Canberra Capitals' Maddison Rocci ready to step up next WNBL season

WNBL officals decided to block clubs from recruiting overseas players for 2020-21 season due to coronavirus-forced financial pressure, meaning star imports Olivia Epoupa and Kia Nurse won't be eligible to return to Canberra.

Capitals coach Paul Goriss is instead scouring the country for a gun point guard and a sharpshooter to fill the void left by two of the league's most valuable players, but their absence could also see a shift in the current Canberra roster.

The Capitals re-signed seven players this week including Rocci, who spent the season picking the brain of French guard Epoupa.

The 22-year-old Victorian played a starting role alongside Epoupa and while she'll miss the grand final MVP, Rocci says the new-look season will give Australian talent a chance to shine on the big stage.

"It's sad not to have imports, I've had the privilege of playing alongside some of the best imports that have come to the WNBL and learned so much off them," Rocci said.

"It gives the Australian girls a chance to prove themselves in the league without having imports come to play.

"It's very sad, I would have loved Ollie and Kia to come back next season to play alongside them again."

The Capitals were keen to retain Rocci as they hunt a historic third consecutive WNBL championship in the 2020-21 season.

The club has agreed to deals with Marianna Tolo, Kelsey Griffin, Keely Froling, Alex Delaney, Abby Cubillo and Gemma Potter, who will play if her college commitments with UCLA become unfeasible due to the global pandemic.

Goriss will build his squad around co-captains Griffin and Tolo, while Rocci and Froling are set for increased roles when the season starts in November.

Rocci is preparing to enter her fourth WNBL season as a two-time reigning champion and hopes to build on a stellar year which saw her picked in the Emerging Opals squad.

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"I'm super happy to be back with the Capitals for the upcoming season," Rocci said.

"The decision that drove me to re-sign was that I'd developed so much over the three WNBL seasons in Canberra.

"Goriss has had trust in me to go out there and play the way I can. All the training I've had with him and the other assistant coaches has really developed my game.

"Then there's how Kelsey and Tolo re-signed. I definitely want to play alongside those two again, they're such great leaders of the club and just amazing people to play with."

Rocci moved to Queensland to link up with Sunshine Coast Rip City in the NBL1 North Conference, but the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Capitals guard has remained in the Sunshine State to stay with her partner, Brisbane Lion Tom Fullarton, but whether she'll be able to play any basketball during the off-season is unknown.

Rocci will shift her focus to improving her fitness and her three-point shooting accuracy, having shot at 36.1 percent last season.

The absence of Canadian sharpshooter Nurse has Rocci motivated to work on her three-point shot and enter pre-season in the best shape possible.

"I want to come into the next season the way I finished last year," Rocci said.

"I think the back half of the WNBL season was something that really stood out, I had a few people say that it really helped me get where I am.

"So, just trying to stay fit and working on a consistent three-point shot, I might have to go into one a little bit more next season so I'm just trying to get those things down packed.

"I've been going for runs, practicing shooting with a shooting machine and doing weight training."