Maddie Garrick seems too young to be a 200-game veteran.
At just 26, the Melbourne Boomers guard played her 200th WNBL game last round in her team’s win over Sydney University Flames.
Garrick has been in the national league since her teenage years at the Australian Institute of Sport when the team was still in the WNBL hence why she has been able to make it so quickly to this milestone.
On the rise: Boomer Maddie Garrick says the team still have so much improvement to come.Credit:Mick Connolly
"It’s not until after it that you realise that you have played that many games," Garrick said.
"I’ve been fortunate enough that I haven’t had many big injuries that have set me back."
But things move rapidly in the condensed WNBL season and Garrick has her focus on game 202 as the Boomers look to beat ladder-leaders Perth Lynx in Perth on Friday night.
The Boomers know their best play is good enough to beat anyone in the league and they are improving noticeably each game as their newcomers find their place in the side.
The Lynx have also changed their team significantly but have found their best form faster than anyone else making a 5-1 start compared to Melbourne’s 5-3 record.
Opals guard Katie-Rae Ebzery and past-championship winning-import Asia Taylor have led the way for the Lynx, while Opals squad member Lauren Mansfield is making her way back from injury and beginning to play a role as well.
WNBA pair Steph Talbot and Cayla George have been significant performers for the Boomers and more importantly the team is finding ways to get all their key players involved in the offence including captain Jenna O’Hea, import point guard Lindsay Allen and Garrick.
The Boomers put on their best performance of the season in a win over reigning champions Townsville Fire in Townsville on Sunday and they want to back that up with another strong display in Perth.
"There were a few plays in the Townsville game that were just so exciting, I was on the bench at the time and had goosebumps," Garrick said.
"But there are a lot of things we need to do to get better even though we are winning games so it’s exciting to know we still have so much improvement to come."
The Lynx will test the Boomers out both in a physical sense and at the defensive end, as the home side can score in a hurry despite losing star guard Sami Whitcomb and several other key players from recent seasons.
"It’s kind of crazy when we watched them on video this week and they are such a changed team," Garrick said.
"They are strong, athletic and had such a good start to the season. Both Townsville and Perth are really hard to beat at home with the travel factor.
"Looking at their game last week, they were very physical with Canberra but we need to play the way that we play well then things will take care of themselves."
Garrick had a scare late in the team’s win over Dandenong Rangers recently when she needed to leave the game late after feeling faint then was kept out of their next game as Boomers physio Gaylene McKay and doctors tested her to see what was wrong.
"My 200th game was my first game back and we were just making sure everything was right and I wasn’t having symptoms again and I was fine," Garrick said.
"It’s in the past now and I’ve been reassured. I’ve been cleared to play by the doctors and getting back into a rhythm now so hopefully it was just a once-off thing."
Melbourne Boomers play Perth Lynx in Perth on Friday at 9.30pm (AEDT).
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