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‘This is a really good sign’ - Angelee LaTouche pleased to see WNBL players in national squad
November 06, 2025
Angelee LaTouche, league coordinator for the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL), said she is happy to see a number of the top players from the local league in the national team.
Ahead of the Caribbean Women's Basketball Championship (CBC) to be held in Guyana, the Jamaica Basketball Association (JBA) announced a 22-player training camp led by head coach Oneil Brown.
Of the players selected for the camp, 20 currently play in the WNBL, with the other two players based in the United States.
LaTouche said the inclusion of the WNBL players was a resounding success for the local league, which resumed just last year after a decade-long hiatus.
"We're still in early stages but it's been very instrumental in developing the talent and giving the players a platform to keep practising what they've been doing," LaTouche said.
"As you know, they've been inactive for a while so now that we created this platform for them, they're able to showcase their talents," she continued.
"Using the WNBL as a source to pull most of the national players based on their performance in the league itself is a really good sign."
As a former national player, assistant coach and sports administrator, LaTouche said the success of the local league will always have a positive impact on the national team.
LaTouche said despite financial limitations, she is committed to secure the future of the WNBL and provide a platform for Jamaica's women's basketball to grow.
"I definitely know that the success of the league really contributed to the growth of women's basketball for the national team and that is what we want to keep doing," she said.
"I know that resources have always been our constraints, but we're committed to starting early, reaching out to communities and corporate Jamaica to see where they can assist.
"This is the only league that we have for the females, and without this league to showcase talents, we're limiting our national team," LaTouche added.
LOCAL CORE
Her comments were echoed by Oneil Brown, head coach of the women's national team.
Brown said for Jamaica to be a force in women's basketball, the island will need a strong core of local players.
"I must say, the WNBL has worked and I've experienced it firsthand because I see all the ladies, whether from rural or from Kingston playing in the league," he praised.
"I must say we have to continue keeping the female league every three months or every four months for the ladies from this end to grow.
"The core must come from Jamaica because the rules say it is only one naturalised player that you're allowed to have. The more we develop them, the more we'll find avenues and leagues to play in."
Jamaica will begin their campaign in the CBC Championship against Suriname on Wednesday, November 12, at Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.
The top three teams from the CBC will advance to the 2026 CentroBasket Women's Championships.
