The Canberra Capitals celebrated their end of season awards night last week, with Abby Bishop taking out the coveted MVP title.
The Capitals came agonisingly close to returning to the WNBL finals in season 2014/15, falling out of contention in the last round of the regular season.
The signs are there for a successful 2015/16 season and another campaign working alongside Sports Wizard®.
Sports Wizard®’s Tony Charge – pictured right with Canberra United footballer Catherine Brown – attended the event, with everyone here looking forward to working with the Capitals towards a championship tilt in 2015/16.
For the Canberra Times’ full story on the event, see below.
Abby Bishop was a “no-brainer” for back-to-back Canberra Capitals’ most valuable player awards, coach Carrie Graf declaring the 26-year-old had the best season of her career.
Bishop was the obvious choice as the Capitals’ best player for the WNBL season as the team fell short of a finals appearance for the fourth year in a row.
She averaged 23 points and 10.6 rebounds per game in her first season as the club’s captain to almost single-handedly lift the Capitals into the play-offs.
The Australian Opals Olympian is playing in Hungary and has signed a deal to return to the WNBA with the Seattle Storm where she will have a chance to prove she can match it with the best in the world.
“Bishop was a no-brainer, she was a stand out from the get go, led from the front, rebounded, defended and scored,” Graf said.
“I thought she was outstanding in every aspect and really asserted herself as a captain. It was definitely the best of her career.
“She’s grown as a player and as a person, her game has evolved … she just gritted her teeth, did the hard work and made a statement on who she is as a basketballer in this country.”
The Capitals held their awards night at Hotel Realm on Wednesday night, with Bishop taking out the top gong, Kristen Veal winning the players’ player and Stephanie Talbot taking the doubles as the Capital on the rise and the Kellie Abrams defensive player of the year.
“Talbot was a great recruit for us, she ticked all the boxes,” Graf said.
“She’s a Capital we’d love to have long term, she came here wanting to learn and have an impact and she did both.”
CANBERRA CAPITAL AWARD WINNERS
MVP: Abby Bishop
Capital on the rise: Stephanie Talbot
Players’ player: Kristen Veal
Kellie Abrams defensive player of the year: Stephanie Talbot
This article first appeared in the Canberra Times on 11 March 2015, titled ‘Abby Bishop caps stellar season by winning Canberra Capitals MVP prize‘.
