The Brisbane Capital: Firstly welcome to Brisbane and thank you for taking the time to sit down with us. So tell me where you are from Helen?

Helen Naylor: I’m from a little quiet town in England called Doncaster and I played basketball in Sheffield which is just up the road.

BC: What was it like to grow up there?

HN: It was good, it was quite quiet, but nice to grow up though.

BC: When and where did you start playing basketball?

HN: There was one association in Doncaster called the Doncaster Panthers. Which is still around where my mum actually coaches, so I grew up with my mum as my assistant coach. Yeah mum and dad both played so they got me involved.

BC: Did you have aspirations to play basketball early on all over the world?

HN: Yeah definitely, I played ever since I can remember I used to want to go to America and travel playing basketball and I have travelled so many different places playing so it’s been really great.

BC: What kind of places have you travelled to?

HN: Nearly everywhere in Europe, I have been to Spain, Finland, Bosnia, Croatia, Germany, so absolutely loads and I’ve been to America.

BC: What was your favourite place? Why?

HN: Probably Spain, I just liked the culture and the people and the basketball out there is great.

BC: Is this your first time down under?

HN: It is yeah, first time in Australia.

BC: What is your first impression?

HN: Uh raining. Like I expected it to be really sunny and nice but I haven’t seen too much of it just yet.

BC: Have you got any plans to do the tourist things over the next week before the season starts?

HN: If I can get as much as possible in yeah, definitely.

Aunty Sue: I’m hoping to take her to the beach but it’s pretty bad weather.

BC: That would be a start, Hopefully we could turn on some weather for you. That’d be good.

HN: I could get a tan before I start playing.

BC: You’re about to embark on your first season in the QBL you must be pretty excited?

HN: It’s very exciting I don’t really know what to expect because I have never been here before but I’ve had few team mates who have played in this league in Bundaberg and they said good things about it. Say it’s a good league and I’m really looking forward to it.

BC: Why did you end up choosing to come play for the Brisbane Capitals?

HN: I think I wanted to be close to my family, they are all in Brisbane so that was one of the main decisions, and I’ve heard a lot of nice things about Brisbane as a place. Apart from the floods.

BC: You are joining a team with a new coach who is going through a changing of the guard so to speak and have a lot of young players stepping up, what kind of things will bring you to the capitals this year?

HN: I think even though I’m quite young I’m quite an experienced player, having played in so many international competitions so hopefully bring a little bit of experience to the younger players.

BC: How would you describe your game?

HN: I like to run, the team I came from were very much a fast break team. And I like to penetrate and get on the rim, and like to be versatile.

BC: In terms of just looking forward to playing in the QBL and being a player with a resume that lists international experience, are you ready to embrace status of a role model to the young girls involved in basketball here?

HN: Definitely I think it’s important for young players to have people to look up to, so I’ll definitely be looking forward to being a role model to the juniors.

BC: Thanks Helen we look forward to seeing you pull on a Capitals singlet very soon.

HN: No worries yeah it will be good.