By Tara Murray
Whittlesea Pacers young gun Last-Tear Poa will get the opportunity to learn from some of the best basketballers in the country.
The 16-year-old, who led the Pacers scoring in Big V division 1 this year with just over 12 points a game, has been announced as one of the Dandenong Rangers’ development players for the upcoming Women’s National Basketball League season.
Poa said it was nice to know that the Rangers had been watching her game.
“To be honest, I’m really happy,” she said.
“I worked really hard for this and it’s good to know that they’ve been looking at me play basketball.
“I’ve got to continue to get smarter and play better.”
Poa isn’t a stranger to the Rangers – she has played some junior basketball at the club so is familiar with Rangers head coach Larissa Anderson. During her time at the Rangers she also got the opportunity to train with the WNBL team.
Poa knows that she might not get much court time this season for the Rangers, but isn’t phased.
“I don’t worry about court time,” she said. “It’s already helping my game with being at training.
“I’ve been training for just over a month. Hopefully it’ll help me get better from learning off the girls’ experiences and the staff.”
Poa said the past 12 months at the Whittlesea Pacers had really helped her basketball.
She was a key player in the Pacers finals run and played several youth league games. She came to the Pacers this season following a stint at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS).
“I wanted to play under a certain coach [Damon Lowery] when I came back from the AIS [on a centre of excellence scholarship].
“I went there [Whittlesea] for him and to develop off him. I really enjoyed it and it was so good to learn off them all.”
Poa wasn’t always a basketball fan and took a bit of convincing to play the sport.
“I was more a barbie girl,” she said.
“My cousins were playing and that’s when I got into it and started enjoying it.”
Poa was part of the Australian Sapphires team which won gold at the world championships qualifiers in 2017.
She is aiming to again play in an Australian team.
MORE BIG V NEWS
www.starweekly.com.au/sports/former-opal-signs-lead-hume-city-broncos/
www.starweekly.com.au/sports/new-hume-city-broncos-coach-has-a-winning-focus/
