Sydney Uni Flames star signs with Lady Miners for 08
The Ballarat Community Health Lady Miners have made their first major signing of the summer with former Opals squad member and WNBL star Michelle Musselwhite from the Sydney Uni Flames joining the team for the 2008 SEABL Season.
Coach Kym Cassells is very happy to secure the services of Michelle for season 2008. Cassells said, “Her scoring ability will be a great asset to the team and will be exactly what we need. She is renowned as a great scorer and that is why we wanted her to be a part of the Lady Miners for 2008”
25-year-old Musselwhite is originally from Bairnsdale in country Victoria where she started her playing career as a junior with the Bairnsdale Bullets. Michelle represented Victoria Country in 1997(U16), 1999(U18) and Victoria 2000 (U20) at the National Junior Championships. She was a member of the Sapphires (U/21) 2003 World Championship team, which finished fifth and has also played with the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles in the Waratah ABL, in 2004 winning League MVP. More recently Michelle led the Hornsby Spiders to their maiden Waratah ABL title in their first year in the league claiming an array of awards including All-Star Five, Grand Final MVP and Leading Points Scorer.
Musselwhite’s WNBL career started in 2001 for the Dandenong Rangers. In her second WNBL season, she averaged 14 points per game and 5.0 rebounds for the Rangers in 2001/02. After spending 3 seasons with Dandenong she moved to Sydney where she shot 81 % from the free throw line in the 2003/04 season.
In the 2005/06 season, Musselwhite only played 10 games as a result of an injury that took her out for the remainder of the season, but she came back strongly in 2006/07, averaging 10.2 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.
She amassed a total of 215 points while shooting at 48% from the field (ranked ninth in the league for field goal percentage). She made 46 free throws from 58 attempts (79%).
“I am really looking forward to coming to Ballarat. I have heard so many good things about the region and the people; I’m especially looking forward to coming to a winning basketball program. I hope I can contribute some experience into the playing group and bring whatever is needed to repeat or exceed the results of last year’s team” Musselwhite said.
Miners General Manager Robbie Burns said the Club was very pleased to have Michelle on board.
“Michelle is a top-line, well rounded player proven at the best level in Australia, who will add some real offensive punch to the team,” he said.
“At a relatively young age she has had a wealth of experience, representing her country at junior and senior level 51 times, and this will help bring out the best in the rest of the team.”
