A New Jersey state of mind

JCU Townsville Fire championship winner Laurin Mincy has returned to North Queensland ahead of her sophomore season in the Chemist Warehouse WNBL and has winning on her mind.

The former WNBA draftee, who played a key role in the Fire’s championship success, is ready to shoulder a larger load after spending the off-season in the gym in New Jersey.

Playing primarily as a starter, Mincy averaged 6.8 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.0 assists as a wing for the Fire, but conceded it took time for her to feel confident and comfortable in the WNBL.

With a full season under her belt – and some clutch play-off performances including 11 points and three rebounds in the title decider – the 26-year-old was full of energy upon her return despite only arriving less than 24 hours ago.

“I’m feeling pretty good,” Mincy said.

“I had a long travel day yesterday – I got in around noon – and I was able to come in and get some rest, watch training and woke up and got to work today.”

Having tasted championship success in the Big 10 for Maryland, Mincy was drafted by New York in 2015 before cutting her teeth in the professional ranks in Israel.

While unheralded outside of the Fire’s ranks for most of 2017/18, the athletic swingman was among the first players brought back by Claudia Brassard for the club’s title defence and she is well aware of the recipe for success.

“We need to stay together,” Mincy said.

“We need to stay on the same goal – we want to win a championship just like last year – that’s the main goal so as long as everyone has the same mindset I think that can take us far.”

Join Laurin and become a member of the Fire this season, with the reigning WNBL champions poised to unveil their championship banner in round one.

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