It is fair to say the Sunbury Jets are travelling pretty well this season.
The Big V women’s division one side sits alone on top of the table, unbeaten with just three games to play before finals.
A big part of that success has been star point guard Monique Stevens, who is putting up career-best numbers in her first year at the Jets and clearly relishing the chance to showcase her talents in a dominant side.
Stevens joined the Jets this season after a year with now-defunct WNBL club South East Queensland Stars, where she was part of the development squad.
While she couldn’t break through for a senior game, Stevens said the chance to learn from former Australian player and Stars’ coach Shane Heal was pivotal to her basketball development.
“I learnt so much in a short time from Shane,” Stevens said.
“Obviously, being a development league, you’re with the best players in the country so I fed off that a lot … just getting the chance to play with and against the best.
“My skills and game knowledge went to a new level, and training alongside Lauren Mansfield (Australian guard) every day was great. She just had an amazing season, played every game, but I held my own against her on the practice court, which gave me a lot of confidence.”
The move south for Stevens meant a reunion with Jets’ coach Kennedy Kereama, who coached her at SEABL club Lady Bandits in 2009. The reunion was no coincidence – when the Stars folded, Kennedy got in touch.
“We had a chat about my future,” Stevens said. “He told me about his three-year plan for the Jets and how they planned to achieve success, and he set out a plan to take my basketball further, which excited me.
“I want to play WNBL; that’s the big goal and where I want to get to, so that’s what Ken and I are working towards.”
The move has certainly paid dividends. Not only are the Jets on track for an unbeaten season with a strong chance of the premiership, but Stevens is putting up some impressive individual numbers.
She leads the league in total assists (64), and is top-five for average steals (2.6 per game) and three-point percentage (33.3 per cent). At the Jets, she’s also third for average points (13.4 per game) and average rebounds (5.9 per game).
“It’s one of my better seasons across the stat lines, but really it’s a credit to my teammates.
“I can make the pass, but I need them to knock down the shot for me, to get the assist, so it really is a team effort.”
While firmly focused on finishing the season strongly and getting some silverware for the Jets, Stevens is also in talks with several WNBL clubs about next season.
“I’ve been speaking with an agent about possibilities in Europe, too, so if the WNBL doesn’t happen I’ll probably end up over there.
“At the moment both avenues are on the table. We’ll have to see how that plays out once the season is over.”
Until then, the only aim is that finals title.
