Capitals signing tracker: Melbourne and Puoch lead rebuild as star exits

Jade Melbourne, Nyadiew Puoch, Nicole Munger, Jayda Clark.

Gemma Potter is bound for Geelong in a blow to the Canberra Capitals rebuild, with the rising star set to join a team starting from ground zero.

Potter will join Geelong United in their first season under the new banner, with the Melbourne Boomers licence acquired by a new group of investors.

Her departure comes after spending the best part of four years in the Capitals system and leaves another hole for incoming coach Paul Goriss to fill as he pieces together a new-look squad.

Potter endured an injury-riddled start to her WNBL career after making her debut for the Capitals as a 17-year-old.

A comeback from her first anterior cruciate ligament tear lasted just eight minutes before Potter's knee blew out again.

The rising star showed glimpses of her untapped potential in her Capitals comeback last season, emerging as one of the key pieces in a side coached by Kristen Veal.

Potter says her move to play under Chris Lucas at Geelong is driven by the chance to get a fresh start on her WNBL career.

"Finals and a championship is something probably every athlete aspires for, and I'm quite a competitive person so that'll always be in the back of my mind," Potter said.

"But more than that, the opportunity to establish the pathway for younger female athletes in the community is something that's going to be quite prevalent through not only my, but the team's actions.

"I know for a fact that with the squad Chris is putting together, we're going to be able to establish great team values and culture, which will hopefully draw everyone in to want to be a part of something special."

The Canberra Capitals have landed a huge recruitment coup to help boost their rebuilding effort, signing a WNBA draftee to link with rising superstar Jade Melbourne.

The Capitals unveiled Nyadiew Puoch as their newest recruit on Tuesday morning. The forward will move to Canberra after two season with the Southside Flyers, including winning a title last earlier this year.

The 20-year-old was drafted by Atlanta in the WNBA this year at pick No. 12. That move paid dividends with the Capitals.

Returning Canberra coach Paul Goriss is an assistant at Atlanta and now the relationship is set to transfer back into the WNBL.

"I am so excited to be joining the Caps," Puoch said.

"It will be great to be in a new environment with different faces, learning from new people and coaches.

"I am also super excited to be playing under Paul, and him being an assistant coach for Atlanta is a huge bonus for me, as he will be able to help me work on the things I need, to be ready for when my WNBA opportunity comes.

"Canberra is a really nice place with a really good fan base, so that's exciting. I loved my time living there at the Centre of Excellence and can't wait to get back to Canberra and represent the Capitals."

The Capitals now has two solid foundation blocks to build on with Puoch and Melbourne.

The free agency period threatened to be a disastrous period for the Capitals after the club struggled in recent years.

Every rival team attempted to poach Melbourne, while Alex Sharp and Alex Fowler have both departed the Capitals.

But Melbourne stayed strong to reunite with Goriss, who is returning to Canberra to replace Kristen Veal, and Puoch's signature is a vote of confidence in the rebuild.

"In free agency I short listed a few players who I knew I wanted from the very start and targeted Nyadiew from day one as soon as I knew I was coming back to coach," Goriss said.

"Not only because of my links to Atlanta and Nyadiew being drafted to Atlanta but she is a young player with so much growth to her game with supreme athletic ability and talent.

"She is a very good defender with great length and instincts but she has untapped potential in regards to what she can become and grow into at the offensive end of the floor.

"I am excited to coach her hard and work with her to expand her game, knowledge and also her transition into the WNBA.

"She suits the style we want to play, she has played with Jade so there already is great chemistry there. I know our loyal Caps fans will love how she plays."

Jade Melbourne has lost count of how many calls she took when she hit the WNBL's free agency market. Now the Canberra Capitals star is waiting for just one more.

All eight WNBL clubs made a play for the 21-year-old guard before she signed a new deal with the Capitals to play under coach Paul Goriss in Canberra again.

