Fowler earns development spot
The JCU Townsville Fire have signed under-17 Australian representative Alex Fowler as a development player for the 2018/19 WNBL season.
Recently crowned the Basketball Queensland Female Player of the Year, Fowler, who will represent Australia at this month’s Under-17 World Championships in Belarus, will be handed the golden opportunity to train and play alongside some of the game’s finest players including six-time WNBL MVP Suzy Batkovic.
A Queensland Country Health Fund Academy representative for the past two years, Fowler is one of the nation’s most promising young forwards, leading the Sapphires to a gold medal at last year’s Asia Cup in India.
The 16-year-old also represented Australia at the Under-18 3 x 3 World Championships in China.
“It’s very exciting but also nerve-racking to be joining the JCU Townsville Fire for the 2018/2019 season, especially after coming off an amazing season last year,” Fowler said.
“Suzy is an amazing role model for me to follow and I hope to improve on my post moves inside by working with her.
“My basketball ambitions have always been to play in the WNBL and represent Australia for the Opals.”
Having previously coached Fowler at club and state level, Fire coach Claudia Brassard said the Townsville young gun had earned the right to advance to a development player.
Fowler joins championship winners Ainsley Walsh and Haylee Andrews as Queensland Country Health Fund Academy representatives to advance to the WNBL in recent years.
“Alex is a promising young player,” Brassard said.
“Her form in the QBL this season against some very accomplished senior players has been promising and she proved at last year’s Asia Cup that she was able to compete with the best players around the world in her peer group.
“It’s a great opportunity for her to play and train next to the likes of Suzy Batkovic, Darcee Garbin and Zitina Aokuso, who have all represented Australia at youth level and have gone on to bigger and better things.”
The Fire are expected to name one further development player – and an import – to round out their 2018/19 WNBL squad.
Click here to become a member of the JCU Townsville Fire.
JCU Townsville Fire squad: Zitina Aokuso, Suzy Batkovic, Stella Beck, Micaela Cocks, Mikhaela Donnelly, Alex Fowler, Darcee Garbin, Tess Madgen, Laurin Mincy and Casey Samuels.