College, never get abnopportunity as a wnbl dp

I think upper tier (Australian Reps) WNBL is a better option. If not on the radar, college is a better option

Unless the player looks like they're going to be an absolute gun I would say college. The college experience is something that is almost universally loved by Aussies, living with your teammates, campus life, being welcomed by the local community and they generally never forget you too and some fans follow those players throughout their pro careers. Once a Tar Heel always a Tar Heel kind of thing.

The Aussie leagues will always be there to come back to after and regardless if the player kicks on or doesn't as a pro they will always have those lifelong memories of experiencing college life in the US. Priceless, IMO.

U18 gems

Loughridge, starting pg - gets a wnbl contract with the flyers, skips college
Puoch, starting sf - gets a contract with the flyers, skips college
Borlase, starting sg - gets a contract with the lightning, skips college
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It appears if you are in that s5, you have a real chance of getting a contract, eg last season Melbourne and swain and potter. It's rare you see someone outside top 5 in your age group get into the wnbl.
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Burrows, backup sf - becomes a dp for boomers, off to college in 2023
Ananiev, gems sf reserve - becomes dp for spirit, off to college in 2023
Brazel, injured at the time of selection - dp for the lightning, ...?
Rotunno, 3rd option pg, dp far from home with the flames, …?
Atleast 4 other girls maybe wanted a spot, have to sit and wait as a dp or go to college.


It’s a fine line.

The short answer is: it depends.
Some kids step into the WNBL arena just fine. Others, and probably depending on the roster around them (and the coach) find it hard to break into the genuine rotation. Some exciting kids in the WNBL this year. Those mentioned above that are choosing college also include some exciting names. College suits those prepared to put in some huge hours and LIVE their development. It's incredible, but it’s also hard work!

The kids that have been at the CoE May feel like they have done that already to a degree? Don’t get me wrong, the college resourcing called the CoE in the upper tier are not even close to comparable.
As mentioned above, for the kids that don’t walk straight in, the WNBL will be there when they come back. By then they will have matured a bit physically and perhaps generally making them better equipped.

College every day of the week and twice on Sundays. Lets say you get a WNBL gig, realistically at the lower end of the scale in terms of pay maybe $15K and most smart people will go off and do some studies for when they are finished playing at there own cost. Play in the WNBL in front of on average (last years numbers) just over 800 people, buy your own shoes, get a couple of free shirts.
Now, lets look at college and probably the biggest and most important thing is free education, come out of 4 years debt free and a degree. Plus, you get a stipend, you get food, you get bucket load of free gear, you get to work with high level strength coaches, the facilities are unbelievable, the list goes on. You really cannot compare!

I wish we had a "like" button for these posts. The best and MOST IMPORTANT thing you get out of College is the education - the degree, the living in another country, the learning to be independent. With the greatest respect - the basketball comes second. A terrific, well educated person will make their way in the world, be it as a basketball professional, as a working person in their chosen field, or as a genuine all-round decent human being. I reckon that turning up to training at ridiculous-o'clock, doing weights & gym and doing the academic stuff makes a complete human being. Let's not underestimate "human beings" in our assessment of a person's worth.

*like*