McCowan, who has been a regular at the club over the years, has pulled the pin on the Albury-Wodonga side due to work and University commitments.

It comes after promising talent Olivia Barber also walked away from the squad to pursue furthering her opportunities in football.

Bandits coach Lauren Jackson said it was disappointing to see a young talent like Barber walk away from the side.

"I would have loved to see her grow into the sport and been able to work with her, but it was a commitment that she just couldn't make," Jackson said.

"I think AFLW is a really great option for young people, but it's unfortunate because basketball can take you so much further.

"For me coming in, it was about trying to make this team more successful, moving into the future, and the only way we could do that was by making it more professional and making sure people were committed to two training sessions a week and a game or two.

"It's a senior squad and we're representing Albury.

"You want to have everyone there for each other, and Liv just couldn't make that commitment to basketball."

The absence of McCowan and Barber has left further opportunities for players out on the court, with Wangaratta's Chloe Storer set to see more court time in the coming rounds.

Young guns Charlotte Beavan and Mel Kirby will also look to make the most of the opportunity.

"We have a lot of great youngsters here that are dying for the opportunity to get out there and play minutes," Jackson said.

"It's there for the taking."

After enjoying the week off for Easter, the Bandits are now preparing to host the Basketball Australia Centre of Excellence.

The Bandits will head into the clash with the rest of their full squad at their disposal, with Molly Rice set to return after missing the Bandits last game against the Diamond Valley Eagles.

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"We've got five players playing the majority of our minutes, so I think it's been really good for them to have a break and get refreshed and ready for the weekend," Jackson said.

"We played them (Basketball Australia COE) in pre-season and they got us pretty good, but we didn't have our full team.

"It will be interesting to see how we go and get an idea of where we're at moving forward.

"At the moment it's about getting better.

"I don't think anyone else can beat us, I think we can beat ourselves."

The Bandits will take to the Lauren Jackson Sports Centre on Saturday night for a 6pm start before the men's game at 8pm.