Bears in the WNBL
Following a successful NBL1 East season, a number of our Bears are taking the next step and suiting up on WNBL rosters.
The 2026 TechnologyOne Townsville Tip-Off is underway, with the WNBL pre-season tournament tipping off last night. The hometown Townsville Fire opened the tournament with a win over the Perth Lynx (101-73) at Townsville Stadium.
For the second year running, the WNBL has taken its preseason up to Far North Queensland, seeing Australia’s best female basketballing talent soak up some rays, whilst competing for the TechnologyOne championship trophy. The tournament runs for another three days, until Sunday 20th September.
Each of the nine Women’s National Basketball League teams, including the inaugural Tasmania Jewels, will feature in two games across the weekend. A ladder system will dictate the winners, with wins counting for 3 points, and losses 0. Similar to the NBL’s pre-season outing, there will be points allocated for the winning team of each quarter (0.5 points for drawn quarters), meaning up to 7 points up for grabs each time teams hit the court.
In a league-first, the WNBL is also trialling some additional rules for this tournament, in the hopes of eventually implementing them into the regular season. These include:
Player Only Timeouts - Teams will have one 30-second Player Only Timeout per half, called by the player in possession, with only the five players on court able to huddle and discuss tactics, adding greater player leadership and strategy to key moments of the game.
One Free Throw for Maximum Points - Players take one free throw worth the maximum points available (common foul = 2pts, foul on 3pt attempt = 3pts, etc) after a foul, with standard free throw rules returning in the final two minutes to help speed up the game and reduce stoppages.
Immediate Inbounds - Following an opposition violation or out-of-bounds call, the team awarded possession can immediately inbound the ball from the back court without the referee handling it, helping speed up play and reduce stoppages.
THERE’S A BEAR IN THERE…
The strength of the Norths Basketball pathway has been reflected at WNBL level, with four Norths players and two coaches signing with local WNBL club, the Sydney Flames. The connection provides another strong example of the pathway from Norths to the professional game, with the group set to take the court in their new colours this weekend.
Jaz Shelley - Sydney Flames - #4
Shelley played her first season in the NBL1 East, joining the Bears after a standout season with Geelong United in 2025, where she earned MVP honours. She averaged 23.8 points, 6.3 assists, 6.3 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 4.2 steals this season. WOW.
Jaz grew up in country Victoria, and had a successful junior career, earning State captaincy and three gold medals with the junior national team. She spent five years in the college system, before entering the WNBL, winning Rookie of the Year in 2019 with the Melbourne Boomers. Jaz enters the TTO preparing for her 4th season at the top level, and her first with the Flames.
Isabelle Morgan - Sydney Flames - #2
Morgan comes off the back of her second season with the Bears after re-joining midway through last season following college graduation. She had a solid year in the NBL1 East averaging 12.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.4 steals across 22 games.
Issy played at Norths throughout her junior career before heading off to college, where she played four years for Davidson in the NCAA. She enters the TTO preparing for her 2nd season in the WNBL, and first season in a full roster spot, after standing out last season as Development Player with the Sydney Flames.
Peggy Schell - Sydney Flames - Development Player (DP)
Schell is the epitome of the Norths pathway, playing with the club since U12s, and now coaching across our Representative and Development programs. The past few years of NBL1 East action has seen her playing career skyrocket, earning more minutes with the Bears under coach Garlepp, and a transition from Training Player to Development Player with the Sydney Flames.
Peggy averaged 6.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, and shooting an impressive 48% from the field this past season. She enters her first season on the Sydney Flames roster, and will look to capitalise on any opportunities presented in her inaugural year.
Madeleine D’Almeida - Sydney Flames - Training Player (TP)
D’Almeida joins the Sydney Flames for the upcoming WNBL season in her second stint as a training player. Maddy had a late start in the sport, beginning her basketball journey in Senior Representative teams for Norths, featuring on Youth League and NBL1 rosters.
This past season she was named Youth League Player of the Season, after a standout year in the U23 competition. Maddy also averaged 2.4 points and 3 rebounds across 11 games in the NBL1 East for the Bears.
Renae Garlepp - Sydney Flames - Head Coach (HC)
Garlepp has been a long-standing great with the Bears, leading the NBL1 East Women’s side for the past five years, claiming an NBL1 East championship (2023) and minor premiership (2026) during her tenure. Renae’s coaching success follows an impressive playing resume, where she has been fortunate enough to both play and coach with the Australian Opals.
Last year saw Renae take the helm at the Flames on an interim basis, after a mid-season coaching change. Her dedication to the team, and emphasis on an infectious culture has seen her earn the position full time.
Macs Monk - Sydney Flames - Assistant Coach (AC)
Monk joined the Bears coaching staff this past season, serving as an assistant to Renae in the NBL1 East, as well as leading the Youth League women’s squad. Macs also holds the Director of Coaching and Development position at Norths Basketball, bringing an impressive array of coaching experiences to the association.
From developing through our Junior programs to representing Norths at NBL1 level and now earning opportunities on WNBL rosters, we’re proud to continue supporting players at every stage of their basketball journeys. It’s a pathway that means a lot to everyone at Norths, and one that CEO Eric Stephens believes is at the heart of what we’re building.
“For Norths, seeing players progress from our programs and into the professional game is extremely rewarding.”
The Townsville Tip-Off gives us a great opportunity to follow their progress as they prepare for the upcoming WNBL season, looking to take their careers to another level.
WHEN ARE THEY PLAYING?
You can catch a glimpse of our ex-Bears in action tomorrow afternoon, as they take on the Tasmania Jewels in what will be their first taste of WNBL action.
The Sydney Flames will play their second game on Sunday evening, closing out the pre-season tournament against reigning WNBL champions, the Townsville Fire.
See the full four-day schedule below.
Featured image: WNBL/@wnbl
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