The Goldfields Giants have added Danielle McCray and Emma Klasztorny to its 2022 Coles Express NBL1 West women's roster.
McCray has been playing professionally across the US and Europe since graduating from University of Mississippi "Ole Miss" in 2015, playing professionally for the last seven years in Sweden, Lithuania and the last four years in Germany.
After her most recent German stint, she headed back to the US for a quick season in the Athletes Unlimited Pro League as a preparation for her upcoming time in Australia.
She does have an Australian basketball connection as she had been signed to play in Australia in 2020 for the Rockingham Flames in the SBL, but the season was cancelled before a game was even played due to Covid-19.
At 185cm (6'1"), the forward is a dominant scorer, rebounder and defender, and will be one of the key focal points for the Giants.
A familiar face in the basketball circles of the region when she relocated to the Goldfields prior to the Covid-19 outbreak for work purposes and despite the cancellation of their official season, Klasztorny suited up for the Giants Women’s exhibition games in 2020.
Klasztorny, a 180cm guard/forward has moved back to the region once again with a longer-term plan in play and brings to the Giants a wealth of knowledge and playing experience.
Most notably, she has played 219 SBL/NBL1 games over 11 seasons, all with the Mandurah Magic and she also spent two seasons in the premier WNBL competition with the Perth Lynx/West Coast Waves as a development player.
A tough-nosed defender, she doesn’t back away from defensive assignments as well as contributing in other aspects on the court, whether it be scoring, assisting or rebounding.
Her inaugural 2021 NBL1 season started off with a bang being the first women’s recipient of NBL1 West Foot Locker Player of the Week, where she scored 29 points at 75 percent shooting, along with 10 rebounds and 4 assists in just 28 minutes.
View the 2022 NBL1 roster tracker here
Feature image taken by Tiarna Rose Photography
