Geelong Venom sign United point guard Lilly Rotunno for 2025/26 WNBL season
A Geelong United NBL1 young gun’s strong form this season has paid off, the point guard earning her first WNBL contract after holding a series of development positions in the league.
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Geelong Venom star Jaz Shelley and coach Chris Lucas have hailed Lilly Rotunno’s defensive game, after the 21-year-old landed her first WNBL contract with the franchise.
Rotunno’s signing comes after two development player stints in the WNBL with Sydney Flames (2022-23) and Melbourne Boomers (2023-24), the latter under current Venom coach Lucas.
The Gold Coast native joined Geelong United’s NBL1 South ranks this season and is excited to step up to the WNBL with the Venom.
“I have come to love the community and culture that we have in Geelong and I’m so grateful that I get the opportunity to keep playing here,” Rotunno said.
“I’m excited to get to work and do whatever I have to for our team to be successful, whatever that role looks like.”
Averaging nine points, four assists and four rebounds as Geelong’s starting point guard in NBL1, Rotunno’s defensive efforts were highlighted last week when she took out the club’s defensive player of the year award.
Shelley said Rotunno winning the award was a “no-brainer”.
“I think she’s the best defensive player in the league,” Shelley said.
“She sets the tone for us and goes up and dogs at 90-feet in every single game ... and then we want to get up and go and defend and work as hard as her.
“She’s the glue to our team and she deserves all the success she’s getting right now.”
Lucas lauded Rotunno’s growth and improvement since her time playing under him at the Boomers.
“She has absolutely earnt her opportunity,” Lucas said.
“She has improved greatly on defence … and she already has the respect of the core WNBL group that plays in that (NBL1) team.”
United talent recognised at awards
Shelley’s sensational form was rewarded after the star guard took home United’s women’s MVP and Players’ Player for the NBL1 South season.
“I’m just having a lot of fun and when I have fun, I play good basketball,” Shelley said of her blistering form.
She is averaging 20.09 points, 7.35 rebounds and 6.26 assists a game, with United through to a NBL1 South preliminary final after beating Keilor 84-69 on Saturday.
In United’s NBL1 men’s ranks, import Tristan De Zwart Forsyth and captain DeMarcus Gatlin shared MVP honours.
United’s men fell out of finals contention after an up-and-down season in which they finished 7-15 and in 17th place. But in a bright spot, young gun Marach Marach’s impressive minutes off the bench – average 7.95 points and 2.0 rebounds – won him the award for United’s most improved player.
In United’s Youth League 1 girls’ honours, recruit Matilda Sewell took out Players’ Player and a coaches award, the latter shared with Neve Terpstra. The team, which finished the regular season in the top two with a 16-6 record, hosts Eltham in a semi-final on Saturday night at 5pm.
For the Big V Youth Championship boys, Bailey Bruce was judged MVP, while the seasons of Ethan Nicholls (Players’ Player) and Malik Davis (Coaches award) were also recognised.
United finished 11th with a 9-13 record in its first year in the top division.
The crucial detail behind United’s NBL1 prelim berth
They’d done it for 22 games and win 23 was no different, as Geelong United secured its spot in a NBL1 South preliminary final off the back of a defensive masterclass.
United put rivals Keilor Thunder to bed late in Saturday’s qualifying final at Geelong Arena, closing out the game 84-69, but not without a minor scare as the Thunder got within seven points with just under eight minutes to play.
But springboarding off a 12-5 run to open the final quarter, United put the clamps on to hit some big shots and finish off second efforts – eight of Taylor Mole’s 10 points off the bench coming in the final quarter, while a Gemma Potter airball miraculous turned into a Jaz Shelley reverse lay-up to put United up by 16 with 3.16 left on the clock.
A Mole threeball and Lilly Rotunno lay-up iced the game with 1.50 to play, as coach Megan Moody turned to her youngest players off the bench for the final minutes.
A blistering start – United opening the game with a 9-0 run and 28-17 first quarter – was based on defensive excellence, the team keeping up the pressure with a bounty of steals, tips and hands in faces.
“Our defence is kind of our identity right now, and that was probably the best defensive game we’ve played, against some of the best talent we’ve come up against as well,” Shelley said.
“We come out locked in, we watch a lot of scout and we know exactly what we need to do and everyone was on the same page which was the cool thing.”
After defeating the Thunder by 18 last week, the rematch posed a different challenge for United, with stars Issie Bourne and Maddison Rocci back in the visitors’ line-up – Bourne fresh of an Asian Cup gold medal with the Opals and Rocci on that plane had it not been for injury.
“They’re a formidable line-up, players that are world-class … credit to our girls for stepping up and containing them,” Moody said.
Meanwhile, Hannah Hank came into the game fresh off a silver medal with the Gangurrus 3x3 team in Indonesia – stepping off the plane hours before the game – while Dakota Crichton was a welcome return to United’s starting line-up after missing the last three games with a knee complaint.
Potter started United off strongly – 19 of her 23 points coming in the first half – while she controlled the defensive end with nine boards and four steals – all team highs.
Shelley praised Potter’s physicality and uncanny ability to play two feet taller than she was as a guard.
“We work really hard on our off-season and we’re in the gym a bunch so it’s really cool to see the things Gemma can do – she’s an unreal athlete – and I think her defence goes unnoticed sometimes,” she said.
“It’s really fun to play with people who play and really care about defence.”
Fresh off a club MVP, Shelley did a bit of everything with 12 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and three steals, while Rotunno – the club’s defensive player of the year – pulled off a series of timely defensive and offensive manoeuvres with the game on the line in the second half.
Left dazed by United’s sizzling start, the Thunder fought back by lifting their scoring percentage considerably, though back-to-back threes from Geelong teen Jasmine King in her first minutes late in the first half kept Geelong’s buffer at 14 heading in to the third.
A few lapses in defensive intensity from United saw the likes of Bourne (25 points) and Jasmine Dickey (22) break free, though Moody was pleased with her team’s ability to ratchet the pressure back up in the final 10 minutes.
“We had a little bit of a lapse there and they hit some really good shots … we adjusted, and their relentless pressure, their sacrifice for each other,” she said.
“I don’t think I can singly highlight anyone right now.”
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Originally published as Geelong Venom sign United point guard Lilly Rotunno for 2025/26 WNBL season
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