TWO of Newcastle's Waratah League championship-winning players are following coach Shannon Seebohm to Townsville to chase their Women's National Basketball League dreams.
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Hannah Young, who played for reigning WNBL champions Canberra Capitals last season, has signed a contract to join the Fire's full-time roster and Alison Ebzery will be one of two development players.
Their move north will continue Newcastle's strong ties to Townsville. Six-time WNBL Most Valuable Player, five-time WNBL champion and triple Olympic medallist Suzy Batkovic led the Fire to the 2015, 2016 and 2018 WNBL titles before retiring at the end of last season.
"I'm thrilled for both of them. I've had a lot to do with Hannah and Ali in the past two Waratah League seasons and seen a lot of growth and development in their games, and I think they can both be successful at the WNBL level," Seebohm said.
"Hannah was one of the top three-point shooters in the Waratah League last season and she certainly has the athleticism and ability to defend multiple positions, so we want her to come in and set the tone for us defensively. For Ali, I already see her as a WNBL-level defender and she works hard, so if she can add a bit of polish to some of the other areas of her game, she has the potential to become a full-time WNBL player."
Home-grown Newcastle juniors, 26-year-old Young and 22-year-old Ebzery starred in the Hunters' 86-61 victory over Canberra Nationals in the Waratah League grand final two weeks ago.
"Once I found out Shannon got the job, I thought there might be an opportunity for me there, and he asked me if I wanted to continue to pursue basketball at a high level," Young said. "Wanting to be there and do that and prove myself were the biggest stepping-stones for me moving forward in basketball, so I'm grateful for Shannon to give me the chance to do that.
"I'm grateful for my time in Canberra, because that was a real eye-opener for me. It showed me the level of play required because it's a huge step from Waratah League to WNBL.
"It was a bit of a shock, really, but now I know the expectations and what it takes to be a high-level player. Having Shannon as coach these past six months has really helped with that too."
Ebzery was unsure of her basketball future when she sat out the first half of the Waratah League season but rediscovered her passion for the game when she returned and played a key role in helping secure the Hunters' second title in the past four years. She said her older sister, Australian Opals guard and Rio Olympian Katie Ebzery, encouraged her to back herself when Seebohm offered her the chance to be one of Townsville's development players.
"Katie's work ethic, determination and passion is second to none and she has always inspired me. She was the first person I spoke to about potentially trialling for development player roles and she encouraged me from the get go," Ebzery said.
"After Shannon was announced as head coach, we sat down and discussed the potential of me trialling as a development player. He told me that I had things to work on so I was on the shooting machine, running and ball-handling every chance I got.
"It's been at the back of my mind for a while now, but I've never acted on it. After taking a few months off at the end of last season and being asked to come back due to player injuries, a few games in I already had the hunger back for it and I wanted to see where I could go with basketball.
"When Shannon was announced as head coach, it was just another sign for me to give it a shot now rather than later.
"I'll play whatever role the Fire need me to. As a development player I might not necessarily play any games, but even if it's waving my towel on the bench or being a defensive player at training, I will give it everything I have."
Young was looking forward to seeing some familiar faces in Townsville after an anxious start to her WNBL career in Canberra last season.
"I remember going to Canberra and not knowing anyone, not knowing the coach, and I was so nervous going in there," Young said.
"But having that experience under my belt now, and going to Townsville and having Shannon and Ali, and even [Seebohm's wife] Jaimee and the kids, I feel a lot more comfortable."
Seebohm said guard Jasmin Howe, who has played the past two Waratah League seasons with the Hunters and been one of their leading scorers, will also head to Townsville to train with the Fire in the hope of securing a WNBL contract there or elsewhere.