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Seebohm: Fire superstar Woods 'the female Luka Doncic'
Most valuable player Courtney Woods of the Townsville Fire during game two of the WNBL Grand Final series between Perth Lynx and Townsville Fire at Perth High Performance Centre on March 01, 2026 in Perth, Australia. Photo: Sarah Reed/Getty Images
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"I think she's like the female Luka Doncic."
That's a big statement to make about anyone but that's how Townsville Fire coach Shannon Seebohm feels about his captain and WNBL Finals MVP Courtney Woods.
Woods has completed a remarkable journey from being a score-first reserve off the bench in her rookie season with the Fire, to now being in the top three players in the WNBL, having represented the Australian Opals - something she thought would never happen - and most recently a championship captain after inspiring Townsville to a 2-0 series win over the Perth Lynx.
She claimed the MVP of the finals series following performances of 22 points, six rebounds, three steals in two assists in game one as well as 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in the title-clinching game two - showcasing that when the stage gets bigger, so does her game.
It led to her two-time championship coach and five-time WNBL Coach of the Year, Seebohm, heaping praise on her in the latest edition of basketball.com.au podcast, Cut to the Jase.
"Courtney's just elite, she's like I think she's like the female Luka Doncic," Seebohm said.
"In a way, like, just plays at her own pace. Her court vision is insane, that's something that she's worked really hard on developing.
"When she got here, she was more score first and she's kind of turned into this, I think the word they use in the NBA is heliocentric player, where you can run an offence through them and they just create everything for you.
"But you know she's turned into that."
However, it's not just the on-court development Seebohm praised, as Woods has grown from a rookie fresh out of college to the leader of a club that's been to back-to-back grand finals and added the Fire's fifth championship to their trophy cabinet.
"I think the other side is just how much she's matured in terms of her leadership," Seebohm said.
"Her understanding of our system is as good as mine, I think pretty much, and at practice often this year she'd be coaching the team, she'd be telling (players) 'hey we need to make sure we stay in the corner on this' or 'hey make this read' or defensively 'why do we not do it like this.
"It was really cool to see that this year and I think she's really come into her own in terms of her leadership and she's gone from being on the back end of our bench to probably a top two or three player in this league and I just couldn't be prouder of her."
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