Oaklands Wolves have fortified their rise in the WBBL by returning three key senior players ahead of the 2018-19 season.
Last year’s captain, Lizzy Harrison is back on board to give the Wolves side both continuity and a constant threat. The 5ft 11 in guard completed her first full WBBL season last year after graduating from Newman University, Kansas.
As the teams second leading scorer from the last campaign, Harrison will once again lead by example. The 168 points, 80 rebounds and 54 assists she accumulated was a good return, but Head Coach, Lee Ryan knows there is more to come.
He said: “Lizzy continues to improve year on year, she is a great example to our academy players and seniors alike. She is always a threat and she showed consistency in latter stages of the season.
”We have great confidence she will deliver at a high level in every game this season; she took on a load last year and did a great job, but Lizzy is explosive and needs recovery in games so by improving the squad depth we will also improve Lizzy’s production, its a win-win.”
Meanwhile Lauren Milligan was a tower of strength for the Wolves during her first season back from US college, Chestnut Hill. The forward was named Wolves’ MVP for the 2017-18 campaign. One of the toughest competitors on the circuit, the former Great Britain youth player will be looking to build on her maiden WBBL season which saw her contribute averages of 5 points and 5 rebounds per game.
The defensive specialist is looking to push Oaklands to new heights this season and commented: “It starts with dedication and individually wanting to be the best you can be – that’s the mentality we have here and it translates to how we play as a team.
“We are ready to push through this year, I will continue to make sure no one takes a play off and deliver the tough love the academy players need. I will be doing everything I can to lead the group to the next level.”
The third member of the trio is the sharp-shooting Beth Sarson, who enters her second WBBL season with the Wolves. A constant 3-point threat, the 5ft 7in guard will be looking to establish herself as one of the premier perimeter dangers in the league.
- Continuing her undergraduate studies at the University of Hertfordshire, Sarson plays a key role in bringing the partner programmes together, something Wolves assistant and UH Head Coach Natasha Green values greatly.
She commented: “Beth is a leader at UH and the experience she gains with the WBBL is invaluable for the University programme. It took Beth a while to get her confidence back last season after her spell in the US, but now she is back to her best and ready to show the league the quality she has.”
Oaklands will announce their first overseas signing tomorrow.