THE momentum continues to build for the Pioneers Basketball Club as it steps up to the Premier League in Adelaide for the 2019 season.
A new women’s team is included in the mix and the latest signings for the side were announced this week, with Limestone Coast players Maddy Wormald and Emily Winter set to pull on the Pioneers guernsey.
Newly-appointed women’s coach Matt Sutton said he was pleased with how the team was coming together so far.
“It is starting to take shape,” he said.
“There is a long road ahead, but there is not much time, so we have a lot of work to do.
“We are working in overdrive and have had some sleepless nights, but we are confident we will get there.”
Sutton said with the signing of Amanda Frost from the USA, plus the two Limestone Coast players now confirmed, the momentum was starting to swing in the right direction.
“We are really happy to have Emily and Maddy on board to keep the momentum rolling,” he said.
Wormald brings previous experience in the Premier League competition to the table, which Sutton said would prove invaluable to the team in its inaugural season.
“Maddy will be highly important for our group,” he said.
“She is one of the few who have experienced the Adelaide Premier League first hand with West Adelaide Bearcats.
“She will provide steady leadership and is a pure shooter who will help space the court.”
Likewise Sutton was just as excited about Winter’s involvement with the side, with her Country Basketball League experience sure to be an asset.
“With Em, there is a lot of potential there,” he said.
“We are really excited to have her on board and I am keen to see what she can do when she hits the court.
“She has been playing great basketball all season for Millicent in the CBL and is a versatile player who will cover many roles for our group.
“Em has a lot of potential and it is exciting to think how good she can be in the future.
“I am really happy with what I have seen from Maddy and Em so far.”
For Wormald, the chance to play in Mount Gambier is in itself an exciting opportunity.
“In Adelaide I was mainly a bench player and in the end work got in the way, so unfortunately I could not take my talents further,” she said.
“Down here the roster is a bit different.
“It is also good with Matt as coach because he works here (at the Icehouse) as well, so I can come during the week and work out with him.
“I have had much more time on court to improve my game.”
Wormald said her experience in Adelaide should help as the season unfolds.
“I guess I know a bit more about the Adelaide league than others do after living there,” she said.
“I know what to expect and it will be a bit of a challenge, but I think we have the potential to have a great group of young girls to hopefully get some wins.”
Likewise Winter was excited about the chance to play in the Premier League, especially with the future opportunities that may present, with possible inclusion into the Victorian elite competition next year.
“To get the next level is exciting, especially to all the girls,” she said.
“The boys have had their Pioneers team for ages, so it is exciting for the girls to have a go at that level.
“We are all so young and still developing, so it will be good to keep improving.”
It has been a whirlwind ride so far, with limited time to put the team together and Winter said it had been a big change from her recent experience in the CBL.
“It is pretty crazy going from not training very often to three times a week, but it is getting there,” she said.
“With the amount of training we are doing with Matt, it will be good to see how it goes.”
Mount Gambier was a late entrant into the Premier League competition after Basketball Australia relinquished its management of the South East Australian Basketball League.
After endeavours by the club to enter Basketball Victoria’s Elite competition and the Big V failed, Basketball Adelaide and its clubs accepted the Pioneers in on a one-year licence.
The challenges the club has been through have not stopped as the club has also been restricted by Premier League clubs to recruit “required” players.
Club president Tom Kosch said they encouraged women from the region to be part of “an exciting opportunity”.
