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The Townsville Fire is delighted to announce the return of Catelyn Van Es for her second season as a Development Player, while local basketball product Bree Stephens has earned her first opportunity on the Fire's WNBL roster after progressing through the club's development pathway.
The signings reinforce the Fire's commitment to developing the next generation of talent while creating genuine opportunities for North Queensland athletes to reach the WNBL without leaving home.
Van Es returns after an impressive first season with the Fire, where she embraced every opportunity to develop within the club's high-performance environment.
While continuing to grow her game alongside some of Australia's best players and coaches, Van Es also made an enormous impact off the court. She was named the Townsville Fire Community Player of the Year after leading the club's Junior Academy program, where her enthusiasm, leadership and genuine connection with young athletes quickly made her a fan favourite among the Fire's youngest supporters.
Van Es said she was excited to return to Townsville for another season.
"I'm thrilled to be returning to Townsville and to have the chance to play in front of such an incredible community.
"This is a great opportunity for me to continue developing under Shannon's leadership and to keep building alongside an amazing team.
"Fire Up!"
Joining Van Es is one of Townsville's own.
Having recently returned to Townsville following her college basketball career in the United States, Stephens has wasted no time making an impact. Currently enjoying an outstanding season with the Townsville Flames in the NBL1 North competition, she has earned her place with the Fire after progressing through Townsville Junior Basketball, the Townsville Fire Academy, and now into the club's WNBL program.
Her signing is another significant milestone for the Fire's player pathway, demonstrating that young athletes from North Queensland can progress from local junior basketball through the Academy, pursue opportunities abroad, and return home to realise their dream of playing professionally for the Fire.
Stephens said earning her first WNBL contract with her hometown club was a dream come true.
"I'm very excited that I've signed with the Fire and I can't wait to get to work with everyone!"
Townsville Fire CEO Sam Pascoe said the signings represented exactly what the club was striving to achieve.
"We're thrilled to welcome Catelyn back for another season. She made significant strides as a player throughout last year, but her impact extended far beyond the basketball court."
"Catelyn's work leading our Junior Academy and the relationships she built with our youngest supporters were incredibly special. Being named our Community Player of the Year was thoroughly deserved, and she's become a much-loved member of the Fire family."
"Bree's signing is equally exciting. She's a Townsville junior who came through Townsville Junior Basketball and our Fire Academy, pursued the opportunity to play college basketball in the United States, and has now returned home."
"After an outstanding season with the Townsville Flames, she's earned her first opportunity within our WNBL program."
"One of our biggest priorities as a club is ensuring there is a genuine pathway for young female basketballers across North Queensland. We want every young player to know they don't have to leave home to chase their dream."
"Bree's journey is exactly what our pathway is designed to achieve. She is an inspiration to every young player in our Academy and across North Queensland that with hard work, dedication and belief, you can wear the Fire jersey. We couldn't be prouder to welcome her to our WNBL program."
Fire Head Coach Shannon Seebohm said both players had earned their place in the program and embodied what the Fire wanted to build both on and off the court.
"Catelyn already understands our standards and what is required within our environment. She continued to improve throughout last season, and we're excited to see her take another step forward as a player."
"She also made an enormous contribution to our club away from the court. The way she embraced our community, led our Junior Academy and became such a positive role model for our young athletes is something we're incredibly proud of."
"Bree has absolutely earned this opportunity. We've watched her development over a number of years and it's been fantastic to see the growth in her game, but even more importantly, the growth in her confidence and professionalism."
"She's someone who turns up every day wanting to improve. Her work ethic is outstanding, she's coachable, she's competitive and she's prepared to do whatever the team needs of her. Those are the qualities you look for in young players coming into a professional environment."
"Returning home after her college career, she's continued to develop with the Townsville Flames and has shown just how much her game has matured. We believe she's only scratching the surface of what she's capable of."
"Having come through Townsville Junior Basketball and our Fire Academy, she already understands what it means to represent this club and this community. It's incredibly rewarding as a coach to see a local player progress all the way through our pathway and earn a place in the WNBL program."
The Townsville Fire Academy continues to play a pivotal role in the club's long-term vision, providing elite coaching, development opportunities and a direct pathway from grassroots basketball to the WNBL.
With Van Es returning for her second season and Stephens becoming the latest local athlete to progress from Townsville Junior Basketball through the Fire Academy, onto college basketball in the United States, back to the Townsville Flames and now into the Fire's WNBL program, the future of basketball in North Queensland continues to burn brightly.
Both players will join the Fire when pre-season begins as preparations ramp up for the club's 2026/27 WNBL campaign.
