IN A surprise to no one, Sami Whitcomb has claimed the top gong at the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) awards night on Monday, taking home the Suzy Batkovic Medal for season 2024/25 after a dominant campaign with the Bendigo Spirit.

Whitcomb led the Spirit to top spot in the standings after the conclusion of the regular season over the weekend, and has been the benchmark for all players across the fixture. Despite being 36 years of age, the veteran is reaching new heights for her career, leading the WNBL in scoring and helping the Spirit reach a record of 18 wins and three losses.

She posted 21 points, 6.3 rebounds and five assists per game, truly impacting the game in all facets and proving a genuine leader for Bendigo. She reached 30 points on several occasions, and helped transform the Spirit’s offence into the most damaging in the competition.

Heading into the postseason, the MVP will play a crucial role in a finals series that will see Bendigo enter as championship favourites. If she can maintain her level of output heading into the semi-finals, the Spirit will be hard to stop.

Also taking home an award from the Spirit was Abigail Wehrung, who was named the WNBL’s Sixth Woman of the Year. The Spirit have been a consistent team all season, and Wehrung’s performances off the bench have played a crucial role in that. She posted averages of 8.2 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game and was electric when injected into the game.

The Townsville Fire were also one of the big winners from the WNBL awards night, with a pair of players taking out individual honours after yet another strong season from the competition’s northernmost team.

Firstly, the Robin Maher Defensive Player of the Year has gone to Lauren Cox after a suffocating season from the 26-year-old. She averaged a whopping 3.1 blocks per game, and made scoring in the paint an extremely tough assignment for opposition players.

Also taking home a key award was Abbey Ellis, who was named the Betty Watson Breakout Player of the Year. Following an outstanding NBL1 season, Ellis joined the Fire, where she broke onto the scene with her explosive scoring ability and great overall feel for the game. She averaged 9.5 points per game, and in Townsville’s penultimate game of the season, put her name in lights with 12 first-quarter points to lead her team past the Sydney Flames.

Townsville coach Shannon Seebohm was also named the WNBL Coach of the Year, and is the only coach in league history to win the award five times.

WNBL Awards

Suzy Batkovic Medal for Most Valuable Player
Sami Whitcomb – Bendigo Spirit

Robin Maher Defensive Player of the Year
Lauren Cox – Townsville Fire

Sixth Woman of the Year
Abbey Wehrung – Townsville Fire

Betty Watson Breakout Player of the Year
Abbey Ellis – Townsville Fire

All-WNBL First Team
Laeticia Amihere – Perth Lynx
Naz Hillmon – Southside Flyers
Sami Whitcomb – Bendigo Spirit
Alex Wilson – Perth Lynx
Courtney Woods – Townsville Fire

All-WNBL Second Team
Veronica Burton – Bendigo Spirit
Kelsey Griffin – Bendigo Spirit
Anneli Maley – Perth Lynx
Jade Melbourne – UC Capitals
Miela Sowah – Perth Lynx