WNBL 2024-25 off-season: Roster changes, coach movements, news

When Cheryl Chambers and Southside parted ways, the master mentor recommended the Flyers consider an Opals legend to be the WNBL club’s next coach. Safe to say, they were impressed.

London Olympics 2012. Womens Basketball final Australia v Russia. A crying Kristi Harrower get hoisted after their win.

New Southside coach Kristi Harrower knows she has big shoes to fill.

The legendary four-time Olympic medal-winning Opal has succeeded Cheryl Chambers, who led the Flyers to four grand finals in five years, winning two titles, as Southside’s second ever coach.

But take over the reigning WNBL champions with the former coach’s recommendation and blessing. After Chambers stepped away from the job the pair, last week, discussed Harrower’s prospects while in China with the Opals.

“Cheryl asked me while we were away if the Flyers had been in touch with me and I said ‘I put my resume in, see what happens’,” Harrower, who did a two-year apprenticeship under Chris Lucas at the now defunct Melbourne Boomers, told this masthead.

“She said she recommended me to them and, on the way home, they got in touch with me, we set up a meeting over Zoom and it happened from there.”

The 49-year-old was a staple of the Opals throughout a career spanning nearly two decades with two WNBL titles and stops in the WNBA and Europe.

Kristi Harrower spent the last two WNBL seasons as an assistant with the Melbourne Boomers.

Among her teammates throughout that glittering career where, as point guard, she considered herself a “coach on the floor” was the GOAT Lauren Jackson.

Jackson is yet to decide on whether she goes around again in the WNBL with the Flyers but reunited with Harrower on that recent trip to China - before either knew she would be the Flyers’ next coach.

“When I saw Lauren at the airport going away with the Opals, she said ‘I can’t believe you’re now my coach’ and I said ‘what are you talking about? I was your coach on the floor anyway’ and we had a good laugh about it,” Harrower said.

“I don’t know what her plans are but I know the biggest thing for her at the moment is the Opals and trying to get to Paris.

“I’m sure the club and I will sit down and have a chat with her and see what she wants to do and it will probably be something we speak about after the Olympics.”

How will she go at the Flyers? Picture: Wayne Ludbey

At the other end of the spectrum, but no less important, is highly-rated WNBA-bound forward Nyadiew Puoch, who is set to entertain offers from all over the league as she uses this season to prepare to make the leap to the Atlanta Dream, who snapped the 19-year-old up with the 12th pick in this year’s draft.

Puoch is no certainty to stay in teal but Harrower has made an early pitch, pledging to do all she can to ensure she remains a Flyer.

“It’s really important to keep Nyadiew in Flyers’ colours and really focus on developing her because she is the future of women’s basketball,” Harrower said.

“She has so much upside to her, she has so much athleticism, she has flair, now it’s trying to teach her the ins and outs of the game.

“It’s like what Caitlin Clark’s going through this year, she got so much publicity through the college ranks but when you start playing as pros and against women who have been around for a long time, it’s a completely different game, so I want to be able to prepare her to take that step.”

It’s her reputation for maximising young talent that was the clincher for Southside.

Harrower won bronze with the Opals in London.

“That’s me anyway, I’m about development and teaching and that’s what I’ll be putting in place at the Flyers,” she said.

“We have the likes of Nyadiew and Maddie Rocci and there’s a lot of young talent out there and we want to improve them and make them the best they can be.

“I know that’s really important to the Flyers’ program.”

Harrower is heading up Keilor in NBL1 South — which is top of the table with five WNBL luminaries, including Tall Blacks Penina Davidson and Tera Reed — but she knows she knows she has her work cut out for her constructing the Flyers’ roster, given only captain Bec Cole and reserve big Carly Ernst are under contract.

“There’s a lot of work ahead but I’m hoping we can put a really exciting roster together with a great mix of young talent and experience,” she said.

“They won it last season, so it’s a big challenge for me trying to keep the core together and build on what they had last season and hopefully I can do as good a job as what Cheryl has done.

“She’s been in that program for a lot of time and was very successful in that program so I really hope one day I can be just as good as her and really build this program to be successful like she had.”

Kristi Harrower in the WNBL grand final with Bendigo. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

KRISTI HARROWER FACT FILE

Born: Bendigo, Victoria

Age: 49

Height: 162cm

Playing career: 1991-2009

Olympic medals: 4 — 3 silver, 1 bronze (Sydney 2000, Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, London 2012)

World Championship medals: 1 — gold, Brazil, 2006

WNBL titles: 2 (2013, 2014, both with Bendigo)

Coaching: Assistant with Australian Opals, Bendigo Spirit and Melbourne Boomers. Head coach of Keilor women

Cheryl Chambers has left the Flyers. Picture: Getty Images

WNBL powerhouse parts ways with successful coach

After four grand finals in five seasons and two WNBL titles, legendary coach Cheryl Chambers and the Southside Flyers have parted ways.

The three-time WNBL Coach of the Year took the reins of the Flyers in 2019 when the former Dandenong Rangers were rebranded and is the only head mentor the Teal Tsunami has ever known.

The 56-year-old - fresh off leading the Flyers to a 2-1 grand final series win over Perth - has decided she needs a break after more than a decade coaching in the WNBL, and another looming Olympic campaign as an assistant with the Opals in Paris.

Cheryl Chambers has left the Flyers. Picture: Getty Images

“This is decision is mainly due to the hectic Opals schedule leading into the Olympics in July and having coached in the WNBL for more than ten straight seasons,” Chambers said.

It’s understood the Flyers will act quickly, given WNBL free agency is only three weeks away.

While Code Sports has been told the Flyers have an eye on at least one potential male replacement, the likes of rising Southside assistant Kerryn Mitchell and Opals great and former Melbourne Boomers assistant Kristi Harrower likely to feature heavily in considerations.

Flyers owner Gerry Ryan said the club accepted Chambers’ decision.

“On behalf of everyone at the Flyers we say thank you Cheryl Chambers, our inaugural coach. Cheryl has guided the players to achieve success, four Grand Finals in five seasons, including two Championships says it all,” Ryan said.

Originally published as WNBL 2024-25 off-season: Roster changes, coach movements, news