Kia Nurse has been a rock from the day she arrived in Canberra. Game-winning shots? No worries, give her the ball. Missed 10 in a row? No worries, she still wanted the ball.
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Nerves of steel. Ice in her veins. Unshakable. All of those are fitting ways to describe the first import to win the WNBL's most valuable player and a back to back Canberra Capitals champion.
So what finally made her crack on Tuesday before being named the Capitals' player of the year? The thought of going home to Canada.
"It's sad to leave Canberra and to leave the girls. If it wasn't more lucrative for me to stay home, I would be back. I have to survive and the easiest place for me to do that is at home," Nurse says.
Then her voice begins to crack as her thoughts turned to her grandfather. "This season was hard," she says.
"I left a lot of sick family members at home [this year]. So it's easier to be home around then."
Nurse's Canberra career is over, at least for the foreseeable future. The 24-year-old is set to return to the WNBA on a more full-time basis.
She finished with a bang, winning the league's top individual prize, the Capitals' most prestigious award and helping the Capitals win back to back WNBL titles.
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Nurse leaves as one of the best recruits in Capitals history, arriving as a relatively unknown rookie and leaving as a genuine star ready to step up as one of the world's best.
"The more experience you get playing in different systems and different leagues, the better you're going to get," Nurse said.
"People tell me I play a very flashy game. I was never flashy until I got here.
"I didn't play with the swagger and confidence I have until I got here, and that made a difference in my game when I went back to the WNBA last season. I'm super excited to see how that continues to grow."
Nurse was named the Capitals' best, while Marianna Tolo won the players' player prize.
French star Olivia Epoupa was recognised as the Kellie Abrams defensive player of the year and Abby Cubillo was named Capital on the rise.
Nurse and Epoupa, the grand final's most valuable player, will leave Canberra on Wednesday after playing major roles in the title-winning run.
"The first goal was the be champions and we did it," Epoupa said.
"We proved we are the best team, but we have to say thank you to the teams we played because it was a good competition and we learned something every game.
"I enjoyed my teammates, the fans, the club and everyone involved in this team. To finish the last game with a win at home ... it was an incredible atmosphere."
Epoupa is also off contract, but the Capitals will be keen to lure her back to Canberra and she says she could be tempted into another WNBL stint.
"I'll speak to [coach Paul Goriss] before I leave," Epoupa said.
"This league was incredible. Physical, but also smart. When you enjoy playing good basketball ... I really enjoyed the way we played.
"When you enjoy it there is always a special feeling."
The Capitals will start trying to rebuild their championship-winning roster in the coming weeks after finishing grand final celebrations at a function on Tuesday night.
CANBERRA CAPITALS AWARD WINNERS
MVP: Kia Nurse
Players' player: Marianna Tolo
Kellie Abrams defensive player: Olivia Epoupa
Capital on the rise: Abby Cubillo