Jewels take shape ahead of historic debut

As the WNBL27 season fast approaches, the excitement around the League’s newest franchise, the Tasmania Jewels, continues to build day by day.

For the players and coaching staff who have the honour of being a part of the club’s inaugural season, there is a feeling that something special is brewing in season one. 

Speaking to media at their new facility in Kingston, the Jewels’ first marquee signing, two-time WNBL champion Keely Froling touched on the vibe surrounding the club and what is being built heading into the season.

“This is probably the most excited I've been for a WNBL season in a long time... we've been waiting for this for a really long time," Froling said. 

“We’re really looking forward to it, and I’m just ready to get out there and show what we can do.

“It’ll take us a little bit to get rolling and get used to it, but I think with the players that have been recruited and the team that’s being recruited, I’m really excited about [it]."

Returning to the WNBL and joining the Jewels after five seasons with the Adelaide Lightning, Brooke Basham will look to bring plenty of firepower to the Jewels’ backcourt, and she’s looking forward to representing the state to the best of her abilities.

“I love everything the JackJumpers stood for... Defending the Island, playing for their city and the community. It was really appealing and I wanted to be apart of it,” Basham said.  

"We have really high standards. We don't care that we're the first year playing, I think we’re going to be really competitive.

“We have high expectations, and we're excited."

Speaking about the squad that has been assembled in Tasmania, Head Coach Claudia Brassard alluded to potential competition for spots, which she says will allow players the chance to prove themselves in training heading into the season. 

“There probably will be opportunity [for players to earn spots over pre-season],” Brassard said. 

“We think we’ll have one of the bigger teams in the competition. We’ve got two solid fives, [we’re] pretty big around that three, four area… so I think we want to be able to use that size as much as we can.

“High-performing teams make their training [sessions] as competitive as they can be. We really want that to be that competitive cauldron.

“Part of the culture that we want to build is around challenging and being competitive, and then showing that genuine care for each other as well.”

The Jewels open their WNBL27 campaign against the Geelong Venom at MyState Bank Arena on Thursday, October 15.