{"id":829963,"date":"2026-07-28T22:36:16","date_gmt":"2026-07-28T22:36:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/829963\/"},"modified":"2026-07-28T22:36:16","modified_gmt":"2026-07-28T22:36:16","slug":"blocks-stops-and-pnr-cole-says-xu-changes-the-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/829963\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Blocks, stops and PnR’: Cole says Xu ‘changes the game’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Rebecca Cole says Han Xu’s arrival gives Geelong the confidence to pressure ball handlers all season<\/p>\n

Geelong signs WNBL26 Defensive Player of the Year Han Xu.Rebecca Cole says Xu’s rim protection transforms the Venom’s defence.Chinese guard Wanglai Zhang also joins Geelong’s revamped backcourt.<\/p>\n

Two-time WNBL champion Bec Cole declared one thing was certain for the Geelong Venom in WNBL27 \u2013 its perimeter defence will be ultra-aggressive after the signing of Chinese superstar centre Han Xu<\/a>.<\/p>\n

WNBL26 Defensive Player of the Year Xu, 26, joined the Venom yesterday<\/a> after anchoring Perth Lynx<\/a>\u2019s run to last season\u2019s Grand Final Series against Townsville<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Xu, who is 2.11m, is a back-up centre for the New York Liberty<\/a> in WNBA 2026 alongside Australians Rebecca Allen<\/a> and development player Anneli Maley<\/a> \u2013 Xu\u2019s former Lynx teammate.<\/p>\n

\u201cHan Xu is a world-class player, and her experience in the WNBA<\/a>, on the international stage, and in the WNBL<\/a> is invaluable,\u201d Cole told basketball.com.au<\/a> in an exclusive interview.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving that kind of defensive shot blocker behind us gives our backcourt so much confidence to play aggressively.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re building something really special here at Geelong, and I\u2019m thrilled to welcome her to the team.<\/p>\n

\u201cHer presence on the floor at both ends of the court is going to change the entire game for us. <\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t wait for the pick-and-roll game, throw up a few lobs, and run the court with her this season.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo be a part of a team and a game where she brings so many fans is going to be something super special, and I can\u2019t wait to be a part of it with the Geelong community.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Han Xu of the New York Liberty blocks a shot by Washington Mystics centre Shakira Austin during a WNBA game at Barclays Center on June 20, 2026 (AEST). Rebecca Cole says Xu’s elite rim protection will allow Geelong Venom to adopt an ultra-aggressive defensive style in WNBL27. Photo: Catalina Fragoso\/NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Shooting guard Cole, 34, who hosts It\u2019s a Cole World<\/a> on basketball.com.au<\/a>, signed with the Venom after seven years with the Dandenong Rangers \/ Southside Melbourne Flyers. She won a WNBL championship with the Flyers in 2024.<\/p>\n

Cole has scored more than 3,000 points in her more than 250-game career.<\/p>\n

She also led the Waverley Falcons to the 2024 NBL1<\/a> National Championship, winning the Grand Final MVP, but didn\u2019t suit up in WNBL25, instead spending time in the commentary box and hosting It\u2019s A Cole World.<\/p>\n

Rebecca Cole: Five Fast FactsTwo-time WNBL champion with Southside FlyersNBL1 National Champion and Finals MVP (2024)WNBL All-Star Five selection (2019)AIS graduate with more than 15 years\u2019 professional experienceRepresented multiple Victorian clubs across WNBL, NBL1 and Big VRebecca Cole: Career Highlights Timeline\u200d2009: Commenced AIS scholarship\u200d2012: Signed first WNBL contract with Bulleen Boomers\u200d2018: Joined Dandenong Rangers (Southside Flyers)\u200d2019: WNBL All-Star Five; Runner-up MVP\u200d2020: First WNBL Championship\u200d2022: Joined Waverley Falcons (NBL1 South)\u200d2024: WNBL Champion; NBL1 National Champion; Finals MVP<\/p>\n

On the same day Geelong revealed it had secured Xu, it also announced the signing of 32-year-old Chinese star guard Wanglai Zhang to bolster a backcourt led by Maddi Rocci.<\/p>\n

\n Competition
\n 2025-26 game log
\n WNBA career\n <\/p>\n

Source: basketball.com.au<\/p>\n

Source: Basketball Reference and basketball.com.au<\/p>\n

Every WNBL club and its basketball.com.au profile. Sort by club or state by tapping a heading; tap again to reverse, and a third time to return to alphabetical order. Club logos are trademarks of their respective clubs and the WNBL, used here for editorial identification.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Rebecca Cole says Han Xu’s arrival gives Geelong the confidence to pressure ball handlers all season Geelong signs…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":829964,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[574],"tags":[64,63,726,85],"class_list":["post-829963","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-basketball","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-basketball","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/829963","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=829963"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/829963\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/829964"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=829963"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=829963"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=829963"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}