The Canberra Capitals have landed the prized signature of an international point guard to offset the loss of two WNBL stars.
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The Capitals will announce the signing of French point guard Olivia Epoupa on Wednesday morning in a move that helps to fill the void left by championship duo Leilani Mitchell and Kelly Wilson.
Epoupa is the eighth player to join the defending champions ahead of their season opener against the Adelaide Lightning at the AIS Arena on October 13.
The 165 centimetre point guard joins a star-studded squad already boasting co-captains Marianna Tolo and Kelsey Griffin, as well as star import Kia Nurse.
Epoupa will link up with rising star Maddison Rocci in the guard position and there is one thing she will bring in spades.
The first thing Canberra Capitals coach Paul Goriss says when asked about his new import is a simple question: "have you watched the highlights?"
How does one sum up Epoupa once they get a look at those clips?
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"Quick," Goriss said.
"The thing that stands out the most is her speed. She is super quick and plays with impressive speed. She is going to get some highlights reels with just the amount of speed she brings.
"Playing alongside Rocci, the speed those two can bring to our team will be a great highlight for everybody.
"She's going to cause some problems for opposition guards because she is so quick and can defend the full length of the floor.
"Picking up someone to run the team at the point guard position was a priority for us moving forward. Especially when you get the likes of Kelsey, Kia and Tolo, who need someone to get the ball to them quickly so they'll be able to score.
"Having someone of Olivia's experience in Europe and obviously on the world stage with France, she has played in some very big games on an international stage.
"She has got great basketball pedigree."
Epoupa says a chance to be a part of Canberra's quest for back-to-back championships is an opportunity to develop she could not pass up.
She will arrive in September following her commitments with Galatasaray in Turkey, and has already made her intentions clear.
Canberra will begin their pre-season campaign next month but Epoupa is keen to start early in a welcome sign for the club.
"She is still only 25, so that's the great part about it. She is still only young and wants to learn, and wants to get better," Goriss said.
"It's exciting she wants to be here, she wants to improve and she wants to get better. She thought the WNBL and the Caps are a good fit.
"With who we have in our group, she is really excited to be playing alongside Kia, Kelsey, Tolo.
"I couldn't be happier with what we've got, I think it's going to be really exciting for our fans and for the rest of our team to play with somebody like her."
CANBERRA CAPITALS WNBL DRAW
Round one - October 13: Canberra Capitals v Adelaide Lightning at AIS Arena, 5pm.
Round two - October 20: Canberra Capitals v Townsville Fire at Convention Centre, 2pm.
Round three - October 25: Melbourne Boomers v Canberra Capitals at Geelong Arena, 7.30pm.
Round three - October 27: Sydney Flames v Canberra Capitals at Sydney Uni Sports Centre, 2pm.
Round four - November 2: Canberra Capitals v Sydney Flames at AIS Arena, 5pm.
Round five - November 7: Southside Flyers v Canberra Capitals at Dandenong Basketball Stadium, 7.30pm.
Round five - November 9: Melbourne Boomers v Canberra Capitals at State Basketball Centre, 5pm.
Round six - November 24: Canberra Capitals v Perth Lynx at National Convention Centre, 5pm.
Round seven - November 30: Canberra Capitals v Townsville Fire at National Convention Centre, 5pm.
Round eight - December 6: Bendigo Spirit v Canberra Capitals at Bendigo Stadium, 7pm.
Round nine - December 15: Canberra Capitals v Southside Flyers at National Convention Centre, 5pm.
Round 10 - December 21: Canberra Capitals v Bendigo Spirit at National Convention Centre, 5pm.
Round 11 - December 27: Adelaide Lightning v Canberra Capitals at Adelaide Arena, 7.30pm.
Round 11 - December 29: Perth Lynx v Canberra Capitals at Bendat Basketball Centre, 4pm.
Round 12 - January 3: Bendigo Spirit v Canberra Capitals at Bendigo Stadium, 7pm.
Round 12 - January 5: Canberra Capitals v Perth Lynx at AIS Arena, 2pm.
Round 13 - January 10: Townsville Fire v Canberra Capitals at Townsville Stadium, 8pm.
Round 14 - January 17: Canberra Capitals v Melbourne Boomers at National Convention Centre, 7pm.
Round 14 - January 19: Southside Flyers v Canberra Capitals at Dandenong Basketball Stadium, 5pm.
Round 15 - January 26: Canberra Capitals v Sydney Flames at National Convention Centre, 5pm.
Round 16 - February 1: Canberra Capitals v Adelaide Lightning at National Convention Centre, 5pm.
Semi-finals: February 15-27
Grand final: March 1, 5 and 8