Perth Lynx trio Aari McDonald, Miela Goodchild and Alex Ciabattoni visit South West

Aspiring basketballers in the South West last week got the chance to see what they can accomplish, with a group of players from the Perth Lynx visiting the region. Lynx trio Aari McDonald, Miela Goodchild and Alex Ciabattoni used a break in their team’s schedule to run clinics in Bunbury, Busselton and Margaret River. Both McDonald and Goodchild said they had been highly impressed with the level of enthusiasm and talent on display. “It’s really fun to give them a few tips, give them some stuff we do in training, and see them engage and learn,” Goodchild said. “There’s talent everywhere, so we want to give as much opportunity as possible.” “It’s good to let the kids know we care about them and we want to impact them in a positive way,” McDonald added. Basketball WA Peel and South West regional development manager Wayne Hayres said he was highly appreciative of the Lynx’s efforts to engage with the regions. “The kids have stars in their eyes when they see them,” he said. “We just need to make sure the kids realise that it’s realistic.” The Lynx have been as high as second on the WNBL ladder this year but a knee injury to American import McDonald changed the complexion of their season and they now sit in sixth with their finals hopes dependent on other results going their way. McDonald said she was hoping to return for the team’s two remaining games against Canberra and Bendigo. “We’ve just got to leave it all on the court and continue to try and get better,” she said.