Our favourite annual series continues we ask WBBL Coaches to identify five players they believe deserve some recognition for their efforts this season.

They may not always be those challenging for awards, but they have impressed our play-callers. Next up is Caledonia Pride coach Bart Sengers, who has won admirers for the way he has led the WBBL rookies and of course this is first ever ‘High Five’ selection!

Abigail Johnson (Barking Abbey Crusaders)

Abigail has been great in the paint. She improved her finishing during the season, while she remains a strong force on the offensive glass. She uses her body very well and works hard. She does many little things to make her team have a better chance of winning. She almost personally beat us the first time we played them with nine offensive rebounds and 18 points. She has been excellent while cutting and in transition with over 1.2 points per possession. She is the third scorer on her team and second best rebounder. Leading her team with a 55, 3% field goal percentage she has been solid. When she improves her free-throw shooting and one =-on-one offensive game in the post, she will be very tough to stop.

 

Holly Winterburn (Leicester Riders)

With the Riders having a shorter rotation around the perimeter than they have inside, there have been opportunities for young talented players to show what they can do. The young player on their roster that impressed me the most is Holly. She played very well for England in the u16 European Championships last summer when leading that team and has easily transferred her form there to the WBBL on one of the premier teams. She seems to work hard whenever she is on the floor and likes to use her speed as she scores the bulk of her points in transition. She uses her length well to defend the spot up shooters, as well as defending the ball handlers in pick and roll situations. She also takes very good care of the ball, being second on her team in assist to turnover ratio and has an impressive adjusted field goal percentage – the best of their perimeter players. She has shown some flashes of brilliance beyond her years and I am looking forward to see her grow as a player.

 

Amy Browne (Manchester Mystics)

Amy brings a lot to the Mystics. When she shoots the ball well for them, they are very tough to beat. She truly makes a difference for them as she stretches the floor with excellent spot-up shooting, while adding more toughness on defence and excellent offensive rebounding. Clearly, her experience shines through in her game doing the little things to get open. She is an excellent cutter, and knows when to shoot and when to pass. Whenever we play the Mystics, she moves often to the exact spot to really test our defence. She is second in scoring and third in rebounding on her team, while being the best 3-point shooter for the Mystics. She brings a complete package to Manchester and is a difference-maker who does not always get the credit she deserves.

 

Melisa Mendes (Nottingham Wildcats)

Nottingham are a force and won the league for a reason. Of course, they have the top scorer in the league with the excellent Ashley Harris, but often we do not give enough credit to the players that surround the team’s stars.  Melisa’s defense does not get enough recognition at times. She can really make a difference at that end of the floor and she is the best defender I have seen on our guards this season. She is quick with long arms and anticipates well. She enables Nottingham to get more easy transition points because of it and to add to that, she has been an excellent 3-point shooter spotting up around Harris. She is second on their team in assists, rebounds and steals on the team that won the league. She tops that off with the best adjusted field goal percentage of their perimeter players, right behind their two bigs. It is hard to deny she must have had a lot to do with their success.

 

Daniela Lozzi (Sevenoaks Suns)

Sevenoaks have often been an offensive machine and a pleasure to watch. I have been impressed with how their younger players have come on. Gabby [Nikitinaite], earning Molten WBBL Player of the Month in March and then the Molten WBBL  Young Player of the Year award has really established her – but Daniela has gotten much better as well. She is very quick, can pressure the ball and turn people over. She impressed me with her defence the very first time we played the Suns. She will run and attack the basket and leads her team in steals and has an excellent assist to turnover ratio (1,41) for a young player that likes to use her speed. She leads her team in adjusted field goal percentage with a stellar 58 % which puts her second in the league right behind Riders’ star Erika Livermore. She leads the Suns from deep with 42% shooting and is their second best free throw shooter at 79,4%. I believe she is a player to watch for the future!

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