'I'm trying to make my parents proud': Canberra Capitals' Olivia Epoupa's motivation in WNBL grand final

It's not the Canberra Capitals' league record of eight WNBL championship banners hanging from the ceiling that brings a shimmer to her eye.

It is the thought of her mother Beatrice, the woman she believes is watching over her from heaven. The woman who gives her strength to fight through whatever adversity comes her way.

So when Epoupa steps onto the AIS Arena to face the Southside Flyers on Wednesday night, she will be doing more than searching for a grand final series-clinching win.

The Capitals point guard was 10 years old when her mother lost a battle with cancer. Epoupa was so young that it took some time to comprehend her rock was gone.

MORE CAPITALS NEWS

When it sunk in, she made a decision. Epoupa was going to make her mother proud. So too her father August, a man who became "everything" to her after her mother died.

"I didn't completely realise she was gone at that moment," Epoupa said.

"We were young but I realised something wrong was happening. It was an unexpected situation for me, so I didn't realise it at that moment.

"It was a long process for me to understand that when someone close to you passes away, the grief is still here.

"You have to work, you have to stand up and do something in your life. I'm very grateful to my dad, because as soon as my mum passed away, he was always present for me.

"When I started basketball he was always close to me, supporting me, encouraging me and following me. That's why my mum and also my dad are everything to me.

"I am always grateful to have the parents I have, especially my dad because he's still here and he raised me. He was a single dad when my mum passed away when I was 10.

"Every time I play, every time I'm on the court, I try to do things for my parents. I always have something for her, this is my motivation, this is my inspiration.

"I'm trying to make my parents proud of me."

Those close to her often point out the similarities between Epoupa and her father. The big brown eyes, the cheeks.

But the moment the 25-year-old shows anyone a photo of her mother they have to look twice.

"They say 'oh your hers, you're exactly like your mum too'. Some people say I'm looking a lot like my mum, some say my dad, some say it's a mix," Epoupa said.

"We have a special relationship, [dad] is everything to me. I'm their little girl.

"We've always had this relationship since I was a kid, and the fact my mum passed away creates something different.

"We're closer and try to be here for each other. My relationship with my dad is everything."

MORE CAPITALS NEWS

Epoupa can rest assured she has made her family proud in her first season down under.

She has flirted with a triple-double all season, she has pulled down rebounds that defy her 165 centimetre stature, she has forced enough turnovers to convince coach Paul Goriss she could steal the hubcaps off a moving car.

Epoupa's match-up with Flyers point guard and former Capitals championship-winner Leilani Mitchell looms as one of the game's biggest.

So she will play a key role as the Capitals set their sights on adding a ninth banner to the rafters.

"It has been an incredible experience, not just in basketball but on all levels," Epoupa said.

"All the people here are very welcoming, especially my teammates, all the staff and the people working with this team.

"The fans, they always support us, so I really enjoy Australia. It's a good challenge for me, playing in a new league and embracing a new culture.

"To be one game away from being champions, we have to give everything so we don't have any regrets in the end.

"We know when you play and you have regrets after you've lost finals, you don't want to feel the same ever again."

A loss in Canberra would send the series to a deciding game three at Dandenong Stadium on Sunday.

It is a venue which holds no demons for the Capitals - three trips to Dandenong have resulted in three wins this season.

But Epoupa would much rather get it done in two games and scrap another road trip to bring down the curtain on a stellar campaign in Canberra.

It has been a season so electrifying for the star import that fans are already yearning to see her back in a Capitals uniform next season.

It would be a major coup for the club with Kia Nurse unlikely to return to the WNBL, but there is plenty of water to go under the bridge before then.

Epoupa will weigh up her immediate future and consider playing in Europe or dedicating herself to France's Olympic Games charge on the road to Tokyo.

But for now those decisions can wait. Her sole focus is earning a championship as she lets the prospect of a return to Canberra simmer in the back of her mind.

"I really enjoy it, so why not? I have to be a champion with the Capitals, that's my first priority," Epoupa said.

Well, that and making her parents proud.

WNBL GRAND FINAL SERIES

Game one: Canberra Capitals 82 bt Southside Flyers 80 at Dandenong Stadium.

Wednesday, March 4: Game two - Canberra Capitals v Southside Flyers at AIS Arena, 7.30pm.

Sunday, March 8: Game three - Southside Flyers v Canberra Capitals at Dandenong Stadium, 1pm.