Tara Murray
Keilor Thunder is set to be tested early in the National Basketball League 1 South competition.
Entering its second season in the competition, the Thunder has a young talented list, with many having come through the club’s junior program.
With a couple of players still to arrive and an injury, the Thunder’s young stars will be thrown in the deep end.
Thunder coach Trevor Burnette said they would be playing a lot of kids early on..
“They’ve done really well in the three or four pre-season matches,” he said. “They’re getting opportunities and it’s been a big learning curve.
“The biggest learning curve is how physical you can play, with much more bumping.
“They’re getting better and better every game. We’re always in games in the first half. It might be a two point game and then we lose by 10 to 20 points.
“Just size wears us down.”
Burnette said Erinn McAlary had been really good and impressive in the pre-season matches, while Jaz Salon did a good job with her scoring and penetrating in the first three games.
Maddi Puli, who has returned from college is slowly finding her feet, having scored 25 points in their most recent practice match.
The young stars will be joined by some new signings and imports.
Grace Graham, who is currently injured, returns to the Thunder from college, having previously represented Victoria at the under-20 national championships.
Burnette said that Graham would be a key piece of their side and getting a player of her calibre is an absolute steal.
Another signing is Lana Hollingsworth is a two-way player who can impact the game on both ends
She is currently a development player for the Southside Flyers in the WNBL
Import Shaunay Edmonds has already arrived in the country and will be ready for round one.
She is coming off a great season in the. Pro-League in Mexico and is a highly decorated point guard coming from Akron University where she was a four year starter.
Burnette said she had a lot of playing experience and would have a big presence on the court as well as off court in helping the culture of the side.
Eva Kristjánsdóttir is the other import announced by the club, but is still to arrive.
Kristjánsdóttir comes to Keilor from Iceland where she has played professionally most recently for Haukar.
A forward who has represented Iceland at the under-15 and under-16 level as a junior and then debuting for the national team in 2020.
Burnette said Kristjánsdóttir was a wing-post player and was a nice piece of the puzzle.
The Thunder starts its season on Sunday against the Knox Raiders.
Burnette said they would be tested right from the start.
“Game one could be tough, but game two and three we should be okay,” he said.
“We think we’ll be pretty competitive. Knox has a couple of WNBL girls and we will find out how good we are really quick.”
