SHE might have now played 400 games in the SBL and isn’t far off claiming second spot on the all-time games played list in the women's competition, but Mandurah Magic stalwart Shelly Boston isn’t quite ready to retire yet while there is still an elusive championship to be won.

Boston began her SBL career in 1992 with the Rockingham Flames and last Friday night she became just the fourth woman to reach 400 games during the Mandurah Magic's thrilling one-point victory over the Lakeside Lightning.

Boston joins Tanya Kelly, Tracey Richter and Sue Williams as the only other players to reach the 400-game mark in the women's SBL and now she is on track to overtake both Kelly (402) and Richter (409) this season to sit second on the all-time list.

However, what the 40-year-old wants more than anything is to win an SBL championship which would be the perfect way to punctuate a remarkable 20-plus year career.

Boston certainly has achieved plenty in her SBL career and has played in a grand final previously in 2009 with the Magic while also having a strong international career representing England that included being named England Player of the Year in 2001, the European Championship MVP in 2001 and winning a Commonwealth Games bronze medal in 2006.

While an SBL championship is the long-term goal this year with a Magic team that now sits in fourth position with a 9-3 record, coming away with a win by a point in a heart stopper last Friday night in her 400th game was a game she won't forget anytime soon.

"If we win, I'll be out and I'll be happy to finally retire if we take it out this year. That's the one thing I haven’t done. I've done various things along the way, but I've never won an SBL title in however long I've been playing. That just drives me so much and I really want to do it." Boston said on SBL Slam on 98five Sonshine FM.

"I was sat on the bench for the last five minutes of the game so I was there as we were sort of losing point by point. It literally went down to the last shot where Megan Craig got a rebound for them, and went up with seconds to spare and just missed.

"It was one of those games where your heart was in your mouth, and you just felt sick but it was like winning a championship in the end. I am very excited to get here to 400 games. I wasn’t sure if I was actually going to make it so to finally get there is something I'm pretty pleased about."

Reflecting back on the early stages of her basketball career, Boston will always have fond memories of being a key part of the formative years with the Rockingham Flames in the SBL and she will forever owe a debt of gratitude to Mike Barnett for igniting her lifelong love of basketball.

"I was only 16 years old when I started and it was really exciting because it was our inaugural year for the Rockingham Flames to actually have a team. We used to get great big crowds and there was a lot of excitement, and it was just a real buzz to be a part of the league," she said.

"I was a netballer until I was 14 and then I was convinced by Mike Barnett to give basketball a go. He taught me how to dribble and a lot of the ball skills that netballers don’t have, and then I was hooked and never went back to netball. I just love basketball and it really just is a part of me.

"When I had a bit of a break after having my first baby, when I finally went back on the court a month after having him it just felt like I was home.

"To play basketball is inherently a part of me so there's a reason why I've played 400 games and am still playing at 40 years old – because I love it and the thought of not playing is a little bit scary for me really."

Article by Chris Pike