Even though she’s still only 22 years old, Holly Winterburn’s list of accomplishments in the game is ridiculously impressive. An eight-time title winner in the WBBL, three-time WBBL Young Player of the Year and a Great Britain Women’s International, Holly is a hooper and she’s only just getting started.
“We’re really excited for another final.” The London Lions guard said.
“Last year in Glasgow was a big win for the team and there are always really great fans in Scotland so we’re looking forward to playing in front of them again and being part of another final.
“The way British Basketball is growing, we’re getting to see these crowds get bigger and bigger with every final, and that’s great for the country. The WBBL attendance record is getting broken every weekend, it feels like, and we want to break it at London as well, so if we keep going and pushing in the right direction as a league then who knows where we’ll be in two- or three-years’ time.”
The MVP of last year’s Trophy Final against the Sevenoaks Suns, where the Lions made a statement win against what at the time was one of the most dominant forces the WBBL had ever seen, Winterburn has history of putting on a show at the Emirates Arena.
She reflects on the significance of last year’s final, and also the importance of this one as the Lions head into their first major final under the leadership of new Head Coach Stella Kaltsidou, who took charge of London just last month, and has an impeccable history in the game as a player and coach at the highest levels.
“What I remember most about last year’s final is that it was our first big win on that kind of stage [beating Sevenoaks, who were the dominant force in the WBBL for many years] as a group and it set the tone for the rest of the season.
“Going into this final we’ve obviously had a coaching change since our last final and we’ve lost a game in the WBBL, which we haven’t done for a while, so to come back and win this final would be a great step in the right direction for the future – it is a very important game for us.
“A new coach with a completely different coaching style is obviously going to change things, but I really like Stella (Kaltsidou) and love what she’s trying to do with our team. You can tell she’s played the game at a high level and she’s really personable. Of course there have been adjustments, but it is going well so far.”
A rematch against the Leicester Riders awaits today, who London dispatched in January’s Cup Final quite comfortably, but Winterburn – a former Riders star herself – knows today’s opponents only too well and detailed why she’s expecting a far tougher challenge from Leicester this afternoon, and how much she enjoys taking on old friends and colleagues on the hardwood.
“I really don’t think at that point in the season we were 50 points better than them, so I am expecting a much tougher challenge from them this time now that they’ve had a chance to go away and look at the game and where they could have done things better on the day in Birmingham.
“We’ve been through a lot since then, as well, so it’ll be a good test for both of us to see how much both of us have changed and improved since January and I’m expecting a really good game that’ll be much closer than last time. We’re going to have to be at our best again to get the win.
“Friendships and relationships run deeper than basketball so obviously when you’re on the court against your former team, coaches and teammates you want to beat them, but before and afterwards it was really nice to catch up with them all. I want the best for them all the time … as long as it doesn’t mean beating us!”