Three-time WNBL all star Leilani Mitchell will put contract talks on the backburner to focus on a championship mission, but declared her desire to extend her stint with the Canberra Capitals.
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Mitchell drew a line under her injury-disrupted season last weekend, securing the league's player of the week prize for scoring 44 points and dishing out 15 assists in two games.
A fully-fit Mitchell is good news for the Capitals, who will start their first finals series in almost 10 years after they play the Bendigo Spirit in the last round of the regular season on Saturday.
But the Capitals are also starting to work on their long-term roster, with several key players and coach Paul Goriss off contract at the end of the season.
Mitchell will return to the WNBA this year but is yet to decide on her Australian future after signing a one-season deal with the Capitals.
The 33-year-old has endured a rollercoaster 12 months, becoming a mum for the first time, coping with the death of her grandmother and dealing with a persistent foot injury.
"I'm happy to wait a little bit [to make a WNBL decision], I'm not really in any rush," Mitchell said.
"I'll definitely do the WNBA, but that doesn't start until May. So I'll have a few months off and relax ... just spend time with the family and enjoy that.
"The last WNBA season when I was away from [partner] Mikaela when she was pregnant, it was really stressful. I've had the injury, and my grandmother passed away.
"I'm focused on the finals, but once we're done here I want to de-stress and relax, clear my mind of everything for a few months.
"I came for the season to see how it goes. I've definitely enjoyed my time here and if we could work something out [on a new contract], that would be great.
"The girls have been great, [coach Paul Goriss] has been great and the club, what we've done and how we've grown in one season, I've loved playing at the Convention Centre. If I get to stay in the future, that's positive."
The Capitals have already clinched top spot on the ladder regardless of the result in their game against Bendigo and will play either Adelaide or Perth in a three-game semi-finals series.
Mitchell has been a key cog despite being on limited training duties for most of the year. The 2017 WNBL championship winner has added valuable experience alongside gun recruit Kelsey Griffin.
Griffin was named in the WNBL team of the week on Tuesday, setting a single-season record after being named in the best five players of the round for a 10th time this year.
Griffin, a two-time WNBL champion, is considered the favourite to win the league's most valuable player award at the end of the season after averaging 19 points and 11 rebounds per game for the Capitals.
Point guard Maddison Rocci is at the other end of the scale in terms of finals experience as she prepares for her first play-off campaign, but is adamant the Capitals can avoid the hype of an eight-game winning streak.
"We've played so well this season, every game we're building and getting better. So I think it's good to keep winning to build our confidence into finals," Rocci said.
WNBL ROUND 15
Saturday: Bendigo Spirit v Canberra Capitals at Bendigo, 3pm.
