Ajax will face a more competitive, although also more repetitive, schedule in its quest to make it make it four in a row.
The reigning champion will defend its Dunedin women’s club basketball title in what, on paper at least, looks to be a very even four-team A-grade league.
That comes after several years of a substantial gap between the top four and the bottom two of the six-team competition.
The result will be no easy games when teams are at full strength.
Ajax will remain well among the contenders, although how strong it is week to week will depend on Tauihi signings.
Zoe Richards and Samara Gallaher are both on the roster, as is last year’s league most valuable player Hannah Beede.
Hannah Matehaere and Dre Whaanga also bring star power, giving this team a look of one that can threaten both from deep and at the hoop.
It is without several key pieces from its three-peat years, though, notably having lost Olivia O’Neill, Nicole Ruske and Bronwyn Kjestrup.
Varsity pushed Ajax close in last year’s final, but it has a new-look roster this year.
It retains key back-court duo Tyler Mitchell and Caitlin O’Connell, alongside its formidable inside duo of Sophie Adams and Abby Harris.
That is a quality quartet, although how far this team goes may depend on how its new faces perform.
The South Pac Magic has named a large squad, which is laden with experience.
It has lost Fay Fualau in its front line, although Natalie Visger and Lisa Wallbutton remain classy operators inside.
In the backcourt it brings a trio of former league MVPs in Millie Simpson, Dayna Turnbull and Georgia Te Au, while Sarah Joy Aruwa is back after impressing in her rookie season.
Elly Koehler (Varsity) and Jenna Small (Falcons) are both notable pick-ups from around the league.
The Andy Bay Falcons look to have their most competitive team in years and could be the dark horse to make a run.
Brittany Richards and Annabelle Ring are proficient scorers inside and out, both capable of being MVP-level players.
They also bring a quality young contingent, which includes Laura Ring, Elise Carline and Alexa Duff.
The season begins tonight when Ajax faces Varsity at 6.15pm, in a re-match of last year’s final.
— [Sports editor’s note: We welcome back a familiar face for the Dunedin club basketball season. Former sports reporter Jeff Cheshire is spending some time in London but, thanks to the wonders of modern technology, can watch and report on the local hoops scene.]
