THE WNBL season is getting closer each day, and the preparations of each team are starting to ramp up as the pre-season reaches the pointy end. In our player spotlight series, we take a look at the starting lineup of each team and what each player will bring to the table. With plenty of exciting player movements around the league, there are set to be some enthralling dynamics across the league. The first team on the agenda is the Perth Lynx, who made headlines across the WNBL with their ability to bring in talented players both domestically and internationally.

The Perth Lynx showed their ability to acquire not only international talent, but also some of the best domestic players available. This was demonstrated with their signing of forward Lauren Scherf, who has shown that when healthy, can be one of the most dominant players in the entire WNBL.

A Melbourne native, Scherf began her professional basketball journey in 2013, signing with the Dandenong Rangers, who were in the WNBL at the time. From her very first season, Scherf demonstrated her skill and class with the ball in her hands. In 2015, she was named the WNBL Rookie of the Year, cementing her as one of the league’s best young talents.

Taking her talents to the NBL1, she delivered her strongest season in 2019, with averages of 21 points per game, 12.9 rebounds per game, 2.7 assists per game, 1.0 steals and 1.5 blocks in an insane season. She stunned the league with 33 points and 26 rebounds in an explosive breakout game. Her outstanding play throughout the season saw her rewarded with an appearance on the NBL1 All-Star Five.

Scherf has firmly established herself as one of the league’s brightest young stars, and given her ability to put up monstrous performances in the past, she should prove a crucial addition for the Lynx in the upcoming season.

She recently returned from Jordan, where she won a bronze medal with the Australian Opals in the 2021 FIBA Women’s Asia Cup. She delivered her best performance in the semi-final loss against Japan, where she put up a double-double of 12 points and 15 rebounds.

Scherf has demonstrated her scoring and rebounding in the past, putting up massive numbers in both of these categories, and will be a force on the defensive end as well.

Perth Lynx General Manager Brent Dawkins says the team is rapt for Scherf to get her first taste at international level, and are hopeful it will help her development domestically.

‘Lauren was able to have her first bit of Opal experience in the last week is really exciting and we’re absolutely stoked for her,’ Dawkins says.

‘She really gives a presence for us on the court and will be very important for our team’.

Scherf adds to the impressive list of Lynx additions throughout the offseason, with her potential demonstrated in the past. If she can recapture or even improve on her dominant 2019 form, she may prove to be the most valuable pick-up of the lot.

Photo: FIBA website