Now Melbourne is anxiously awaiting a call from Opals coach Sandy Brondello, who is set to name her squad for the Paris Olympic Games this week.

"Fingers are crossed. I've done everything within my power to showcase what I can do," Melbourne said.

"I've obviously missed the last few tours they've done but I think I had a great WNBL season, I think I did all I could when I was over with the team in Brazil. Whatever happens, happens. I'm hoping when I get that phone call later this week, I'm being told I'm going to the Olympics."

Melbourne's audition tape includes a scintillating WNBL season that saw her named Canberra's most valuable player and land a place in the league's all-first team.

Now Goriss says she is going from strength to strength after being traded from Seattle to Washington in the WNBA.

"The trade happened so quickly, it was the biggest whirlwind 24 hours I've ever experienced in my life," Melbourne said.

"You get told you're being traded, your dreams come crashing down and the next day you're in another locker room. I think it's been the best thing that could have happened to me.

"I'm a lot more myself out on the court now, Washington have put a lot of trust in me. My game has grown a lot and I'm taking a lot of confidence out of it."

The Capitals are on the verge of announcing more signings, with the club closing in on deals with a handful of players to ignite hope of a climb up the ladder.

"Canberra has missed winning. That's something I want to be a part of," Melbourne said. "There's so much more to be done in Canberra and for me in a Caps jersey."

Virtually every player Goriss has spoken to has asked the same thing: was Jade Melbourne going to be back at the Capitals?

There was a moment he thought she might not be with every other club in the league launching talks with one of the most exciting prospects in Australian basketball.

"It would have been easy for her to go to another team with more established players that has probably got a roster that is ready to win a championship right now," Goriss said.

"She could have done that. Being able to come back and build this for her is important to me. She had every other club reach out and give her an offer to go elsewhere.

"For a young player to have the kind of character she has had to stand by the club through good times and through bad just shows the true character of her and what she is as a person, as a leader, and what she wants to do for the Capitals. That was the biggest part for me.

"If we didn't get Jade, I was concerned about where the program would head, where we would be this season as far as recruitment, but also trying to win games. You need Opals to compete."

Jade Melbourne will return to the Canberra Capitals as the focal point of a rebuild in a huge coup for championship coach Paul Goriss.

The 21-year-old has signed a one-year deal to stay at the Capitals for the 2024-25 WNBL season as the club looks to rebound from consecutive wooden spoons.

Melbourne's signature is a major coup for Goriss, who is set to return to the helm of the club he led to back-to-back championships.

The Capitals coach made Melbourne's signature his No.1 priority, declaring: "she is the franchise player, she's the face of the Capitals".

"Her commitment and passion for the game are unparalleled, she is an amazing talent and still has so much more to give," Goriss said.

"We can't wait to see what the future holds for Jade Melbourne."

Rival clubs were preparing to target Melbourne the moment she entered free agency, with an out-clause in her contract allowing the rising star to test the waters following Kristen Veal's departure from Canberra.

But the star guard - who won the Capitals' most valuable player award and was named in the WNBL's all-star side last season - opted to re-sign to play under Goriss, the man who brought the smiling assassin into the league four years ago.

Melbourne is in the mix for an Olympic Games berth with the Opals having turned heads following her move to the Washington Mystics in the WNBA.

Now Goriss will be hoping Melbourne's decision will entice other players to sign with Canberra.

"You need one or two people to sign to start the domino effect," Goriss said.

"We saw that the year we signed Kelsey [Griffin] early on, it created a domino effect of people wanting to play with Kelsey. They knew what kind of program we were building.

"I have no doubt we've got our work cut out for us. I'm up for that challenge, but we've got to get the right people here to start with."

Melbourne is the third player on Canberra's books for next season, joining Nicole Munger and Jayda Clark as the Capitals look to bounce back from two forgettable seasons.

"Together, we are building something really special," Melbourne said.

"I'm excited to contribute to our continued growth towards success. I'm thrilled to continue representing this awesome team and its loyal fan base for a fifth year."