By Oliver Lees
Sunbury Jets coach Ben Draper is confident his team can back up last year’s strong performance in the Big V women’s state championship division, despite losing three critical players.
The Jets were flying at the tail end of last year before the Big V was forced to cancel the season due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Sunbury lost just two of its 14 matches, finishing one game behind Bulleen in second place.
But the season wasn’t without its challenges, as key players Courtenay Wragg, Jacinta Beckley and Orla O’Reilly all announced their departure from the club.
The three spent the most amount of time on court of any of Sunbury’s players last season and each played crucial roles in offence.
Beckley was the Jets top scorer, averaging 21.4 points per game and shooting an impressive 42 per cent from behind the three point line.
Star Weekly reported in August last year that the forward from Wellington had returned to New Zealand to be closer to family and to play for the Capital Swish in the NZNBL.
Meanwhile Wragg and O’Reilly were picked up in the NBL1 at the Ipswich Force and the Waverley Falcons respectively.
But Draper said it wasn’t all doom and gloom, as the club had secured the resigning of Swedish shooting guard Ida Andersson.
Andersson first signed with the Jets in 2020 but was unable to get onto the floor due to the season’s cancellation.
“I think she was rather eager to finish what she started,” Draper said.
“We had a chat about our philosophy and style of play, and it was excited about it because it seemed my approach was similar to hers.
“She’s a high volume scorer, and can really score at will. She’ll be handy, and defensively a lockdown player.”
Andersson played college basketball at Barry University in the United States before joining the Jets.
In her 2018/19 season, she averaged 14 points and six rebounds.
Draper said the club had also re-signed Beth Theodore and that players would be coming up from the youth league.
He said the club was also attempting to sign other players wasn’t yet in a position to make an announcement.
The Big V has announced its structure for the 2022 season, with two new sides joining the Big V championship women division.
Chelsea and Pakenham have both been added to the competition as Keilor and Casey moved up a division.
Draper said his team would have a new focus going into this season.
“We’re going to be adapting to a slightly different style of play, try to be a lot more assertive and put a lot more pressure on the ball,” he said.
“The girls are getting along really well. It’s a really good group, chemistry wise. I’m expecting to see some really good things out of them, it’s a good place to be at this stage of the year.”
The 202 Big V season will begin on the weekend of March 19.
