KELSEY Griffin is returning to the Bendigo Spirit with the drive to help establish the club again as a force to be reckoned with in the WNBL.

Star forward Griffin is one of the Spirit's household names through its 15 seasons in the WNBL and was integral during the club's run of three consecutive grand final appearances.

Griffin previously spent six seasons with the Spirit from 2012-13 to 2017-18 - a time in which the club won back-to-back championships (2012-13 and 2013-14) and was runner-up the following year (2014-15), with all three grand finals having been played against former rivals Townsville.

But having spent the past four seasons with Canberra and winning two more WNBL championships, as well as a league MVP in 2019, Griffin - originally from Alaska - is headed back to where her Australian career began with the Spirit having signed a three-year deal with the club.

READ MORE: Griffin bids farewell to Bendigo Spirit; signs with University of Canberra Capitals

"When I first signed in Canberra Erin (wife) and I always thought it would be temporary and were always hoping to come back, but the longer we were here we built a life for ourselves and really do love it here," Griffin said on Wednesday.

"I had a job at a school that I really love working at, so we were well and truly settled in, but the timing was just right for a return to Bendigo in that I needed a change and new challenge.

"The Spirit will always be near and dear to my heart and to be a part of, hopefully, helping us reach finals again, it seems like a good opportunity."

While Griffin has enjoyed a successful stint in Canberra - the Capitals played finals in all four seasons and won titles in 2018-19 and 2019-20 - the Spirit have done it tough.

The Spirit have now gone seven seasons without making the WNBL finals, a stretch which includes the last three years of Griffin's first stint at the club.

"I look back on my last couple of seasons with the Spirit and back then it wasn't just about winning games, it was about keeping the club viable and keeping us on court," Griffin said.

"With SEN (Sports Entertainment Network) now taking over the Spirit and really wanting to pour resources into the club, that's a really important key as the WNBL moves to try to be more professional.

"That's really exciting and also an enticing reason to come back when you look at the support that is being put around the playing group and for me to be able to play a part in that would be a special part of my career if I could say I helped the Spirit get back into the playoffs."

Since the club's inception in the WNBL in 2007-08 there have been 90 players take the court for the Spirit, with Griffin, who has played 121 games for Bendigo, ranked No.3 for points (1915), No.2 for rebounds (1071), No.5 for assists (229), No.2 for blocks (117) and No.1 for steals (180).

As well as new club ownership in SEN, Griffin - the former WNBA No.3 draft pick with the Minnesota Lynx in 2010 - returns to the Spirit following a coaching change with Kennedy Kereama having taken the reins from Tracy York following her three seasons at the helm.

"Everywhere Kelsey has gone success has followed her. Her first stint in Bendigo is evident of that," Kereama said last Friday as the club announced Griffin's return.

"Kelsey's level of consistency to perform at the highest level is unmatched, you just have to look at the stat sheet to see that. However, aside from the incredible talent we're getting on the floor, we're also getting a consummate professional off it."

Griffin - who is spending the winter playing with the Launceston Tornadoes in the NBL1 - will be 35 when the 2022-23 WNBL season tips off in November.

"I really appreciated the opportunity management presented to me as it showed their belief in me and the potential impact I could have on the program," Griffin said.

"It has been interesting throughout my career where age has become more of a topic in contract negotiations, so for the Spirit to say we want you for as long as you want to be here, that appreciation means a lot to me.

"Having the Spirit show they really believe in what I can do and what I can bring to the program was the kind of affirmation I was looking for and really makes me want to come back and compete and try to help put the Spirit back to where they were when I first started.

"Don't get me wrong, I do have a lot of kilometres in my legs now, but with experience comes learning how to train differently to the way I would have when I was in my 20s.

"It's about having that balance of knowing what I need to do to prepare, but also trusting that recovery and rest is also the most beneficial thing that I can do.

"The other thing is I don't have any more national team commitments in the off-season, so I can cross-train and do different types of training that doesn't have the impact of playing all year.

"All you have to do is look in the States at the ages of some of the WNBA players with players playing well into their late 30s and look at what Lauren Jackson (returning to Australian Opals squad at age 41) is doing."

The Spirit are coming off a fifth-placed finish last season with a 7-9 record, which included winning six of their last eight games.

"I think it's going to be an exciting season ahead with a roster that has a very good mix of developing youth and veteran saviness that can, hopefully, bring a fun and exciting mix on court," Griffin said.

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