You can mount a good case that the six-time WNBL premiership player is the most important addition to the Spirit.

With so many new faces in the squad, the point guard will play a major role in bringig the group together on the court.

"When (coach) Simon (Pritchard) called me it sounded like a great opportunity for me,'' Hurst said this week.

"The club has a great new stadium, Simon is trying to rebuild something and the club has a great base here.

"I'm really happy to be a part of it.

"The point guard is an extension of the coach and if we can understand each other the easier things are going to be on court.

"If I can be a point guard that knows what my coach wants, and I can lead the girls in that way, his game plan will flow on the court."

A long-time member of the Australian Opals squad, Hurst relishes the opportunity of playing for a new club.

"There's only a couple of faces I know, but we had our first team meeting and I was super excited to meet the girls,'' Hurst said.

"We have six weeks to prepare and we have everyone here bar one player (Canadian guard Jamie Scott)... so that's going to help us in the long run.

"We've put together a great group with a good mix of veterans and young players, so I think we'll play some exciting basketball."

Hurst grew up in Canberra and was most recently based on the Sunshine Coast before making the move to Bendigo.

"I like country towns and the feel here is really good,'' Hurst said of Bendigo.

"I love coffee and there's some good coffee shots here, so that's great.

"I'm happy to be here and can't wait to get things started."

The Spirit’s first pre-season game is on Saturday night against Melbourne Boomers in Ballarat.

The WNBL regular season starts on October 13.