The Goldfields Giants have signed Haley Waites and Ashlee Sidebottom for the 2022 Coles Express NBL1 West season.
The recently married Waites (nee Bunce), is a longtime veteran of the top South Australian leagues, having come up through the junior ranks to represent the state in the National Under 20 competition and inclusion into the Adelaide Lightning development squad.
She went on to play 129 matches across nine seasons in the Basketball SA premier competitions for the South Adelaide Panthers and Southern Tigers, including two seasons as captain for South Adelaide in 2018 and 2019, as well as being awarded their club Most Valuable Player in 2018.
After relocating to Kalgoorlie with her partner in 2019, Waites ended up joining the Giants WABL Women’s team for their final five games of the season, but missed the 2020 season due to starting a family.
In 2021, she returned to the team and was proving to be a key part of the Giants Women’s team historic season, before injury derailed her season after six games.
Standing at 185cm and able to play either the forward or centre position, Waites is a strong presence around the basket at both ends of the court and gives the team some additional height and experience after the signings of imports Danielle McCray and Amanda Wayment.
Standing at 185cm and able to play in any of the front court roles, she brings additional height, experience and toughness to the team, at both ends of the court.
A former Goldfields junior who had plenty of representative success as a teenager, Sidebottom has competed for Western Australia in five different National Championships.
She has also accrued 132 SBL matches across seven seasons with the Mandurah Magic and Rockingham Flames including being named to the SBL South team in the 2016 SBL All-Star game.
Having moved back to the region in 2020 to take up a teaching post, Sidebottom was originally part of the 2020 Giants WABL squad before Covid-19 shut down the season.
She has continued to play locally with the Olympians Basketball Club, contributing significantly to their two KBBA Division 1 Women’s titles over the past two years.
Sidebottom has been working hard in the off-season as she returns back to elite-level basketball in the state and is keen for the start of the Giants’ season as they hit the court at home for their inaugural game on April 9th against the Lakeside Lightning.
View the 2022 NBL1 roster tracker here
Feature image taken by South Western Times
