Assistant coach to take over after Rockingham Flames women’s coach resigns

Assistant coach Keegan Crawford will take the reigns of the Rockingham Flames women’s team following the resignation of head coach Craig Reynolds.

Flames president Warren Boucaut said Reynolds, who was halfway through his first season as a head coach in the State Basketball League after a number of years as an assistant at Willetton and Lakeside, offered his resignation on Thursday and it was “regretfully accepted”.

“Craig indicated he was no longer enjoying the role and part of that was an inability to be able to put in all the time required as a senior coach,” Boucaut told the Sound Telegraph.

Reynolds leaves with the Flames in fifth place on the WSBL ladder with a 6-6 win/loss record. His last game in charge was last Friday night’s 69-75 loss to the Willetton Tigers.

Crawford, 23, was an assistant to former women’s coach Ryan Petrik before embarking on a short stint in the Canadian college system late last year. He will coach the team for the first time in tonight’s derby with Mandurah.

The Flames this week also signed former Perth Lynx player Alex Ciabattoni for the remainder of the 2019 season.

The 25-year-old forward spent two seasons with Adelaide Lightning, where she was named WNBL rookie of the year in 2016, and a season with the Lynx before playing for Kalamunda Eastern Suns in the WSBL last season.

She joins the Flames after a stint in Italy playing for Reyer Venezia and Ponzano Basket Veneto.

Ciabattoni is expected to make her debut next Saturday night against the South West Slammers.