The best the West has ever been?

The NBL1 West conference returns for its fifth season Friday night and it’s arguably recruited the most women’s talent the competition has ever seen. 

Western Australia has always had elite female basketballers, from Tully Bevilaqua to Casey Mihovilovich, and more recently Amy Atwell. However, the West has seen an influx of talent come to the conference in recent years. Headlined by Melbourne-born Anneli Maley signing with the Perth Lynx and staying for the winter with the Perth Redbacks. 

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Coming off the conference's first games at RAC Arena, this has spiralled into what could be the most talented women’s competition in the country -- featuring many new names like Abby Cubillo, Zitina Aokuso, Alex Fowler and many more. 

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2023 Cockburn Cougars championship coach and now Chief Basketball Officer for Basketball WA, Tyrone Thwaites, explained how the West has become a powerhouse. 

“The current influx of WNBL/pro-level athletes to the West is indeed unprecedented. In the past few years, even before my time at Basketball WA, we’ve observed a trend of pro-athletes viewing the NBL1 West as a destination league. However, it has gone to a whole new level in 2025,” he told NBL1 Media. 

“As a state, we’ve always been dedicated to nurturing local talent and attracting high-quality players. The recent surge of elite athletes joining WA teams is truly remarkable and speaks volumes about the growing reputation and competitiveness of our league.

“(The talent influx) is reflective of how strong the league is becoming. Importantly, it puts some incredible role models front and centre for our young girls and women across the state to aspire to.”

Western Australian great Greg Hire agrees he’s never seen more talent in the conference, especially from typically East Coast players. Hire explained that this influx of talent will benefit WA juniors most, speaking from his own experience making it into the Perth Wildcats’ program. 

“When you're looking at it, not only does it strengthen the league, it helps the juniors,” he said.

Using 18-year-old Warwick signing Kiara Waite as an example, “She’ll be going against veterans, whether that’s (Emma) Gandidni, Stacey Barr at practice and those names that go across the league. To fast-forward your development, you want to be going against that competition. 

“When I was 18 and coming through, you were being mentored and taken under someone's wings. But then to be able to compete against them, you can see where you're at and what you need to improve on. I think those opportunities really escalate growth… Imagine going against Sami Whitcomb for the next four weeks, that’s just an unreal opportunity.” 

The NBL1 West starts on Friday night from 6:30pm AWST. Watch every game live and free via NBL1.com.au, NBL1 App and Kayo Freebies.