Shock move amid bizarre Shane, Shyla Heal WNBL disappearance

Basketball legend Shane Heal has spoken for the first time since he and his star daughter Shyla seemingly dropped off the face of the earth.

Shane Heal has broken his silence on his mysterious absence as coach of basketball team the Sydney Uni Flames, hours before the revelation that his daughter, former WNBA Draft pick Shyla Heal, has switched clubs mid-season.

Boomers legend Shane is the coach of the Flames, while Shyla was one of the team’s stars, having scored an average of 15.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and a team-leading 4.7 assists in 13 matches so far this season.

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But Shane and Shyla have both been mysteriously absent since the Flames’ January 18 clash with the Southside Flyers, missing three games without explanation.

News Corp reported Heal is facing a club investigation but the Flames and Aussie basketball great have refused to comment on the nature of the probe.

News Corp also reported it understands lawyers are involved and an independent firm has been engaged to conduct the investigation.

Shane finally broke his silence on the matter on this week’s episode of The Basketball Show but didn’t shed any new light on the drama.

“I’m sure, at some stage, that’ll come out but, right now, you know I can’t say anything,” Heal said.

“I’m getting messages from journos all over the place. I can’t say anything, my hands are tied. At some stage I’ll be able to talk.”

Asked by co-host Jo Healy if he was okay, Shane said: “I’m doing very well. Thank you for caring.”

Asked if Shyla was doing well, he added: “Shy’s doing well and hopefully you’ll see her soon too.”

It is unknown what the investigation is about. Photo by Morgan Hancock/Getty Images

But the plot has thickened after 10 News First sports presenter Lachy Reid reported Shyla had switched clubs.

“I’m told Shyla Heal has been cleared to play for @TownsvilleFire tomorrow night. Amazing after the dramas of the last fortnight with @TheSydneyFlames,” he tweeted.

Earlier on Tuesday, Shyla posted a quote on her Instagram Stories reading: “Some endings lead to better.”

News Corp reported the Flames and Shyla had “mutually agreed to part ways while the independent investigation into her father and Sydney coach Shane Heal continues”.

She will have to play the final seven games of the season to qualify for Townsville’s playoff campaign, should the currently fourth-placed side qualify.

The silence on the drama continues to be deafening, however.

“Adjacent to Shyla Heal going to Townsville, valid questions remain about Shane Heal’s continued absence from the Flames sidelines. Credit to @jogracehealy for at least asking the question but the answer here just raises further questions,” tweeted ESPN reporter Steve Smith.

Heal’s career has been quite the rollercoaster. Photo by Kelly Barnes/Getty Images

Shyla has had a tumultuous entry to the professional basketball ranks, having been traded and then waived after just four WNBA games for the Chicago Sky.

Heal was at the airport before her first road trip when she was traded by Chicago and then immediately waived by the Dallas Wings.

It was only six weeks after the Sky had selected her with the eighth pick of the 2021 WNBA Draft.

She played just 31 minutes in four games, having been unable to participate in the Sky’s training camp due to a delay with her visa application.

The 21-year-old Heal then signed a three-year deal with the Flames in the WNBL, but was in her second year when this drama erupted.

Originally published as Shock move amid bizarre Shane, Shyla Heal WNBL disappearance