Tassie team, Chinese and WNBA imports to boost new WNBL season

Key points

• The Women's National Basketball League begins its second season under private ownership on Thursday night. The Tasmania Jewels, a new franchise, will host the Geelong Venom in Hobart in the opening game.
• The league has signed Chinese national team players, including Shuyu Yang and Siyu Yang, and Han Xu will return to Geelong. Retired Opals star Lauren Jackson, now Chief Strategy and Basketball Partnerships Officer, said privatisation has helped the league grow.
• Crowd figures rose 43 per cent last season, while broadcast reach increased 130 per cent.