Roster
| 2020 Bendigo Spirit roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Updated: 13 November 2020 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020–21 Bendigo Spirit season | |
|---|---|
| Head Coach | Tracy York |
| Captain | Tessa Lavey |
| Venue | Bendigo Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 0–13 |
| Ladder | 8th |
| Finals | Did not qualify |
| Leaders | |
| Points | Lavey (15.2) |
| Rebounds | Ernst (7.5) |
| Assists | Lavey (5.9) |
The 2020 Bendigo Spirit season is the 14th season for the franchise in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL).
Ahead of the 2020 season, the Spirit announced that local property development company, Villawood Properties, would serve as naming rights partners after signing a two-year deal in September 2020. [1] Their leadership team for the season was announced with Tessa Lavey as captain, alongside Carley Ernst and Amelia Todhunter as co-vice captains. [2]
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a North Queensland hub is set to host the season. [3] The season was originally 2020–21 and would be traditionally played over several months across the summer, however this seasons scheduling has been condensed. The six-week season will see Townsville, Cairns and Mackay host a 56-game regular season fixture, plus a four-game final series (2 x semi-finals, preliminary final and grand final). Each team will contest 14 games starting on 12 November, with the grand final scheduled for 20 December. [4]
| 2020 Bendigo Spirit roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Updated: 13 November 2020 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| # | WNBL Championship ladder | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | GP | |||||
| 1 | Southside Flyers | 11 | 2 | 84.6 | 13 | ||||
| 2 | Townsville Fire | 9 | 4 | 69.2 | 13 | ||||
| 3 | Canberra Capitals | 9 | 4 | 69.2 | 13 | ||||
| 4 | Melbourne Boomers | 9 | 4 | 69.2 | 13 | ||||
| 5 | Sydney Uni Flames | 5 | 8 | 38.5 | 13 | ||||
| 6 | Adelaide Lightning | 5 | 8 | 38.5 | 13 | ||||
| 7 | Perth Lynx | 4 | 9 | 30.8 | 13 | ||||
| 8 | Bendigo Spirit | 0 | 13 | 0.0 | 13 | ||||
The Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) is the pre-eminent professional women's basketball league in Australia. It is currently composed of eight teams. The league was founded in 1981 and is the women's counterpart to the National Basketball League (NBL). Several WNBL teams have NBL counterparts. The Adelaide Lightning, Melbourne Boomers, Perth Lynx, Southside Flyers and Sydney Uni Flames are the current WNBL teams sharing a market with an NBL team. The current league champions are the Townsville Fire, who won their fourth title in 2023.
Bendigo Stadium is an Australian sports and entertainment centre in Bendigo, Victoria. The stadium is home to the Bendigo Braves (NBL1) and Bendigo Spirit (WNBL). It hosted basketball matches during the 2006 Commonwealth Games and will host netball during the 2026 Commonwealth Games. The stadium's facilities include ten indoor sports courts, major exhibition and function areas, a licensed clubroom and associated administration facilities.
Kelly Louise Wilson is an Australian professional basketball player.
Marianna Tolo is an Australian basketball player for the University of Canberra Capitals in Australia's Women's National Basketball League (WNBL). She has also played for the CJM Bourges Basket in the LFB and Los Angeles Sparks in the WNBA. She has also been a member of the Australia women's national basketball team.
Tessa Rose Lavey is an Australian professional basketball player for the Bendigo Spirit of the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) and an Australian rules football player with the Richmond Football Club in the AFL Women's competition (AFLW).
Samantha Allison Whitcomb is an American-Australian professional basketball player for the Rockingham Flames of the NBL1 West. She is also contracted with the Seattle Storm of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball for the Washington Huskies before making a name for herself in Australia with the Rockingham Flames in the State Basketball League (SBL) and the Perth Lynx in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL). She made her debut in the WNBA in 2017 and won championships with the Seattle Storm in 2018 and 2020. She became an Australian citizen in 2018 and made her debut for the Australian Opals.
Antonia "Toni" Farnworth is a New Zealand professional basketball player for the Ringwood Hawks of the NBL1 South. She has spent most of her career playing in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) in Australia and has been a long-time representative and captain of the New Zealand national team, the Tall Ferns.
Shyla Jade Heal is an Australian professional basketball player.
The 2020 WNBL season was the 41st season of the competition since its establishment in 1981. The Canberra Capitals were the two-time defending champions, but were defeated in the semi-finals by Melbourne. The Southside Flyers won the Grand Final, defeating the Townsville Fire, 99–82. The Flyers took home the franchise's fourth WNBL title overall, this being their first since rebranding as Southside.
The 2020 WNBL Finals was the postseason tournament of the WNBL's 2020 season. The Canberra Capitals were the two-time defending champions, but were defeated in the semi-finals by Melbourne. The Southside Flyers won the Grand Final, defeating the Townsville Fire, 99–82. The Flyers took home the franchise's fourth WNBL title overall, this being their first since rebranding as Southside.
The 2020 Adelaide Lightning season is the 29th season for the franchise in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL).
The 2020 Canberra Capitals season is the 37th season for the franchise in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL).
The 2020 Melbourne Boomers season is the 38th season for the franchise in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL).
The 2020 Perth Lynx season is the 35th season for the franchise in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL).
The 2020 Southside Flyers season is the 29th season for the franchise in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL). With a grand final win over the Townsville Fire, the Flyers took home their fourth championship title. This win marked their first title since rebranding.
The 2020 Sydney Uni Flames season is the 41st season for the franchise in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL).
The 2020 Townsville Fire season was the 20th season for the franchise in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL).
The 2023–24 WNBL season is the 44th season of the competition since its establishment in 1981. The Townsville Fire were the defending champions, but were defeated in the Semi-Finals by Perth. The Southside Flyers won their fifth championship title after defeating Perth, 2–1 in the Grand Final series.
A council report has detailed a proposal to host, and be central to, the 2020/21 WNBL season within a coronavirus 'bubble'. It's understood the WNBL has plans to host the games wholly within North Queensland, taking advantage of state government grants funding.
