Ruth Davis the centre of attention for Bendigo Spirit's defence

The Canadian centre was one of the club's best performers during its pre-season campaign and she looks set to be a key contributor to the Spirit's 2023-24 Women's National Basketball League campaign.

At 198cm tall, Davis offers the Spirit and head coach Kennedy Kereama an internal presence they sorely lacked last season.

"Ruth's length is outstanding,'' Kereama said

"She's an excellent post defender, she protects the rim, she rebounds and she has an incredibly high basketball IQ.

"Most importantly she's a great human being. The combination of all those things is going to help create a lot of success for our program."

Davis' defence has turned heads during the pre-season, but she's also a more than capable scorer.

"Ruth can shoot the three. She has good range on her shot,'' Kereama said.

"It's just a matter of her shooting being eclipsed by the way she can finish in the paint, set screens and create separation.

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"Outside shooting is a part of her game, it's just that it's not as highly required in this team because we have so many other perimeter shooting options.

"We have a great balance of players in all positions. Our depth was good last year, but we're even deeper this year."

While 29-year-old Davis has made a big impact on the Spirit, Bendigo has had an immediate impact on Davis.

"I'm really enjoying Bendigo,'' Davis said.

"I like the vibe, it's easy to get around and I'm really loving the team. It helps me feel as though I have family here."

Davis previously played in the WNBL with Adelaide and Perth six years ago.

She's played international basketball with Canada and was drafted by WNBA club Dallas Wings.

Most recently she played in Europe in the Spanish league, but she's already glad she made the decision to return to Australia to play with the Spirit.

"I enjoy Kennedy's system and I like the style of basketball he runs,'' Davis said.

"I got to go to Korea (for the pre-season tournament) which gave me a few extra weeks of learning his system and the chance to get to know the girls better.

"It will be fun to watch this group evolve this season. We're coming together well and we're keen to test ourselves."

That test will come in the opening game of the WNBL season when the Spirit host reigning champions Townsville Fire at Red Energy Arena on Saturday, November 4.

Davis is keen to make her mark early in the season.

"I want to be a presence for the team,'' Davis said.

"We have so many great shooters and great playmakers in this team. (Opponents) are going to have to choose what they want to take away."

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