THE Lauren Jackson Sports Centre is a familiar place for Albury-Wodonga Lady Bandits import Emilee Harmon – but things have changed a lot since she was last here.
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The former Ohio State Buckeye made a point of keeping an eye on the Lady Bandits over the last few years and said it had been the turnaround under coach Jim Wilson that inspired her to return to the Border.
“I’ve been keeping an eye on them, once Jim took over the direction completely changed and you could tell,” she said.
“There were no longer the blowouts, they were in games, they’re getting over that mountain and this year I’m hoping we’ll be on the winning side of a lot of those games.”
Like Harmon, fellow import Kristi Mokube was under no illusions as to the Lady Bandits’ standing within the SEABL.
But, fresh from stints in Greece and Germany, the 188-centimetre forward said she was excited by the veteran leadership combined with some of the raw talent the young list could provide.
“I know the history – we haven’t been too successful yet, but there is still hope,” she said.
“There’s a lot of room for improvement, a lot of young players and a big advantage in a lot of senior players who know how Jim works.
“I believe I can help us produce, help those young players get more involved in the game.
“I see a lot of potential, they have all the energy in the world and if you can add a bit of structure and flow to that, if we can gel, all of us can shine.”
With the SEABL set to be dominated by teams who have been able to recruit heavily from WNBL teams, having two strong frontcourt players in Harmon and Mokube will be crucial.
Harmon dominated last time she was in Albury, averaging 20 points and 11 rebounds, second and first in the league respectively in 2014.
The Lady Bandits will regain Molly Rice and Megan Quinn, and have also added a number of new development players.
There’s a distinctly positive vibe and much like the Lady Bandits, Harmon is feeling better than she ever has physically after working through a diagnosis of Coeliac disease.
“That was affecting me on the court in ways I didn’t realise,” she said.
“I feel 100 times better right now than I did last time I played for the Bandits.
“My progression physically and mentally has improved, so I’m excited to see what happens.”
