Canberra Capitals recruit Kelly Wilson says the chance to play alongside friend Kelsey Griffin and chase another WNBL title convinced her to put retirement on hold for at least one more season.
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Wilson was unveiled as the Capitals' newest signing on Friday, joining Griffin, Leilani Mitchell and Marianna Tolo as marquee recruits to rebuild the Canberra club.
The move from defending champions the Townsville Fire to Canberra was an expected detour on Wilson's career path, admitting she considered retirement after winning her third WNBL title in her 350th game last season.
But the opportunity to link with former Bendigo teammate Griffin and be a part of a new-look Canberra roster was too good to pass up.
"Kelsey Griffin put the idea in my head [about moving to Canberra]. After I met with [coach Paul Goriss] I was really on board with his vision," Wilson said.
"If my body was feeling like it was time to stop or I wasn't feeling good, then that decision would be taken away from me. But I'm playing now, I'm enjoying it and I think I'll enjoy Canberra, so why not?"
The Capitals have now filled eight spots on their roster as Goriss attempts to turn the franchise around in his third year as head coach.
The Capitals haven't made the finals since they lost the grand final in the 2010-11 season. The club has attempted to rebuild many times, but Goriss hopes he finally has the answer.
He will blend established stars like Wilson, Griffin, Tolo and Mitchell with some emerging talent. The Capitals have tried the same approach in the past, but this time they have a stronger core of key position players.
"[This year] we're putting a good group on court that's going to be ready to win now. It's coming up to that three year mark I've been in the job," Goriss said.
"We're building around Kelsey, Leilani and Tolo. We want to build a roster that wants to compete for a championship and that's what we did.
"We had to bite the bullet a bit and build some experience and youth ... we still want to develop future Opals and Capitals, but having that experience to propel us into that top four."
Goriss is hopeful of adding another import player to the squad in the coming weeks and is still searching for the right pieces of the puzzle to help get the season off to a good start.
