Northumbria Keeping Up With The Joneses

Northumbria University have gone Stateside in a bid to boost their multi-national women’s basketball programme ahead of the new BUCS campaign.

Head coach Chris Bunten is chasing success on two fronts with the WBBL season set to tip off on October 1 - just days before competitive university basketball returns to Sport Central.

And the experienced playcaller has recruited three BUCS-only players from America’s coveted college system ahead of what will be a tough Northern Premier campaign.

Tanaya ‘Tee’ Jones, Sheraton Jones and McKenna Hill have all tasted significant court time in the NCAA’s top two divisions.

And the trio have enrolled on Northumbria University courses with a view to pushing themselves academically as well as bagging big BUCS minutes.

“Our programme focuses on both the WBBL and BUCS and it’s simply not feasible for the same players to play every game in both competitions,” said Bunten.

“We were badly affected by serious injuries to key players throughout last season and we just didn’t have the bodies down the stretch.

“This season I’ve looked to address that and I’ve found players who are keen to progress academically and more than capable of pushing us forward on the court.

“Tee is a pacy guard with bags of Division Two experience and just the sort of player we need right now.

“Sheraton is out of Division One college University of Maine and is a mobile forward who’s here for two years. She reminds me of Stef Gandy.

“McKenna is another forward who I really like the look of. They will prove a formidable trio in BUCS this year.”

Northumbria tipped off their pre-season with a comfortable win against Edinburgh University at the weekend with Sheraton Jones just one rebound shy of a debut double double.

Bunten’s side face Loughborough in a friendly on Friday and travel to Dublin later this month for a pre-season tournament that features fellow WBBL side Caledonia Pride.