HOMEGROWN teenage basketball star Kerryn Harrington feels like she is back where she belongs after signing with the Bendigo Bank Spirit.
The 17-year-old, who left the Australian Institute of Sport last week near the end of her two-year scholarship, will be part of the Spirit side that meets the Sydney Uni Flames at the Schweppes Centre tomorrow.
She has returned to the city where she rose through the junior ranks and the team for which she made her WNBL debut.
Harrington played a handful of games for Spirit in 2007 before moving to Canberra.
But the talented point guard said she realised recently it was time to come home.
“I just felt the time was right for me to move on,” Harrington told The Advertiser.
“I left on my own terms - I didn’t get pushed out - it was my choice and they were very supportive.
“I am very thankful for the opportunities I was given there, but it is also very nice to be home with family and friends.”
Harrington started her basketball as a junior playing for Generals in the Bendigo domestic competition.
She has gone on to represent Australia at junior level and was a member of the Gems team at the 2009 under-19 world titles in Thailand.
Announcing the signing yesterday, Spirit general manager Kristi Harrower said it was great news for the community and Bendigo basketball in general.
“We don’t have many girls who have gone through Bendigo, on to the AIS, then came back to play with us,” said Harrower, who spent time at the AIS in the early ‘90s.
“I think Kerryn and I are the only two born-and-bred Bendigo girls to come back and play for Spirit.”
Harrower said she expected Harrington was a good chance to get some court time against the Flames this weekend, though she was still finding her feet within the established team.
“Kerryn has developed her game over the last two years - she’s stronger as a player and really starting to mature,” she said.
Harrington played one match for the Spirit alongside Harrower back in 2007 before the Opals point guard headed over to Russia.
The teen said she was looking forward to rejoining the experienced veteran.
“We have one of the best back-court line-ups in the league and hopefully, in time, I can add to that,” Harrington said.
“Coming in halfway through the season, I just want to learn as much as I can from Kristi and the other senior players in the side, as well as the coaching staff.
“There is a huge difference between playing in a junior team like the AIS, and a senior team (like the Spirit).
“It’s a challenge, but one that is really exciting.”
Though she doesn’t turn 18 until March, Harrington already has her driver’s licence, courtesy of the different rules that apply in the ACT, and has been enjoying the independence of having her own wheels.
She also completed her Year 12 studies while in Canberra and hopes to study health science at La Trobe University in Bendigo next year.
“I am here to stay for the moment,” she said.
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