Experienced Perth Lynx basketballer Ashleigh Isenbarger says the benefits of having Ballarat as a permanent base for an extended WNBL campaign in Victoria should not be underestimated.
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"One of the biggest challenges being away from home for so long is that you're away from the comforts of home, your support system and the people you know," she said.
''So being able to have a base in Ballarat, somewhere familiar to come back to and stay between games is beneficial and should not be underestimated.
'It's great to have stability on and off the court for this period away from home," she said.
This is the second season in a row Perth has been forced to undertake an extended road trip owing to COVID-19 restrictions.
The WNBL played last season entirely in a North Queensland hub over much shorter timeframe than usual.
Lynx arrived in Ballarat on Monday and will spend January based in the city while regional Victoria hosts 15 WNBL games.
Six will be played in Ballarat with all eight WNBL teams featuring.
Lynx will have three home games at Ballarat Sports and Events Centre.
Isenbarger is in her second stint with Perth, having first played with the club in 2015-2017 before a few seasons with Melbourne Boomers. This is her second season back with Lynx.
She said the players were already impressed by the training and playing facilities at BSEC, having had a closed training session on Tuesday morning.
"We're really impressed. We're fortunate to have it as a home base. It's a great facility."
Isenbarger said she was excited about engaging with the Ballarat community.
"We're looking forward to having Ballarat fans come along and cheer us on."
She said at the moment all the players wanted to do was get out on court and play after a month delay in getting their season under way.
Perth opened its season with a two-point loss to Adelaide Lightning in Adelaide on Sunday.
Isenbarger said they had had a lot of practice games in Perth, but the first game was always going to be a little bit messy. "Nothing comes close to real games."
She said the focus was getting some wins on the board to build some momentum, and improve on last season when Lynx won just one game.
Lynx will start their Victorian stay with a road trip to play Southside Flyers at Dandenong on Thursday and Sydney Uni Flames at Traralgon on Saturday.
Lynx returns to Ballarat to play Bendigo Spirit in Bendigo on Friday, January 14.
They take on Townsville Fire in their first Ballarat game on Sunday, January 16.
Full WNBL Ballarat schedule:
WEDNESDAY, January 12: Southside Flyers v Sydney Uni Flames, 6.30pm
SUNDAY, January 16: Perth Lynx v Townsville Fire, 3pm
WEDNESDAY, January 19: Melbourne Boomers v Adelaide Lightning, 5pm and Perth Lynx v UC Capitals, 7.30pm
FRIDAY, January 21: UC Capitals v Southside Flyers, 7pm
SATURDAY, January 29: Perth Lynx v Bendigo Spirit, 5pm
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