Redbacks MVP’s back for 2021

The Perth Redbacks continue building strong rosters for the 2021 NBL1 West season, with their 2020 club MVPs Maddie Allen (women) and Marshall Nelson (men) returning.

This will be Allen’s second straight season with the Redbacks after an outstanding 2020 West Coast Classic campaign and the Perth Lynx WNBL star is thrilled to be back.

“You talk about clubs being supportive and like a family, and last year the Redbacks definitely proved that to me,” Allen said via perthredbacks.asn.au.

“All through COVID there was always contact and checking in, and it was really a no-brainer to make the decision to come back for next year.”

Allen is looking forward to trying to win Perth a championship, while she is also excited about the switch to NBL1 West.

“I’ve won a QBL championship, I’ve won an SBL championship and I want to be the kind of player who might not necessarily score a lot but helps her teams be better and win championships,” she said.

“We have a group of girls here who want to do better than we have the last couple of years and are ready to do what it takes to be a championship quality program.

“A lot of people haven’t been able to see our SBL competition in the past and the players haven’t got the exposure that they deserve.

“The move to being part of the NBL1 family will elevate that exposure, allow the competition to grow and draw even better players to the league, and keep the quality WA talent at home which is really important.”

Nelson had a stunning 2020 West Coast Classic season, averaging 21.9 points, 6.9 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game. The former Illawarra Hawk is looking forward to another year in the Redback red and black.

“This was the first club to give me an opportunity to play at SBL level. I like the club, I like the direction it’s going in and I want to be part of that moving forward,” Nelson said via perthredbacks.asn.au.

“I loved that during the West Coast Classic we were able to play at a fast pace and had a lot of freedom to do what we want offensively while still having a good structure to go off as well.

“It was good to continue to build on the guys I’ve had fun playing with before like Joel (Wagner) as the captain and point guard, and some of the new faces. I thought we gelled really well by the end even though it took us a few games to get into it.

“I’m excited to see how it goes and how we gel next season with most of the group returning. I think we are going to be a really tough team next year.”