The North Gold Coast Seahawks are excited to announce Chailee Ward as part of the Women’s NBL1 North team for Season 2022.
Chailee 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, she is the next in line for the Ward family.
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 U16’s, and most recently was a part of the U20’s Queensland team that finished in 3rd. She has led Townsville to 5 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 SmartSkill 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” said Kann.
“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,” said Ward.
“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”