NTU Women’s Basketball is strengthening year on year. Leon Blackman meets the club juggling the National League, BUCS playoffs and Varsity against their local rivals, University of Nottingham…
Nottingham Trent’s national league side has simply outplayed the rest of their competition winning ten out of ten games in National Division Two.
Achieving this feat will see the side battling in Division One next season, knowing successive promotions will see them competing in England’s top flight, the WBBL.
Contrastingly, Trent’s BUCS A team are facing a battle to survive their debut season in the Premiership.
“The last thing for me to do before I leave University is for this team to stay in Prem, so that’s my only goal left.” Vicky Gray, captain
In a reverse of last years play off final, Trent look to defeat Varsity rivals, the University of Nottingham (UoN) to retain their place in the BUCS Prem, with coach Louise Waghorn highlighting the play offs importance:
“They are huge for us, it has been a struggle adapting to the level of quality in the Premiership, but we believe it’s where we deserve to be.”
Katerina Panaretaki
Retaining Trent’s top-flight status also provides the uni with a pivotal, bargaining chip in attracting the top quality players from home and abroad.
“When players want to be playing at that next level, they look at what other options the university provides for development and level of competition.” Waghorn tells us.
“Therefore, having our national league side and BUCS Prem status we now consider ourselves a big player in the women’s basketball scene, with the ability of attracting top talent.”
One of the stars this season is Californian scholar and power forward, Jo’Lanna Ford, who explains it is the strength in depth which has restricted the side in the BUCS Prem:
“It [the BUCS Prem] was a little tough this year. We didn’t have the numbers, having around seven to eight each matchday, to pull out a lot of games. We’d be down by 10 at half time and second half we wouldn’t be able to pull it out.”
credit:
Katerina Panaretaki
For now, the daunting playoff series lays further down on the horizon, and the teams attention switches to the Varsity match against Uni of Nottingham at the Motorpoint Arena on March 29.
With Trent’s first victory in six years last year, UoN are desperate to take the Nottingham crown back to Lenton.
When asked whether she could retain the Varsity title or win the playoffs and secure promotion, captain and fourth year, Vicky Gray gave her opinion:
“For me personally, because it took three years to win Varsity, now that I have won it, that’s kind of ticked off.
“The last thing for me to do before I leave University is for this team to stay in Prem, so that’s my only goal left.”
photo credit:
Katerina Panaretaki
A goal which is crucial to attracting the quality talent to Trent and continuing the growth of the Basketball club.
The girls have a huge week in March/April, with the Varsity game on Friday March 29 and the playoff series beginning the April 4.
Time to get behind your girls – tickets and Varsity information are here
Keep posted on the playoff series by following the NTU Basketball page
By Leon Blackman