Canberra Capitals coach Kristen Veal has revealed some of her recruiting plans for the upcoming free agency period after the team announced another re-signing.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Former Sydney Flame Bec Pizzey is locked in for another year with the Capitals and is looking to continue the momentum she gained last season as Canberra's defensive player of the year.
Despite the Capitals' two-win record, Pizzey said she developed more in Canberra than anywhere else and the decision to return was a "no-brainer", refusing to look at options elsewhere.
"I have never learned so much in a season and had as much fun as we did," Pizzey told The Canberra Times.
"I'm really excited to be back.
"It was an easy decision for me to want to come back because it was such a great culture."
Pizzey was brought to the capital as a forward, but when veteran starting centre Alex Bunton went down injured, Pizzey found herself thrust into more game minutes as a versatile big.
The 24-year-old said the experience helped her confidence and she was willing to play wherever Veal needs her going forward.
"There are a lot of tall people in the league and as tall as I am, I'm not six-foot-five," Pizzey said.
"I'll hit the gym and put on some weight, but I'm not as strong as all the massive centres out there. But I'm happy to play any role that the team needs."
While Pizzey will return home to Melbourne this off-season playing for Eltham in NBL1, Veal remains focused on continuing to put together the rest of the Capitals' 2023/24 WNBL squad.
And another centre to help Bunton is in her sights once the free agency period begins at the end of the WNBL finals.
"We'll go searching for a big. That could be a mobile four, it could be a long, scoring big," Veal said, adding that she doesn't yet know whether Pizzey will have to chip in at centre again.
"We'll need another big because we've only got Pizzey and Bunts at the moment, so we really need to bolster through that position.
"So that's definitely somewhere we will target."
Despite being forced into it at times through a nightmare injury toll last season, Veal does sees value in playing small ball and aims to continue to blend the two styles, calling it "the way of the future".
The coach said Pizzey hasn't reached her full potential but took great strides with the Capitals in her "best season" yet in the WNBL, which Veal is keen to build on next year.
"She just needs to maximise that element of her athleticism and continue to diversify how she plays defence in this league - use her smarts, her quicks, and her lankiness, and not try and be a power post player," Veal said.
"If she does that she'll continue to be really disruptive."
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark canberratimes.com.au
- Download our app
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram