With Chelsey Shumpert not returning for the Nottingham Wildcats last season after doing a superb job leading Kenrick Liburd’s side as a guard in previous seasons, there was quite the void to fill in the Nottingham Wildcats roster and the energetic and effective Jahnae Gyles certainly shouldered much of that responsibility in an impressive manner.

Returning for her second season in Nottingham, Gyles is set to star once more for the Midlands side and she expressed her considerable excitement at the challenges that lay ahead as we caught up with the 5’7” guard ahead of the new season.

“I feel like a little kid again, that’s how excited I feel! We’ve got a solid group of players coming back who already have great chemistry and understand that family first mentality that the club is all about, and we’ve got an exciting group of new players coming in as well, so we’re all excited.

“Last year we were a very new team and it took us some time to connect and bond with each other on the court, which was longer than we’d have liked, but when we got there towards the end of the year we really showed what we could do and we’re excited to build on that this year.

“We felt like we were unstoppable at times last year, and we were just a few points away from making the Finals, so I’m really encouraged about what is ahead this year if we can bring that focus and chemistry from the start. We’re still going to have ups and downs, but we’ll handle them better this year from that experience we had last year.”

“I grew a lot as the season went on.”

Only three times last year did Gyles fail to score in double figures in a Championship game as she established herself as a super capable scoring threat throughout her debut WBBL campaign, so it is interesting to hear the talented guard say that she felt she took some time to adjust.

In her first year as a professional, Gyles speaks at length about the lessons she learned in the WBBL and how much she grew from the experience – growth that is surely only going to serve her well going into her second campaign in the league.

“The level of talent in this league really made an impression on me last year. As a first-year professional I came in so excited and just full of energy, but soon realised the difference between college and the pro game, because you’re playing against some women who have been doing this for a very long time and they just know so much about the game and how to play to their strengths.

“One way or another, these women I was coming up against were just finding ways to outsmart and outthink us, whether that was on other teams or in practice, so I learnt a lot from that and grew a lot as the season went on. It really helped me so much and I got so much better.

“I started a little slower than I’d have liked because I got here a late and it was a big shock to me to adjust to the level and style here. In my first game I almost fouled out and only had one point, which was a big change from being in college and being a leading scorer, but I kept fighting through and my teammates helped me get my confidence and I was soon able to help make a difference.”

The Wildcats get their WBBL Championship campaign underway on Saturday September 24 against the Gloucester City Queens at Wildcats Arena. You can watch every game in the WBBL this season live and free on the WBBL YouTube channel.