Great post! What everyone is thinking I'm sure...

How many Kiwis do they have? I thought it was only two, Edmondson and Wallbutton?

what is marita payne doing nowadays ?

Correct, paul, it is 2.
And a good number of those players listed have already played for the Waves in the past. Some of them may have decided not to be a part of the programme anymore, but in some other cases I don't think they'd make a difference anyway.
(Would have liked to see Kaye Tucker back this season after proving a handy player last season)

Anyhow, there's no way that team defeats the current Waves. Silly stuff.
Looking forward to getting our best big - Nat Burton - healthy and back into the side.
We are definitely lacking a starting PG this season though. We could easily be 3-0 if we had one. Very disappointing that we didn't replace Amelia Todhunter with anyone.

If only it was the Tall Ferns' development program and you had Micaela Cocks!

I agree with the first poster. Amos, Clayton, Fielding, Jones, Perini, Edwards - all state league level at absolute the best. At this stage anyway.

As for the kiwis, they struggled elsewhere and now he plays them top minutes, how come that didn't happen at their numerous other clubs? Oh that's right, the New Zealand national coach wasn't running their programs back then.

Burton and Smith are about the only two legitimate players in the lineup.

My issue isn't the numbers the New Zealand players are putting up (although you can clearly see the negative impact on team chemistry Edmondson has) it's more the above mentioned guards. Their minutes get pushed up and down with no pattern and they get played in critical situations.

Makes sense to me to stop paying Edmondson when you have a huge amount of 6' wing players already to choose from and use that money to bring in a quality point guard. Something similar to what Dandenong did bringing in Mitchell, they were smart to go get a quality player for such a critical position.

I'll definitely debate it. "KILL" the Waves starters is obvious trolling.
Of the players you mentioned, 2 of them are undoubtedly quality. They're also imports.
Of the local players, all have already played either for the Waves/Lynx, or other WNBL teams, and none of them have done anything to even remotely suggest they would be a part of "killing" the current Waves team. And don't think I'm claiming that the current Waves team are unbeatable either. They clearly are far from it.

I had a couple of paragraphs typed up about those players but I'm not going to post it. I don't want to knock any of them, and while some aren't good enough even if they wanted to play, and others are talented enough but are far too high-maintenance, others may have made their own decisions not to try out because they didn't want to make that level of commitment to playing at the WNBL level, and I don't want to hold that against them. Women's basketball is not a lucrative career.

I wish the Waves had the cash to recruit a couple of quality imports because it would make all the difference in the world to this young group. eg. I would have loved to see Taylor Lilley suit up at PG playing the same role she did with the Senators.
But the sad fact is we can't do it. Hell, we struggle just to scrape together an MVP award each home game.
It sucks. It's very frustrating that this team has so little financial support in this wealthy city, and the girls deserve better, but I'm glad we're at least able to put a team on the court each season. Far more responsible to do that than to pull a Logan and spend a heap of money that we don't have to sign up star players and then spring the situation on everyone right before the season begging everyone for donations.

I think all players mentioned in both sides are talented enough. Although for the players mentioned which that are not in the team currently, I think some of them are better now than when they were in the waves or lynx before. Many of them don't stick around long enough at wnbl.

I have three thoughts:

1. Not naming players individually is a good idea

2. I like the Waves front court balance once they get Burton back, but they have too many wings and not enough ballhandlers, it's a shame they can't do a mid-season trade like in the NBA

3. The Waves / Lynx have always brought in 16, 17 or 18 year old girls to try and fill spots. Maybe it has to be like that because it's harder to get older girls to play with very little money, but these girls are never fully developed in terms of basketball skills or maturity and 99% of the time it doesn't end up working. The majority of the girls on that list are better (but more importantly have grown up) than when they were given an opportunity and most are in their mid 20s. With an exception being for absolute superstars isn't this the age group of players we should be targeting to play WNBL? It makes me think of the Aussie cricket team putting players in before they have made first class runs only to bomb out.

I agree and believe the issue is funding!!

If we could get the 'cash' together to get those better role model players in the team, that would be invaluable.

Those younger, motivated, fit, talented local players a few of you have bagged would have the opportunity to develop their game under great mentoring.

At the moment they are being given responsibility above their years and all that is doing is killing their direction and love of the game.
They will in time become the casualties, the same as those 'better' players you have mentioned.

All in all a great loss to the game of basketball in WA.

So what is the answer to moving this great sport of ours ahead? All the posts have a familiar if depressing theme and are problems shared by all clubs not just west coast. If it's not Townsville on the brink of collapse it's Logan, who's next. Seems like an endless revolving door. There's so few teams in the league as it is we clearly can't afford to lose even one moving forward. Obviously BA needs to concentrate resources on supporting and growing the current clubs with a view to hopefully adding more to the league in future years if growth is achieved? Perhaps a good forum topic in it's own right...any takers??

Great post Daphne. Totally agree. U forgot 2 mention Bendigo's troubles too last year. Could be some inequity by rewarding the less hardworking clubs with a guaranteed meal ticket year on year but so be it. The alternative current model of almost every club other than Adelaide and Dande having their turn to nearly fold is worse. Wouldn't be much of a league with only two clubs would there? BA should sandbag all the clubs now and work out some better structures asap esp in these tough economic times

You lose the marino's from adelaide and we don't have a team either

The other problem is BWA have a rule were if a player averages 14 minutes a game for the waves they become a restricted player in the state basketball league. I could understand this if the local league was strong but with the waves squad not deep these rules don't help making the local league stronger. A strong local league will make the wave players better and better players for the coach to look at. Fair enough having only 2 imports but to include some of the local players as restricted doesn't make sense.
Fix it BWA

Double post sorry