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Every week, ESPN's Megan Hustwaite brings together news stories that have caught her eye across the WNBL.
HOME SWEET HOME There's no place like home for Sami Whitcomb and home is wherever partner Kate and sons Nash and Reef are. Whitcomb is enjoying a stellar start to the season averaging a league-high 26.7 points for her new outfit Bendigo Spirit who are undefeated after three games. The Paris Olympic medallist joined Townsville, from Perth, last season and was away from her family, including before and after the birth of Reef last December, for the season. The separation and distance took a toll on Whitcomb both on and off the court.  The quartet then reunited and were together for Whitcomb's WNBA season in Seattle, Olympic campaign in Paris and have now set up home in regional Victoria. "I'm feeling good, enjoying it, the fit and everything with the team has been nice too, it's a culmination of things for sure but obviously the fact that they're here always makes it easier and nicer for me," Whitcomb, who is loving her fresh start at the Spirit, told ESPN. "It's definitely harder to give of yourself, to your team and all those things when you're drained or you feel half empty because you're separated. You're obviously still giving yourself and your best, but your best probably doesn't feel like it might be otherwise, so you're 100 per cent feels a little bit less. "You adjust, figure it out and navigate it but playing is easier when I don't have to do it from that space." With 25 points, 9 assists and 7 rebounds against the UC Capitals on Friday night then 28 points, 7 rebounds and 5 steals against Geelong on Sunday, Whitcomb is the WNBL's Player of the Week for Round 2. BORLASE BOUNCE BACK Props to the youngest member of the Opals Olympic bronze-medal winning team, Isobel Borlase for her Round 2 performance. The 20-year-old struggled to connect for Adelaide in Round 1 but showed great mental toughness and grit to lead all scorers in Saturday night's game against Perth. Borlase had 24 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal and while her shots fell, her efforts on the defensive end were trademark tough and she was willing to make the extra pass. Nicknamed 'Kenny' in reference to her middle name Kenneth, Borlase had some challenging moments on sport's biggest stage in Paris but shone with a team-high 11 points against powerhouse USA and came away with a medal. She's experienced a lot, quickly, but with a good head on her shoulders and the mentorship and support of Lightning coach Nat Hurst, Borlase is well equipped to ride the peaks and troughs.  REFRESHING RYAN Post-game press conferences are merely a formality but are worth watching on club You Tube channels for context, insights and the occasional piece of gold. The most recent nugget came from Perth coach Ryan Petrik who showed typical honesty after his team's emphatic opening-round win over Southside where the Lynx piled on 94 points all without three-point queen Amy Atwell.  "We don't want to put much into their heads, because it will slow them down. We've got some base stuff we want to do but we try and play out of principles and therefore they can just play on instinct, we've got some guidelines for them but just let them hoop because they're pretty smart and they're pretty intelligent and they can all shoot so they can all space the floor," Petrik said. "I don't know how you guard it, and it's our offence, so good luck." Since taking the reins in 2020, Petrik has breathed life into the league, with his helter skelter, all offensive style which makes for entertaining viewing but his call-it-how-he-sees-it, cliché-free approach is equally refreshing. And while he hasn't reached the top of the mountain, two Grand Finals, including one campaign where the Lynx were gypsies and locked out of their own state during the pandemic, in five seasons at the helm is a record clubs in finals droughts should envy. As an Opals legend said in a message to this columnist last week "How is Petrik not an assistant with Opals?"
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