Round 1 Preview – UC Capitals kick off the season on the road
The wait is over as the 2024/25 Cygnett WNBL season kicks off this week with the new-look UC Capitals opening their campaign on the road against the Sydney Flames on Sunday, 3 November.
The Caps are aiming for a strong start the new season, as they head up the Hume to take on their rivals at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena.
The club went through a major shift during the offseason – Head Coach Kristen Veal had to step down due to health issues, which led to the return of two-time WNBL Championship winning coach Paul Goriss.
“The club holds a special place in my heart, and I am eager to continue building on what Kristen has created in this new era of the Caps,” Goriss said back in June.
The roster features a lot of new faces, with only Jade Melbourne – fresh off a bronze medal winning campaign as the starting point guard for the Opals in the 2024 Olympics – and Nicole Munger – who led the Newcastle Falcons to the NBL1 East title and was named the league’s back-to-back MVP – as holdovers from last season’s playing roster.
The new faces are led by Charli Collier – the first overall pick in the 2021 WNBA Draft – who is making her Australian debut after stints in Europe and Asia the past couple of years. The 196cm centre brings experience, versatility and a much-needed interior presence for the squad.
Also joining the Caps this year are forwards Chantel Horvat and Nyadiew Puoch. Horvat has spent the past few years playing in Europe and will finally make her WNBL debut this season, in a bit of a homecoming of sorts – she has Canberra ties from her mother’s side of the family and has spent time in the capital as part of Basketball Australia’s Centre of Excellence (CoE) program. She reunites with Paul Goriss, who was a coach at the CoE during her time there.
Puoch makes the move to Canberra after spending last season with the Southside Flyers, where she averaged 6.1 points and 3.6 rebounds as a key role player for the champs. The 20-year-old was drafted 12th overall by the Atlanta Dream in the 2024 WNBA Draft and will be looking to expand her game further this season with the Caps.
Emerging young talents Ella Tofeaono, Indi Bowyer, Meg Jefferson, Katie Deeble, and Monique Bobongie will also be raring to showcase their worth at the WNBL level. Tofeaono and Jefferson add quality depth to the frontcourt while Bowyer and Deeble will look to provide playmaking and shooting. Meanwhile, Bobongie, who only turns 18 in late December, has already shown her explosive scoring ability, dropping 38 points in the opening game of the Hoop Fest preseason tourney in Perth.
This year’s development players are two of Canberra’s own, Claudea Waihape Andrews – back for her second season – and Nikki Worner. Both players are products of the ACT basketball system and have played for the Canberra Nationals at the NBL1 level in the past few seasons.
The Sydney Flames lost key players Tess Madgen (retirement), Loz Nicholson (maternity leave), and American import Didi Richards (injury recovery) during the off-season, but the club will still be parading a talented and dangerous roster led by 2023 WNBA Champion and Opal Cayla George.
Supporting George will be former Capitals Shaniece Swain and Makaela Reuf. Swain, who missed most of the previous season as she recovered from a knee injury, will be looking to take on a bigger role as one of the primary playmakers for the club. Reuf moved from the Townsville Fire, where she averaged close to a double-double in points and rebounds, and will feature prominently in the Flames’ frontcourt rotation.
Americans Celeste Taylor (WNBA – Phoenix Mercury) and Yemiyah Morris (198cm; Europe/Asia) are also expected to be contributors to this year’s Flames, and forward Emma Clarke will be looking to build off a solid campaign last season in which she averaged 7 points on 39% shooting from three.
“Sydney’s a well-coached team, and they usually have a good understanding of what they want to run,” said Jade Melbourne.
“But for us, it’s all about us this weekend, and executing and getting through what we want to do and bringing that effort on both ends of the floor to hopefully get the season off to a good start.”
UC Capitals vs Sydney Flames will tip-off at 2pm on Sunday 3 November at the Qudos Bank Arena and will be broadcast live on 9Go!