BASKETBALL

WNBL

By BLAKE METCALF-HOLT

 

TRARALGON’S Asha Nightingale has started her 2025 as well as you possibly can.

Nightingale featured in Bendigo Spirit’s WNBL championship-winning side as a development player this season, an appropriate stepping stone as she heads towards her Davidson College career in the US in a few months time.

After a season as a training player with the Spirit, Nightingale was elevated to a development player for the 2024/25 WNBL season, which meant she was available to play in games.

“I was very excited. It was the fact that Kennedy (Kereama, Bendigo coach) had faith in me and from watching me train and show up every day, (he) had confidence in me to then go to that next level and be able to suit up for a WNBL team,” Nightingale told the Express.

“It was pretty special because it was more than anything I could have dreamed of for this season.”

Nightingale played 14 games across the season, which included debuting in Round 1 against Adelaide Lightning where she scored her first points.

The following game, Bendigo was matched against Geelong United featuring Moe’s Jaz Shelley. Nightingale produced her best game of the season with seven points and three rebounds.

While she was only exposed to limited minutes throughout the year, Nightingale took away plenty of wisdom among a vastly experienced side.

Despite securing their last WNBL title more than a decade ago, Bendigo is scattered with winners the likes of now five-time WNBL champions Kelly Wilson and Kelsey Griffin, and WNBA champion Sami Whitcomb.

The Spirit featured over 1000 games of experience, including Wilson as the WNBL games record holder with 475 appearances. Her first Grand Final was in 2004, before three Bendigo players (including Nightingale) were even born.

Nightingale said she particularly drew to Griffin and Marianna Tolo as mentors in her first year of WNBL.

“I think it’s because we’re the same position and just all the things they’ve had to deal with in their careers and just finding out about their stories and what to take from it,” Nightingale said.

“There’s so much I’ve taken from this season. I think a really big one is being a big advocate for yourself and making sure that you get the treatment that you deserve in these sorts of environments but also just to keep pushing (and) don’t let the small things effect how you play, you’ve got to keep moving on and just be tough.”

After finishing high school last year, Nightingale has a six-month break before she ventures off to Davidson College in North Carolina.

In the meantime, she’ll enter her third season with NBL1 team Casey Cavaliers, which also happens to feature fellow Traralgon player Myah Healey (who also plays for Victorian Netball League club Gippsland Stars).

“I’ve really been taking every moment as it comes, (I’m) really trying to live in the moment because so many things have happened these past few months that I get a bit excited but also emotional thinking about the months ahead moving halfway across the world,” Nightingale said.

Nightingale has been in consistent contact with her future teammates and coaches ahead of the NCAA season.

While it is difficult to look too far ahead with already so much close in frame, Nightingale is excited to see what doors can open from her time at Davidson.

“I guess we’ll see where I end up at the end of my college career… one of my biggest bucket list things to do after college at the moment is go and play in Europe, kind of connect with my roots a bit and get to experience what basketball is like over there,” she said.

“But also if the opportunity presents itself and I can work hard enough, I’d love to one day get an opportunity to go somewhere like the WNBA but also definitely want to come back and win a WNBL championship as a fully rostered player.”