Sarah makes her points

By Emma Sun
SARAH Graham has re-signed with the Knox Raiders and returns to Knox Stadium this year for what will be the Queenslander’s fourth consecutive season down south.
Graham, who was relatively unknown in 2008, made the decision to stay in Melbourne after a season as a development player with the Dandenong Rangers Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) squad.
After a few trial sessions, first-year head coach Heath Anderson had no hesitation in offering her a spot on his inaugural roster.
Her impact on the SEABL competition in her debut season was obvious: she averaged double figures in points per game, which recognised her as one of the league’s most explosive scorers.
As she started to make a name for herself at SEABL level, new WNBL franchise Logan Thunder signed the pocket rocket to represent a team at the highest level in her home state.
Graham finished a remarkable season with rookie-of-the-year honours after averaging a team-high 12.9 points a game, shooting at 41.6 per cent from the field at 38 per cent from beyond the arc.
She averaged 3.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists in her rookie season and was named round 17 player of the week for her 19-point performance.
In 2009, Graham returned for her second season as a Raider and helped lead the team to the league’s best regular season record and into the grand final, where her former team, the Brisbane Spartans, defeated the Raiders.
Graham went straight into her second stint with the Thunder and continued to put her mark on the WNBL, despite receiving closer attention from opponents, and was named the best three-point shooter in the league for the 09-10 season, shooting at 41 per cent from downtown.
The 2010 SEABL season saw her record scoring bests with the Raiders, averaging 15 points a game with 2.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists. Graham was the Raiders’ second leading scorer behind Amy Denson’s 18.4 points and 11.1 rebounds a game.
Raiders head coach Heath Anderson said he was excited to see Graham re-sign with the team.
“This will be her fourth season in Knox colours,” he said.
“I remember when Sarah first contacted me over three years ago. She had just completed her first year in the WNBL with the Dandenong Rangers and wanted to stay in Melbourne for the SEABL season, to perhaps further her basketball opportunities in Victoria.
“I invited her down to a session I was running and after five minutes of watching her start the session, I knew that I wanted her to play for us.
“More than 500 individuals and 80 games later we have seen Sarah develop into not only one of the premier guards in the SEABL but in the WNBL where she is having another brilliant season.
“Sarah brings a great energy to our group. Her tireless work ethic and ability to pick up new concepts has seen Sarah improve every year of senior basketball.
“She gets offered more financially to play elsewhere every year but she is loyal to Knox and I know that she now classifies herself as a Knox person.
“She coaches individuals with some of the young up-and-coming talent in the Knox junior program and contributes in so many ways on and off the court.
“Sarah has the ability to score from anywhere on the floor and the new three-point line suits the way she shoots the ball.
“She has an uncanny ability to get to the foul line. On a recent trip to Logan where I watched her training with the Logan Thunder, the most noticeable difference was her intensity on the defensive end and she has added rebounding to her already healthy stats line.
“We look forward to Sarah arriving back at Knox at the completion of the WNBL season.”
Sarah is now averaging a career best 14.5 points at 45 per cent, 3.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists for Logan after 13 rounds of the WNBL season. The Thunder sits at third on the ladder with a 9-6 record.