Seven-time WNBL championship winner Natalie Hurst still has a ‘‘decade of basketball at the top’’ and Canberra coach Carrie Graf has backed her to become a dual Olympian.
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Hurst is ‘‘stamping her style’’ on the WNBL in her comeback season after spending the past two years playing in France.
The pint-sized point guard was named on Tuesday as the player of the round following her dominant weekend display, which resulted in 50 points and 16 assists in two games.
At 30 years old Hurst is at the peak of her powers and aiming for Australian Opals selection to make her Olympic Games debut at Rio in 2016.
And despite already boasting 214 games, seven WNBL titles and 15 years in the league, Graf is adamant Hurst still has 10 years in her.
‘‘[Former Capital] Tully Bevilaqua didn’t play at an Olympics until she was 35 years old. Hopefully it doesn’t take Natty that long,’’ Graf said.
‘‘Point guards have shown they can play a long time if their bodies are right. There’s no question that Natty knows her body inside and out, she knows what she needs to do.
‘‘There’s no question in my mind that Natty Hurst has a decade of basketball at the top left in her. She can play until she’s 40 and be an Olympian.’’
Hurst has battled niggling injuries since returning to Canberra to link with the Capitals.
The Capitals started a 37-day, eight-game road trip last week and will return to Melbourne to play the Boomers on Saturday night.
The Capitals sit just outside the top four and face another stern test against the second-placed Boomers.
The last time Hurst played against the Boomers was the 2009-10 grand final, where she scored 21-points to lead the Capitals to a thrilling championship win.
The start of Canberra’s season has been dogged by injuries.
Star recruit Abby Bishop won’t train again this week and will spend every day at the Australian Institute of Sport doing rehabilitation on her problematic ankle.
But Bishop is confident she can contribute on one of the toughest season schedules in Capitals history.
‘‘The bone bruising is quite painful but I can play, I just have to be careful,’’ Bishop said.
‘‘I think the Boomers are definitely beatable and we’ve got plenty of confidence out of last weekend.
‘‘Everyone has been writing us off and that motivates us a little bit as well when people think we can’t win. But we’ve got some confidence and we’ll look to capitalise.’’
WNBL round seven
Saturday: Melbourne Boomers v Canberra Capitals at the State Basketball Centre, Melbourne, 7.30pm.
