ARMED with a pair of blue-chip guards and with the promise of plenty more exciting signings to come, Bendigo Braves women's coach Mark Alabakov is getting a good feeling about his team's prospects for the looming 2021 NBL1 season.
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The Braves added the second piece of their potential championship puzzle on Thursday with the signing of dynamic shooting guard Abbey Wehrung.
The 25-year-old joins Australian Opals Olympics hopeful Tess Madgen as the Braves' two confirmed signings for this season.
Alabakov, who replaced 2018 championship coach Megan Moody at the start of 2020, but is still waiting to make his NBL1 head-coaching debut, can barely contain his delight at having Wehrung - a one-time WNBL Spirit player - back in Bendigo.
"It's fantastic, I'm really excited to have her back in the program," he said of Wehrung, who like Alabakov, was also set to debut for the Braves in 2020 before COVID-19 intervened.
She's no stranger to Bendigo basketball, being a Vic Country kid, who has come through all the way (to NBL1 and WNBL). I think she's a role model for athletes in the region.
"We've got a great rapport from the time we spent together at the Spirit when Abbey played here and there's a mutual trust between us both on and off the floor.
"She's a great talent, a hard worker and elite-level defender and brings an elite-level skill set.
"I think she is on the cusp of being able to break through to becoming a world-class guard or perimeter player and potentially factoring into Opals contention in the years to come."
Alabakov has Wehrung pegged as one of the Braves' emerging young leaders.
"She's quite worldly with her experience at such a young age and having gone to the Institute (of Sport) and having played for Australia at such a young age on numerous occasions, she brings a wealth of experience at the ripe old age of 24 or 25," he said.
"She's such a huge asset to have with us."
Wehrung heads to Bendigo on the back of an excellent WNBL hub season with Adelaide Lightning in which she averaged 11.3 points, 2.6. rebounds and 2.5 assists.
The 25-year-old slots nicely into a Braves backcourt, which has traditionally been a team strength, and has already been bolstered by the inclusion of Opals star Madgen.
"We are stoked by the announcements of both Tess Madgen and Abbey Wehrung, they will form quite a formidable duo or backcourt in the NBL1," Alabakov said.
"There's quite a bit of scoring punch there and being taller guards there's quit a bit of versatility with what we will be able to do with them at the offensive end.
"I'm really excited for the prospect of what those two can achieve for us, obviously with more announcements to come."
The Braves men and women open their respective NBL1 campaigns on the road against Mount Gambier Pioneers on Sunday, April 18.
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