By Jamie Thomas
Leading your teammates into battle in the WBBL has perhaps never been more challenging, but eight of our WBBL captains have managed to take their team to the post-season, where the action, excitement and the challenges really ramp up.
The WBBL Playoffs get underway in Newcastle this week with the last team standing being crowned playoff winners in Leicester in just under a fortnight. Check out the thoughts of the eight competing captains below, as well as some key stats from each team, as the playoffs get underway. Find more information on where you can watch the action live here.
First seed – Sevenoaks Suns
Team Captain: Car Carr
Regular Season Record: 19-1
Playoff Quarter Final opponents: Oaklands Wolves – Saturday, May 1st @ 5pm
Top-scorer: Cat Carr (19.2ppg); Assist leader: Cat Carr (7.3apg); Leading rebounder: Cat Carr (8.8rpg)
Carr said: “This season is a bit different for us because we’re pretty much going to flow right into the playoffs with no break, and we’re still gelling after starting late, playing multiple games a week instead of one like we were used to, so we’re trying to stay focussed, healthy.
“It is great that the league is getting closer from top to bottom, and Barking have really shot up this year so it is great to have more talent, more competitive games and that can only uplift the league. The way our playoffs are set up, you only need one good or bad game and it can put you out, and we’ve seen some shock results in the league so the playoffs won’t be any different, I don’t think.
“We’ve gone through a lot this year together and personally, so it hasn’t been the easiest of years for most people and basketball is our outlet, allowing us to come together and play the sport that we love. We’re just trying to enjoy our time together on court as you never know which game could be your last, and to win the playoffs would just be the cherry on top.”
Second seed – Leicester Riders
Team Captain: Holly Winterburn
Regular Season Record: 18-2
Playoff Quarter Final opponents: Newcastle Eagles – Saturday, May 1st @ 7:30pm
Top-scorer: Holly Winterburn (14.9ppg); Assist leader: Holly Winterburn (6.2apg); Leading rebounder: Azania Stewart (8.8rpg)
Winterburn said: ““It has been so hard to keep training and playing for so long with all of the uncertainty of the past year, so to be successful would be a great reward for all of our hard work. We want to be successful, but we’re not going to be playing in the final if we don’t take care of business before that. We’re excited, but know there’s a lot of work to do to achieve what we want.
“We’re definitely peaking at the right time, I think. We’re getting better every game and we’re going to keep growing. We’ve got little details to work on and improve, but as a group we’re really solid and to look back on the team we won the WBBL Cup with, it feels like a different season as our roster has changed so much, so it has been fun to grow with this group since then.
“What’s great about the playoffs is anything can happen on any day, not just if you’re playing but watching other teams. You can’t take anything for granted, there could be upsets, but for me it is just another opportunity for us to grow and get better. There’s so many talented players in this league, I do see upsets happening.
Third seed – BA London Lions
Team Captain: Shanice Beckford-Norton
Regular Season Record: 16-4
Playoff Quarter Final opponents: Essex Rebels – Sunday, May 2nd @ 5:30pm
Top-scorer: Cassie Breen (18.5ppg); Assist leader: Kennedy Leonard (11.0apg); Leading rebounder: Stephanie Umeh (7.1rpg)
Beckford-Norton said: “We will do what we can to make it a battle and won’t make it easy for any team to beat us, which is why we’ve been so successful this year. We have all the parts we need, it’s just getting the best out of our group when it matters.
“The progress that women’s basketball has made in the UK is huge. There’s still a long way to go, I think, but there’s so many people trying to promote and elevate the women’s game, and to be in my first year in the WBBL and develop so much as a team, the playoffs are going to be an amazing experience for us and everybody.
“I would be quite speechless if we won it, but I would be so happy for my teammates and my coach, because we’ve literally come together from all over the world – with only three players from London – to compete this season, so to win the playoffs would be huge. We’ve grown so much, we’ve taken real strides, and to be successful at the end of it all would be huge for us.”
Fourth seed – Nottingham Wildcats
Team Co-Captains: Siobhan Prior and Jasmine Joyner
Regular Season Record: 11-9
Playoff Quarter Final opponents: Manchester Mystics – Sunday, May 2nd @ 3pm
Top-scorer: Jasmine Joyner (19.5ppg); Assist leader: Chelsey Shumpert (5.0apg) Leading rebounder: Jasmine Joyner (10.5rpg)
Joyner said: “These playoffs are going to be a bit different for me, having to help lead the team more vocally from the side-lines than by example on the court, but I’ve enjoyed that experience and still being able to contribute as much as I can. I hope if they hear my voice by cheering, motivating them or talking to them then that can help.
“The team have done a great job of adapting since the Trophy Final, and in that game I was so proud of their fight and resilience after my injury to keep going, no matter how much they were down. I feel like it has been a blessing in disguise in some ways because people have stepped up so much, with Simone and Chelsey becoming much more vocal leaders in particular, and we’ve taken a big step forward to being a great team capable of competing in the playoffs.
