CARLIE Smith could not wipe the smile of her face during her first official engagement as a Bendigo Lady Brave.
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The 22-year-old has joined the Lady Braves from the Canberra Capitals Academy and despite being in Bendigo for only a few days says she is "loving every minute of it".
"Everyone is so friendly here, it's so nice," Smith said.
"I remember playing against Bendigo, the crowd is awesome, they are so patriotic, so I'm really excited to be here and getting out in the community."
The 185 centimetre shooting guard joins a Lady Braves team looking to return to the finals for an 11th consecutive season.
Smith's first season in Bendigo will be her third in the SEABL.
She averaged 8.9 points and 3.6 rebounds through 20 appearances with the CCA last season.
What did not go unnoticed, particularly by Lady Braves coach Jonathon Goodman, was her season-high 16-point performance against her new side in April.
Highly touted as one of one Canberra's top young basketballers in her mid-teens, Smith has had to overcome a few setbacks.
She suffers from the autoimmune disorder coeliac disease and battled anxiety and depression following her parents break-up.
"I stopped playing for a bit, but then I realised that basketball was a turning point for me," she said.
"It got me through a lot of things and I'm glad to back at it."
Smith said she was mindful of the Lady Braves proud finals history and was keen to preserve that tradition.
"I'm here to play," she said.
"Ever since I've been here I've either been at the gym, or at the stadium shooting.
"I'm really looking forward to representing Bendigo and doing the best I can for Bendigo and the club.
"There's a lot of very talented girls on this team - everyone’s very strong."
The Lady Braves will have their first pre-season scrimmage at Bendigo Stadium on Saturday at 5pm against Big V champions Sunbury.
The Braves men will have three organised scrimmages this weekend, starting against the Ballarat Miners at 7.40pm Friday.
They play the Frankston Blues at 12.30pm on Saturday, followed by the Melbourne Tigers at 7pm.
