THE Albury-Wodonga Lady Bandits received a much-needed boost to their playing stocks at the weekend with the signing of their first US import for this year’s SEABL season.
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Alison Bouman, a 193-centimetre centre from National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics school Davenport University, will anchor the Border outfit’s frontcourt and is expected to provide plenty of scoring and defence.
As a senior at Davenport, Bouman was an All-Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference honourable mention after leading the team in rebounding and blocks and finishing second in scoring.
Bouman, 22, is playing in Bulgaria for BC Rilski Sportist, averaging 11.7 points 6.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game and recorded a season-high 22 points in early December against Levski.
The addition of Bouman comes on the back of the Lady Bandits signing talented young Australian players Ashton Eaton and Teyla Evans late last year.
Bouman said she couldn’t wait to head to Australia for what will be a challenging season trying to pull the Lady Bandits back to respectability after a disastrous season last year that saw the club lose 21 consecutive games.
“It’s been a dream of mine to play in Australia and from what I hear Albury-Wodonga is a great place to be,” Bouman said.
“I like what Albury-Wodonga has to offer and I am looking forward to working with coach (Michael) Brookens and the team to help bring some long overdue success to the club.
“The team is a great fit and my expectations are for us to be successful however our coach defines it, and I am ready to do my part to help achieve what coach Brookens expects from us.”
Lady Bandits coach Michael Brookens said Bouman was a “perfect fit” for the Border club.
“Alison is a quality character person who came highly recommended by people I trust,” Brookens said.
“She will fit perfectly into our system and provide an offensive interior presence as well as shot blocking and rebounding on the defensive end.
“Alison is an extremely hard worker, unselfish and will be a great fit into our community.
“She will provide an effective target inside and brings some much needed height into our squad.
“I am looking forward to working with Ali and the other team members to develop a new style of play that will ensure the Lady Bandits will be a far more competitive force this season.”
Bouman is expected to arrive on the Border in late February to start pre-season training.
Brookens is still looking at options for another US import.
