Wildcats Take The Next Dance

Eltham has announced its first new player signing ahead of the 2022 NBL1 South season, with the addition of Mitchell Dance to the club.

Dance (20yo) is coming off his first NBL1 season in 2021, one that saw him awarded the Albury-Wodonga Bandits MVP award. A proud New Zealander, Dance had a strong junior career which included representing the national team at a junior level, before representing Taranaki in the New Zealand national league and then making the jump to Australia in 2021.

“I’m really pleased to be joining the Eltham team and family for the 2022 season. When talking to Coach Stratford and club staff I was drawn to the fact they take a vested interest in you personally as a player, but also wanted to include my family back home when approaching me.” Dance explaining the recruiting process.

Dance went onto say; “A key factor for me picking Eltham was definitely the development side of things. Coach explained where I fit within the team and committed to helping me grow my game for the future, which made Eltham an easy choice for me. I can’t wait for our season to start and looking forward to playing in the new stadium and a part of Wildcats culture.”

Head Coach Craig Stratford knew what Dance could do, having witnessed him first hand at Eltham where he accrued 21 points in a dominant performance. “Once we worked out our existing player strengths, coaches and staff jointly identified Dance as someone who will really complement our 2022 playing group. In Mitch we are adding and exciting young talent who can defend multiple positions and has shown he can score at this level. We are looking forward to Mitch making a strong contribution both on and off the court at our Club.”

The Eltham Wildcats will enter the 2022 NBL1 season playing out of a brand-new stadium in Montmorency which is due to be completed in early April 2022. With new and returning players, the club looks forward to making further player announcements and providing more information about 2022 season memberships.

The NBL1 represents the highest level achievable for players, coaches, technical officials and game day staff in the Eltham Wildcats pathway. It provides individuals in the north-east of Melbourne with a chance to be exposed to the national leagues and international opportunities. The Eltham Wildcats aim to have teams that strongly represent the north-east of Melbourne and those that have come through the Eastern Districts Junior Basketball Association (EDJBA).  

For further information about the Eltham Wildcats Basketball Club please contact 9439 5686 or Greg Jeffers on ceo@elthamwildcats.net.au.