RELATED:
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
THE makeover of the Bendigo Lady Braves has continued to gather pace with the signing of former US college sharp-shooter Bianca Dufelmeier.
A three-year player at the University of Alabama of Birmingham (UAB), whose last season was in 2015-16, Dufelmeier has more recently played in Europe, where she spent a short stint in the Lithuanian Women's Basketball League in late 2016.
If her name sounds familiar, that's because she is the daughter of former NBL legend Tad Dufelmeier, who played six seasons with the Canberra Cannons in the 1980s and '90s, including their 1988 championship season.
Like father, like daughter, Dufelmeier comes with the tag of being a three-point specialist.
The 24-year-old joins former Canberra Capitals Academy shooting guard Carlie Smith and talented Dandenong Rangers WNBL back-up Chloe Bibby as new acquisitions for the Lady Braves.
Dufelmeier revealed the Lady Braves had Smith to in-part thank for helping convince her to sign with the club.
It was Smith, who encouraged coach Jonathan Goodman to reach out to the guard.
Dufelmeier said she was genuinely excited to be in Bendigo, after injuries had cut short her stay in Lithuania and threatened to derail her career for a second time.
The Canberra-born guard redshirted her first year at UAB with a shoulder injury and also missed the final seven games of her second season in 2014-15.
"I really thought my injuries were going to keep me away from the game, but then I ran into Carlie and now I'm here," she said.
It says plenty about the direction in which the Lady Braves roster is headed, when Dufelmeier - at 24 - is considered one of the elder statesmen of the team.
"I'm not a veteran because I am not that old, but I have played a in a few different places overseas," she said.
"I've grown up around basketball given that my dad played and growing up around guys like Phil Smythe, Herb McEachin, Dave Nelson.
"I'm one of the older ones, so I think I'll bring a bit of leadership to the team, as well as some knowledge and experience."
That leadership will be invaluable with 2016 captain and long-time star Kelly Wilson and her sister and fellow starter Andrea not returning this season.
Dufelmeier said she was conscious of the Lady Braves rich history of success, underpinned by their appearance in 10 straight final series and two conference and one national grand finals in the last five years.
It's a legacy she is keen to protect.
"It's something I am really excited to be part of that," she said.
"Just to know there's an expectation, a bar that has been set.
"People have paved the way for us and it's a great thing to be able to carry on that type of legacy here."
Announcements on two imports for this season are imminent.