Irish international makes move to Wolves

Oaklands Wolves announce their 8th signing of the summer with the arrival of Irish International Abigail Rafferty.

The 6’1 forward, hailing from Dungannon, County Tyrone, joins the Wolves for her first spell of club basketball outside of Ireland. A graduate of Ulster University, Rafferty spent one year in the US as part of her degree playing for DeSales University in Pennsylvania, where she averaged 10.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists for the year.

Rafferty joins Oaklands after a year in the Irish Superleague with Ulster University Elks in the 2023/24 season. In 2022 Rafferty helped the Elks secure promotion to the Irish Superleague before she left for her US college year. In 2023 she returned to help guide the Elks to a 7th place finish with season numbers of 13.9 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. Rafferty’s performances have seen her gain a glowing reputation in her home country, resulting in senior national teams selection this past summer. Representing her country in both the 5v5 and 3X3 formats of the game since 2021, Rafferty most recently appeared in the 3X3 FIBA nations league in Romania in July.

Coach Ryan had this to say on the signing, “Abigail is coming in off a fast rise in the game in recent years, something we want to help her continue by being with us at Oaklands. I have been impressed with her competitive game play and solid skill set in both the Superleague and the Ireland national team. She will give us great versatility, able to play inside and out and will fill many roles in our changing lineups. She is as passionate about her development, as we are, so it’s a great signing for us.”

Check back in tomorrow for the final signings for the Oaklands senior roster.

Wolves add South American star!

Oaklands are pleased to announce Maria Lopes Albiero as the 7th signing for the 2024/25 season.

The 5’8 guard will join the Hertfordshire based franchise after a successful summer of national team representation. A stand out for the Brazil national team, Albiero played in the World Cup pre-qualifying tournament in Rwanda earlier this summer where she averaged 8.7 points and 2.7 assists in tournament play. Not done there, Brazil have been in the South American Championship in Chile and have made it all the way to the final on Sept 8th vs rival nation Argentina!

A graduate of BYU in 2022, Albiero ended an outstanding college career as the all time appearance maker for the cougars with 146 games played. Currently ranked 7th in assist to turnover ratio with 1.79/1 and 18th in program history with 346 career assists.

Following her time at BYU, Albiero has been playing in the Brazilian LBF. Last season she played with Ituano Basquete,who finished runners up in the championship and averaged 8.5 points, 2.7 assists in 27 minutes of action.

Coach Ryan explained what Albiero will bring to the team, saying “Maria has great experience that will really help our team progress in the SLB. A career full of consistent numbers, she will come in and be a leader in our game model. With the ability to run the team but also play off the ball as a scorer, we see Maria as a piece that can connect a lot of the many exciting dots we have in this roster. She is a winner, a leader and comes with a South American playing style that I think will make her a fans favourite.”

You can watch the South American final at 1am tonight at this link https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCXERy73Oiz9CBGZof5mbByOx0lNE9g5C

Sarson at home with the Wolves!

Oaklands are delighted to re-sign long term Oaklands player Beth Sarson for the 2024/25 season!

The Hertfordshire native has once more put pen to paper in agreeing to sign with her home town club. This signing sees Sarson return for her seventh season in the top flight of British basketball action. The newly named Super League Basketball will have a familiar face and one who is poised to break Oaklands records this season. Sarson is ready to eclipse Wolves legend Lizzy Harrison’s appearances and points records this campaign.

The 5’7 tenacious guard was crucial for the Wolves team last season as she led the team in assists with 3.3 per game. Averaging 27 minutes per game she also contributed 7 points and 2 rebounds across the season. A huge personality, Sarson optimises the culture of Oaklands having come through the elite academy program at the college before heading out to Pfeiffer University in North Carolina. Her importance to the team was emphasised by head coach Lee Ryan when he said, “What else is there to say about Beth at this stage! Everyone in Oaklands, in fact in the league, loves Beth and her infectious energy. She is integral to what we are building at Oaklands, she plays a huge role for me personally on and off the court in the way she naturally brings people together. To have that character in someone who can also be so effective in this league is special. I mean Beth has adopted the Wolves ethos so much she has even brought us a mascot in Mr Mylo!”

Sarson is ready and excited for the prospect of returning to the Wolves once more, she said “I’m really happy to be returning to a new look Oaklands team in a new look league! I’m really excited to get on court with my new teammates and get back to work with the staff. The project Oaklands have planned is ambitious and exciting, its great to be part of something for long enough you get to experience the growth. I believe this will be our strongest season yet and on a personal level it’s so great to be at home again for another season.”

See Beth in action at 6pm on Sunday September 29th at Oaklands College Sportszone.