Tornadoes leaders ‘excited’ as Jackies express WNBL interest

Launceston Tornadoes coach Sarah Veale believes a JackJumpers WNBL team “just makes sense”, and believes the NBL’s takeover of the league can give it the direction it badly needs.

Launceston Tornadoes skipper Keely Froling in action for Melbourne Boomer during this year’s WNBL season. (Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)

Launceston Tornadoes coach Sarah Veale is confident an NBL-led consortium can awaken the sleeping giant that is the WNBL, and believes a Tasmanian team in the elite league can prevent young female talent slipping through the cracks.

Veale couldn’t have wished for a better birthday present on Thursday after the NBL announced plan to acquire a majority interest in the elite women’s league, and take control from April next year.

The JackJumpers also announced their “strong interest” in spearheading a Tasmanian team into the league, and Veale said the NBL champions’ proven track record in building a strong on and off-court brand from scratch is a big advantage.

“It’s super exciting. It’s fair to say that women’s basketball has suffered due to the lack of support and investment,” she said.

“The JackJumpers being involved in this and the initiative behind it with (NBL owner) Larry Kestelman and the consortium, we’ve been waiting for it for some time.

“Tassie is really lucky to have two NBL1 (women’s) teams (Tornadoes and Hobart Chargers) and that can be a direct pathway to a WNBL team, but it makes sense for the JackJumpers to have a women’s team.

“They’ve already shown how professional they are and how they can make it work right from the get go.

“They have done exceptionally well in creating a new model and have really engaged the basketball community in the state.

“ They’ve shown they’re super committed to women, being in leadership positions on their board and executive.

“It just makes sense and I’m sure Christine (Finnegan, JackJumpers CEO) will be heavily involved in that.”

Keely Froling in action during this year’s WNBL season. (Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)

Tornadoes skipper Keely Froling, also part of Australia’s initial Olympics squad, has been playing in the WNBL for several years.

Froling is an Australian Basketball Players’ Association delegate and recently backed Kestelman as the man to help guide the struggling WNBL forward.

“You look at what he’s done with the NBL, he’s obviously proven himself. If he’s the right man for the job then we’d love to have him on board,” she said last month.

“There’s a lot going on with the whole league at the moment, and what we need is change.

“I think we’re moving in the right direction with that. How that happens, when that happens and who that happens with, there’s a million questions to answer.

“You look at other women’s sporting codes, but also the WNBA this year and how much it’s gone up. We’re right there with these top leagues in the world, it’s like ‘why can’t we be that.’”

Veale said Froling makes relevant points and also hopes the league can eventually turn fully professional so players can “focus on their craft” and not have to work to support themselves.

“I totally agree with everything ‘Frols’ said. It’s really clear and obvious that investment in women’s basketball has been lacking,” Veale said.

“You look how well the Opals do given there isn’t as much investment in the (local league) pathway as the men.

“The WNBL and Players’ Association have done a fabulous job trying to get more money for their development players and a higher minimum wage, but it’s still poles apart.

“It’s so important these women can spend the hours perfecting their craft and it becomes their job. So many of the women who play WNBL have to have a job as well just to support themselves, I think that needs to be addressed.

“It would be amazing for women involved to be financially supported to go and do their job, which is basketball. If we want it to be professional, then we need to pay them appropriately.”

Other sports like cricket, soccer, and other football codes have taken big leaps forward with professionalism and greater pay parity for female athletes.

It’s important basketball isn’t left behind, and Veale said a WNBL team could only increase the number of young girls playing, with the advent of the Jackies already having an impact.

“The JackJumpers and how successful they’ve been has stimulated people wanting to play basketball in Tassie, and we’ve certainly seen more girls coming in.

“At this point though their pathway is NBL1, and then what. Do they become a DP (development player) but they have to move interstate, and how do I support myself financially to do that when I’m expected to.

Launceston Tornadoes point guard Micah Simpson is a development player with WNBL’s Bendigo Spirit. Picture: Jon Tuxworth

“You look at (Tornadoes player and Bendigo Spirit development player) Micah Simpson. She had to relocate, she’s doing university, going to practice and having to work as well. She does an amazing job, but it’s tough.

“It’s almost impossible so then they stay in Tassie and try to go to (US) college, which is great, but then we lose them.

“Wouldn’t it be great if there was an opportunity for them to stay in Tasmania. To be local DP’s in a local side, that’s a great pathway for our Tassie girls.”

Basketball Tasmania CEO Ben Smith believes a WNBL team in the state would open up more avenues for the sport to grow.

“That discussion around WNBL has been going on for a while now behind the scenes, trying to work out the best way forward,“ he said.

“We want the opportunities for our female athletes to be the best they can possibly be, and we want the WNBL to be the best league it can be.”