Durham Palatinates are turning heads after inking a deal with WBBL star and Great Britain international guard, Nicolette Fong Lyew Quee.
The exciting backcourt dynamo knows the north-east region well, having spent a hugely successful and productive time with Team Northumbria in Newcastle.
The player will also get to be reunited with Palatinates Head Coach, Lee Davie.
“I’m really excited to working again with Nicolette to further continue to her development and do everything we possibly can to help her achieve her national team goals – both with the GB Senior Women’s programme and the England Commonwealth Games Team,” stated the play-caller.
“Nicolette brings a lot of experiences with her, being a former WBBL Playoff Champion and representing both England age group teams and GB U20s – then this past summer, representing the GB seniors.
“Having coached against Nicolette, I know fine well the damage she can inflict on a team. Lightning quick with the ball, she is a force to be reckoned with when she’s coming at you full speed. Once by her defender, she is an underrated finisher at the rim and she’s constantly looking to find her teammates when the help comes. Nicolette and hew new colleagues are definitely going to bring out the best in each other this year.”
He added: “Defensively, I can’t imagine there is anyone excited about squaring up and having to face her 1 v 1. She will harass and hound the ball every step of the way and I’m looking forward to being able to send her out there and turn her loose on our opponents!”
Fong Lyew Quee is also looking forward to her new challenge and commented: “When I heard that Durham had entered the WBBL and would be coached under Lee, who I had previous experience with before, I believed it would be a good fit for me.
“It was important for me to enhance my professional career, as well as my basketball career and Durham has allowed me to do both. It’s also exciting to join an expansion team and I feel it has potential to be a great program e and the challenge of helping to get it going on the right path is something I am looking forward to.
“My expectations are always to compete and to win, regardless of us being a new team in the league. We have just met as a team and there’s a lot of excitement around those that are here. We just want to go out give 100% and be competitive.
“I personally hope to bring some experience to what will probably be a young team, and as a point guard, it’s going to be my job to make sure we get the best out of each player and play well as a team. I will bring my hard work ethic and hope I can lead by example on and off the court.
“I’ve been really impressed with the work ethic of my new team mates, anytime you’re in a situation where your teammates challenge you and require you to be better, is definitely a culture I want to be a part of. Already we have clicked as a group on and off the court, and I am excited to get the season started.
“Being involved with the GB Senior Squad last summer for the first time was an amazing experience, where I learnt a lot from senior players and gained more motivation to work on my game. My time at camp highlighted the areas I need to improve on, which I intend to do this year, always having Eurobasket Women 2019 Qualifiers and the Commonwealth Games in mind,” concluded the guard.