“To be successful in the playoffs would be a blessing, we’ve been adjusting all year and we’ve not had the same starting five for more than three games in a row for one reason or another. To reach the Trophy Final was a blessing, and to do get to another final would be wonderful, but even if we don’t I’m so happy and grateful to be a part of this team and to see how far we’ve come.”
Fifth seed – Manchester Met Mystics
Team Captain: Georgia Jones
Regular Season Record: 10-10
Playoff Quarter Final opponents: Nottingham Wildcats – Sunday, May 2nd @ 3pm
Top-scorer: Georgia Jones (17.2ppg); Assist leader: Georgia Jones (5.3apg); Leading rebounder: Dominique Allen (6.3rpg)
Jones said: “This is the business end of the season, isn’t it, so you’ve got to sharpen up your focus and know that every detail and practice matters. I don’t think we’ve underachieved, but I think we have so much potential and we should be up there with the best teams, which is why we’re so looking forward to the playoffs to show what we’re capable of.
“We say it often that we need to stretch the 25-30 minutes of our good play to be 35-40 minutes, because that has proven to be the difference against the top teams. Against those teams you know they’re not going to dip, so we can’t afford to either, and I think that has been our biggest struggle for whatever reason.
“We know what we need to do to win and progress in the playoffs, it’s not new to us and there are no excuses – we have to get it right and be ready. I hope the one-and-done situation helps bring the best out of us. We need to know that we have to perform. We’ve got one opportunity and that’s it.”
Sixth seed – Essex Rebels
Team Captain: Andrea Kohlhaas
Regular Season Record: 10-10
Playoff Quarter Final opponents: BA London Lions – Sunday, May 2nd @ 5:30pm
Top-scorer: Deangelique Waithe (15.2ppg); Assist leader: Ashleigh Munns (3.5apg); Leading rebounder: Lucrezia Costa (10.6rpg)
Kohlhaas said: “I’ve been looking forward to having this opportunity since last season, I was so disappointed we didn’t get the chance last year, so since the jump when we this season started it was a goal of ours to secure a playoff spot. To achieved it is really great, and we’re very, very excited. We have a lot left in our tank and we’ve proven we can compete and beat anybody this season.
“We certainly could have it in us to be successful. We’ve definitely got it in us and we’ve been surprising people all year, so it is just a matter of us staying focussed, preparing right and bringing the right energy to the playoffs.
“We’ve got quite a new group this year, but everybody has bought into our ambitions and how important it is for us to reach the playoffs. We’re ready to shock some people, and the sky is the limit for us. We’ve almost surprised ourselves how quickly we’ve clicked and grown as a club. I don’t think I could put it into words just how much it would truly mean to the club to be successful in the playoffs, and we’re going to give everything to achieve it.”
Seventh seed – Newcastle Eagles
Team Captain: Alison Gorell
Regular Season Record: 7-13
Playoff Quarter Final opponents: Leicester Riders – Saturday, May 1st @ 7:30pm
Top-scorer: Alison Gorrell (23.6ppg); Assist leader: Alison Gorrell (5.3apg); Leading rebounder: Alison Gorrell (7.5rpg)
Gorell said: “We’re looking forward to causing an upset, that’s what we’re aiming for, for sure. We’ve had some really big wins in this second half of the season and had some really close games against the top teams, so that gives us a lot of confidence and we know it just comes down to one game.
“If we come ready to play we can take on anybody and we really have nothing to lose. We’re going in the lower seed and if we leave it all out there, who knows what could happen.
“We tend to be a lot more aggressive against the bigger teams, much more scrappy with our defence, and not holding back at all, whereas maybe in games where we’re more expected to win there may be some nerves that creep in, but when we feel loose and play aggressive we’re at our best.”
Eighth seed – Oaklands Wolves
Team Captain: Lizzy Harrison
Regular Season Record: 7-13
Playoff Quarter Final opponents: Sevenoaks Suns – Saturday, May 1st @ 5pm
Top-scorer: Greeta Uprus (12.6ppg); Assist leader: Beth Sarson (2.7apg); Leading rebounder: Lauren Milligan (7.8rpg)
Harrison said: “Especially in these circumstances, to qualify feels a little bit sweeter, because we’ve faced so much adversity as a team through the course of the year, and it is such an achievement not just for the team but the whole club.
“This is every team’s goal at the start of the season, so to know we’ve clinched a spot and that we can look forward now is a great feeling. There’s such a buzz around May Madness, and for Oaklands to be a part of that and put on a pedestal with the best teams in this country is awesome!
“This is only the second time that we’ve made the playoffs, which seems crazy to think about, but it puts into perspective how much of an achievement it is. I’m loving the journey, loving how much this programme is building year-on-year. It’s amazing to see the different players come in, leave their mark and help build Oaklands from strength to strength.”