One of the many shining lights coming out of the Whyalla basketball stadium is Rhianna Stringer, who at 13 years of age has made the SA Country state team two times playing in Albury – Wodonga in 2008 in the under 14 team and also in the Port Macquarie U15’s Pacific Coast Slam in 2009. To compliment all the hard work Rhianna had done she also made the 2009 SA Country Nationals team that played in the under 16 Women’s National Championships in Ulverstone Tasmania where her team was runner-up and gained a silver medal. Rhianna played a pivotal role in not only getting valuable points, but also taking on excellent defensive jobs to often stop the best players on opposition teams.
At a local level Rhianna plays for Demons Basketball Club, where she has been playing for the last 5 years she now plays not only U16’s but also A Grade which she has done for the last 18 months. At the top level in Whyalla basketball she has become one of the players to watch with explosive speed to the basket, an excellent outside shot and having the strength to play defence on some of the taller players in women’s A. She gets to hone these skills by playing in at combined level for the Whyalla Stealers at U16 level.
While some of Rhianna’s skills have come naturally it has been getting to the stadium up to and sometimes more than 5 hours a week is what has taken from being around the mark to above the rest. With all the tools becoming available Rhianna has in the last 3 weeks been playing for the Woodville Warriors in the Adelaide Division 1 league where again she is taking on some of the best talent in South Australia. Travelling down every Friday night to compete and then returning again the same night. Dedication both Rhianna and her parents have shown.
With Rhianna wanting to play at the highest level she can, this is a move in the right direction to do so. Noel Robertson, Rhianna’s Woodville coach speaks highly of his star recruit, talking about her on and off court leadership she shows in a team where she has only met the players a handful of times and showing she has all the attributes to make it at another level again.
While Rhianna has excelled at basketball it is not her only sport, making the True Blue A grade side this year also. Her season was interrupted due to her U16 Nationals campaign in Tasmania. A problem she will again face this season, but a challenge she looks forward to all the same. Hard work and striving to be the best is something Rhianna takes in her stride and often succeeds at.
When Rhianna gets time to relax it’s often what most teenagers do, spending hours on MSN and facebook as well as the countless hours in front of the mirror making sure the messy bun is just right. She also likes to chuck in some swimming when possible.
Rhianna is not the only talented player out at the Whyalla Basketball but she certainly is one of the hardest workers. Women’s A is Monday nights where you can see some greatly talented young locals playing the game the way it should be played.
