There was no disguising the youthful exuberance, eagerness and downright pride from Piper Dunlop, when she fronted the media on Thursday for the first time as a contracted Bendigo Spirit player.

The 16-year-old Catherine McAuley College student has signed with the WNBL club as a development player in a move that reunites Dunlop with her Australian 2018 FIBA Under-15 Oceania Championships gold-medal winning coach Tracy York.

Dunlop, who began her basketball journey with Basketball Bendigo club Generals at age 8 and quickly progressed to the Junior Bendigo Braves, recalled the moment she learned she would be joining the Spirit.

"I was super-keen, I went straight to mum and said, "I'm going to play for the Spirit', and she was super over the moon," Dunlop said.

"I've grown up watching these girls and to just be here now, it's a dream come true - a dream into a reality.

"I'm just super-excited."

The still-developing 6'2" centre, who made her NBL1 debut with the Bendigo Braves in 2019 before doing some training with the Spirit last season, is grateful to get the chance to learn full-time under York during the 2020-21 WNBL season, which is scheduled to tip-off in November.

"I love her style of coaching and I feel like we really connected (playing for Australia) - she had so much to give," Dunlop said.

"Finding out she was coming to Bendigo (last season), I was stoked.

"I feel like I have so much to show her and she has so much to give me. I can't wait to grab all the information off her."

Dunlop said she felt like the 'little sister' at Spirit training last season and was appreciative for the support of the players, like Opals star Tessa Lavey, who took her under their wing.

"Obviously Tessa was one, because she is that bubbly type of person, but I had been plying with the NBL1 team, so I knew Becca Tobin and all those girls," she said.

"They showed me how everything works - it was a really welcoming family."

With the NBL1 and competitions down to the domestic level on-hold during the coronavirus pandemic, Dunlop admitted it had been difficult being away from Bendigo Stadium for a few months.

"I'm lucky enough to have a basketball court kind of in my backyard and have still been able to maintain my shots," she said.

"We also had our Spirit home training sessions, and dad built me a gym in our backyard, so I was able to still maintain my strength and conditioning."

At 16 and with an abundance of representative basketball - both state and national - behind her, there's no denying Dunlop has come a long way in a short time.

But she is determined as ever not to get ahead of herself and unnecessarily heighten expectations.

"I feel like I've grown too many steps at the moment, I want to step back and look at what I've made and reflect," said Dunlop, who is still in year 11 at school.

"Hopefully in the close future I can get a WNBL position and grow from a development player, but I'd just like to take it all in.

"This is a year for growth and reflection of what I've achieved."

Dunlop, also a supremely-talented netballer and a key member of Sandhurst's 17-and-under team, which scored a premiership three-peat from 2017-19, is committed to making basketball her sole focus.

"I've decided basketball is the path for me now," she said.

"Netball is still fun, but I have a connection with basketball.

"I'm a very physical player and I pride myself on the physicality of how I play.

"To be able to go in, hit some bodies, rebound hard, it's a thrill - and to be able to play both sides of the court, the morale is amazing.

"I feel like basketball gives me everything."

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