctly different playing styles, one a crafty guard and the other a dominant big, they both slotted seamlessly into the side in the season-opener.

Townsville club legend Kate Gaze said that she was impressed how quickly the Americans adapted to the WNBL.

“Watching the imports last night against Geelong, they certainly impressed me and I think they’re only going to get better,” Gaze said.

“As an import playing in a new league overseas, that’s a huge challenge in itself. For Zia to come out and play the way she did, and feel her way into the game, was outstanding.

“Each minute she played out there, she got better and improved and really showed us some really great glimpses of what she’s going to be like this season.

“That’s not an easy task for anyone, so for both of those imports to put out a performance like that, it’s really positive signs for the Fire.

“Lauren has got some talent and she just looks like she’s got so much time when she’s got the ball. She made some nice passes and great decisions, and she’s such an asset for the Fire on the defensive end.”

Hannah Hank of Geelong United drives past Lauren Cox of the Townsville Fire during the round one WNBL match between Geelong United and Townsville Fire at The Geelong Arena, on October 30, 2024, in Geelong, Australia. (Photo by Kelly Defina/Getty Images)

While Seebohm indicated earlier in the week that he would ease Cooke into the action, the 23-year-old played almost 25 minutes and scored 15 points.

Cox spent even more time on the floor, only playing less minutes than veteran guard Lauren Mansfield.

The 193cm forward made a game-high four blocks while claiming two steals and six offensive rebounds to go with her 12 points and four assists.

Gaze said she also liked the look of Townsville’s other two young guards Nya Lok and Abbey Ellis.

“The team that Shannon has put together is quite inexperienced in terms of WNBL, but he obviously sees something in every single one of those players,” Gaze said.

“You see Nya Lok, how well she came in and hit a couple of corner threes, and the confidence that she had to do that – Shannon instils that confidence in players.

“The same with Abbey Ellis, she came on there so confident, so aggressive with the ball.

“It’s great that Shannon has put those players out there early to get over their nerves in game 1 of the season.”

The Fire have a seven-day break before they fly to Perth to play the Lynx next Wednesday, November 5. Tip-off is at 5.30pm AEST.

Abbey Ellis of the Townsville Fire drives to the basket against Keely Froling of Geelong United during the round one WNBL match between Geelong United and Townsville Fire at The Geelong Arena, on October 30, 2024, in Geelong, Australia. (Photo by Kelly Defina/Getty Images)

Seebohm’s secret plan to contain Geelong United in WNBL season-opener

October 28

Townsville coach Shannon Seebohm has revealed his secret plan to contain Geelong United on Wednesday night when the WNBL’s new club opens the 2024/25 season at home against the Fire.

While Geelong will bring a freshness on the court with a raft of young players, inaugural coach Chris Lucas is no stranger to the league.

The former Townsville coach led the Fire to back-to-back titles in 2014/15 and 2015/16, featuring in four-straight grand finals during a golden age for North Queensland basketball.

Seebohm said his team was prepared to face a Geelong side that would play in Lucas’ trademark fashion.

“We’ve scouted their personnel and we have an idea of what all their players do, and Chris has been in the league a long time so we have a bit of an idea,” Seebohm said.

Townsville Fire's Paris Olympic bound coaches Shannon Seebohm and Brent Goriss. Picture: Evan Morgan

“Coaches have some tendencies and things they like to do, so we’ve been preparing for that.

“Chris trapped a lot of our ball screens last year, so we’re trying to be ready for that. He’s had decent sized guards against our small guards before and he’s tried to post up a few times, so (we’re) just trying to be really for little things that we think they may do.”

Geelong and Townsville share a few similarities this season; they both have very young teams with one 34-year-old veteran and two younger ‘vets’ in their mid-20s.

Fire coach Shannon Seebohm speaks during a time out during the WNBL match between Townsville Fire and Bendigo Spirit at Townsville Entertainment Centre, on February 18, 2024, in Townsville, Australia. (Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)

Despite being less than 48 hours from the season-opener, Seebohm revealed he was still not certain who would start on Wednesday night.

“I’ve got a bit of an idea but I haven’t settled on it,” Seebohm said.

“We’re going to look at some stuff at practice today, different line-ups and that sort of thing, and hopefully that helps make that a bit clearer.”

One of the biggest minor storylines will be Fire recruit Alicia Froling’s battle with her twin sister Keely.

Geelong United forward Keely Froling. Picture: www.peterfoster.com.au

The two forwards are set for a physical battle on the court – something Seebohm said Froling had been bringing to the Fire pre-season.

“She’s one of the leaders in that area. She always brings effort and physicality,” Seebohm said.

“She’s played with some great players when she was in Bendigo who play like that, so she’s picked up a lot of things throughout her career.

“It’s great that she’s been able to bring that to our team.”

The Fire launch their season in Geelong on Wednesday night, tip-off at 6pm AEST.

Originally published as ‘Really positive signs’: Kate Gaze lauds WNBL imports after the Townsville Fire dominate in round 1