The North Gold Coast Seahawks have signed Chailee Ward and Aiden Krause ahead of the 2022 NBL1 North season.
They have also appointed their men's coach, with Luke McGuire set to take charge of the new side.
Ward comes from a strong basketball pedigree, with her mum playing with the Townsville Firebirds as a part of the WNBL and her Dad playing in the NBL for the now defunct Townsville Suns.
Having a phenomenal junior career, Ward was a member of the Australian U17 squad and also attended the Australian Development Camp.
Ward led Queensland North to the bronze medal in U16s, and most recently was a part of the U20s Queensland team that finished in third.
She has led Townsville to five state championships throughout her representative career and is looking to make the jump and showcase her skills at the NBL1 North level.
Head coach for the Seahawks Women, Brad Kann, is pumped to have his Townsville protégé on board for season 2022.
"Chailee is a tremendous talent and has won everywhere she has played” Kann said.
"At the U20 Nationals earlier this year, I believe if Chailee hadn’t gone down in the semi-final with a significant ankle injury, that team would have pushed for gold.
"I’ve been fortunate enough to work closely with Chailee from my time in Townsville, and with this experience I know we aren’t only getting a phenomenal player, but we are getting a fantastic human, with her parents Alison and Carl raising an incredibly respectful and humble daughter.
"We know Chailee’s goal is to crack a WNBL roster, and we want to help be a part of that journey.
Ward was equally as excited as her new Head Coach.
"My goal is to not only be on a WNBL roster, but to be a part of the rotation consistently," Ward said.
"I’m a Townsville girl born and bred, and it was an incredibly difficult decision to leave home but I’m excited for the challenge that the move to the Seahawks will bring.
"I’m really looking forward to getting down to the Gold Coast, get myself settled and into pre-season once the WNBL training commitments in Townsville finish up."
Krause is a former Centre of Excellence athlete attending alongside the likes of NBL talent Sam Froling and Callum Dalton, along with now NBA G League Head Coach, Adam Caporn.
Krause averaged 12.83 points, two assists and 5.5 rebounds on a handy 45 percent shooting from the field in his first NBL1 season with the Northside Wizards, making him dangerous from both wings on the floor.
He had a season-high 24 points against Red City in the final round of the NBL1 season, making him an asset on the offensive end, as well as his traditional feisty defensive presence that he has brought throughout his career.
Head Coach for the NBL1 Seahawks Men, Luke McGuire, is excited by what Krause will bring to his team.
"'Krausey' was a key focus for us, as you always need that player that will take up the opportunity to defend the best player on the opposition team," McGuire said.
"Along with the fact that the longer the season went on last year, the better his offensive outputs became, we are expecting a huge year for Aiden in 2022.
"His goal is to make an NBL roster and we have made a commitment to push him as far as we possibly can to achieve his career goals.
Krause is excited for his change to the North Gold Coast Seahawks.
"I nearly came to the Seahawks last season and played at the QSL level," Krause said.
"That’s how impressed I was with what the Director of Basketball, Brad Kann, was looking to offer from a basketball development perspective.
"It’s exciting to me that I get to be a part of the Seahawks first season within the NBL1 and be a part of creating the culture on and off the floor for years to come.
"I can’t wait to rip into the pre-season and get around the group."
McGuire is currently the Coach Development Manager with Basketball Queensland.
Prior to this, he was in High Performance with Basketball WA.
General Manager for the North Gold Coast Seahawks, Dwayne Vale, is elated to have both his NBL1 Head Coaches locked in for the next two years.
"We really wanted to take our time with this appointment as we wanted someone with the credentials to lead this team, but we also wanted the right person for the position, and we believe we got that in Luke," Vale said.
"Luke is really well respected throughout basketball in Australia, particularly since he has spent considerable time in NSW and WA and now currently employed by Basketball Queensland – these sorts of relationships go a long way in the recruitment space.
"Not only that but Luke is also very similar to Brad (Kann), in that he is a young man who wants to continue his pathway into the professional coaching ranks moving forward, and he knows that creating a credible and successful NBL1 program here at North Gold Coast will go a long way to fulfilling those career aspirations.
"We are incredibly excited to give Luke this opportunity, and we know that he will deliver a professional program and support our athletes along the way.
McGuire expressed excitement with his appointment.
"It’s an exciting challenge to be given the opportunity as the Head Coach of the NGC Seahawks NBL1 campaign," McGuire said.
"I have always had a desire to be successful at this level, and to have the opportunity to do this in the NGC Seahawks’ first year into NBL1 North is incredibly humbling.
"I know the team have done an incredible job of getting into the NBL1 a season ahead of what they had planned.
"This gives me great confidence that the foundations set will help us be successful in 2022.
"Our goal is to be in the playoffs year 1 and we will be doing everything we can to achieve that goal."
