The Brydens Sydney Uni Flames are pleased to announce that Cheryl Chambers will lead the team as Head Coach of the program for the next two Wattle Valley WNBL seasons.
With the departure of Shannon Seebohm after two seasons with the club, Chambers will take over the reins at the Flames, bringing with her numerous years’ experience as both a WNBL Head Coach and Assistant Coach namely to the Melbourne Boomers (formally the Bulleen Boomers).
Chambers was a stalwart of the Boomers club for a number of decades, drawn back to the organisation in-between stints in the South East Australian Basketball League as Head Coach to teams including the Knox Raiders who she successfully led to a championship in 2013.
As Head Coach of the Boomers in the WNBL, Chambers drove her team to many finals campaigns, the club making the Grand Final under her guidance in the 2008/2009 season.
Cheryl’s coaching experience also extends to Australian representative sides. She was the Assistant Coach of the Senior Women’s Opals program between 2005-2007, claiming a gold medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.
More recently, Chambers had a three year spell as Head Coach of the Under-19 Australian Gems program. She toured with the team on numerous occasions and notably led the side to a bronze medal finish in the World Championships in Lithuania in 2013.
Flames General Manager, Karen Dalton was enthused with the signing of Chambers to the program.
“Cheryl will be a fantastic addition to the Flames,” Dalton said.
“She is extremely familiar with the league and its players and is known to make an impact at the clubs she represents.”
Equally, Chambers was elated with the decision.“I’m honoured and delighted to be joining the Sydney Uni Flames. The club has a long and successful history and I’m really excited to be coming on board as the Head Coach.”
While the Flames fell just short of making the finals last season, they have been developing as a side for the last couple of years. With plenty of emerging talent, a core backbone of returning players and the leadership of Chambers, the 2016/17 season should be one full of promise.
Paul Maley of the WNBL was excited about the future of the Flames.“Securing Cheryl as Head Coach is a great thing for the Flames and the WNBL in general,” Maley said. “She has credibility and respect as a former player and a coach within the league and is exactly the sort of person to bring success and recognition to Sydney, which is obviously an important market for an elite national league.”
With many more announcements to be made in the coming weeks, the Flames are looking forward to another competitive season in the WNBL.
