Raider returns after college stint

By Tania Martin
KNOX Ford Raiders women’s SEABL team has another exciting season ahead with several new top-notch recruits hitting the court.
Former junior Raider, Chantella Perera, 21 has returned home after completing her US college basketball career.
She has spent the last few years honing her ball skills with the Fresno State Bulldogs in California.
But a little closer to home Perera has also been playing with the Dandenong Rangers in the WNBL.
Perera started her basketball career at Knox in the juniors before moving up the road to Nunawading where she gained an athletic scholarship to play at Fresno State University (FSU).
From the outset Perera has flourished in the college ball area, averaging 8.1 points per game in her first year after joining the team in January 2004.
The 175-cm guard continued to impress both on and off the court, earning numerous Western Athletic Conference academic awards and recognition for her dedication in the classroom.
By 2007 and her final year at FSU, Perera had become the ‘go to’ player on the Bulldogs’ roster and a dominant force within the college basketball ranks.
But the pressure of this tag didn’t faze the girl from Wantirna who averaged a career best of 15.3 points per game, 4.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.7 steals per game.
Now she has returned home to where it all began to join coach Heath Anderson to help bring home the 2008 SEABL title.
“It’s nice to come back to my home club and I really like Heath and his style of coaching,” Perera said.
“To start something new with a young team is very exciting – our aim will be to make the playoffs and ultimately win a championship, but first we need to gel together with our young group, but that should be a lot of fun.”
Also joining Perera are young, up and coming players Ellie Lovelace and Sarah Graham, who have been named on the Raiders roster.
Lovelace, one of the team’s youngest players, will also return to the club where she started her basketball career.
Five years ago Lovelace moved up-town to rival side Nunawading where she played as a junior before playing in the SEABL competition last season.
Sarah Graham, a current Dandenong Rangers WMBL player, will join Lovelace and Perera as they join this up coming Raiders side.
The 2008 season promises to be a great year for the Raiders who will hit the court for the first time on Saturday 1 March against the Albury-Wodonga Bandits at the Knox Ford Converse Stadium.