A new brand of Werribee Devils outfit is emerging into public view in Big V Basketball women’s division 1.
It took longer than Devils first-year coach Reece Potter would have wanted, but the gameplan has officially evolved from a training court vision to second nature in the heat of battle.
With new systems to embed and a stack of new personnel, it was always going to take time.
But now the Devils’ bleak start to the season is turning into a winter promise.
Werribee is now one of the hottest teams in the league, having won four of its past five matches, including a 99-60 mauling of Warrandyte Venom at Eagle Stadium on Sunday.
The worries of a 1-5 start are in the rear view mirror and the Devils are starting to look like a fearsome team.
“In reviewing what the team was like last year when I took over the job, it was very reliant on two or three people to do all the scoring,” Potter said. “We’ve tried to go more by committee this year.
“It took a while at the start to get everyone on the same page, but the past month we’ve played some really good basketball.”
For the new style of Werribee play to be successful, egos have to be pushed aside.
So far, there has been a universal buy-in, as the case of Jessy Price illustrates.
Price was unlucky to miss nearly a month of basketball through injury, but when she returned, she was installed in the unusual role of impact player off the bench.
Price was a star for the Devils last year, earning all-star five selection, but her value so far this season has been as first player off the bench.
While Potter is not sure how long Price will continue to come off the bench, he is delighted with how it’s working for the team and how Price has embraced it.
“For us to bring in a player that was all-star five last year off the bench, it adds something that most other teams aren’t doing,” Potter said. “It’s been really good to have a level head and someone who can come in and score and contribute at both ends of the floor.”
Import Alyssa Bennett is beginning to find her feet at Werribee – an ominous sign for opposition coaches.
Bennett was magnificent for the Devils against the Venom, piling on a season-high 29 points and equal season high 19 rebounds.
“She took a while to get going and build confidence with the team, but she’s got all the physical and technical attributes,” Potter said. “She hadn’t played a lot in the last two years before coming here. I told her to be more aggressive and take the game on and she’s really stepped up and done that.”
Georgia Tauschke was the other key acquisition for Werribee.
Taushke is a home-grown product, but left to play for Geelong in the SEABL competition.
“She puts a lot of pressure on herself to perform and do well, and she trains the house down,” Potter said. “She’s got some reward over the past month with some big games. She’s tough, she plays her role and leads by example.”
Werribee is still a team at the crossroads, sitting seventh with a 5-6 record.
The Devils can square the ledger with a win over Latrobe City Energy at Eagle Stadium on Saturday night.
Reaching a .500 record would be a significant milestone in the Devils’ season.
