AFTER what was an excellent WNBL20 season for the off-guard/forward Stephanie Talbot, which culminated in an All-WNBL Second Team selection and finishing fifth amongst rebounders throughout the competition, the 26-year-old is ready to compete in her second straight season as a member of the Adelaide Lightning with the WNBL set to commence November 12.

A former Melbourne Boomer prior to last season, Talbot was a cornerstone piece in Chris Lucas’s side during the 2019/20 campaign. Earning a ridiculous quantity of statistics throughout the fixture, she lathered the points on as well as her rebounds. At the conclusion of the regular season, Talbot’s stat line would read 13.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.6 steals per game. To add even more numbers to her myriad of statistics from last season, she converted on 39 per cent of her attempts and shot 74.6 per cent from the free throw line as well.

Following a successful first season back at the club for the first time since 2014, it only makes perfect sense that Talbot keeps her rise to superstardom in one place for now, as she links up with fellow WNBA prospect Alanna Smith. The two-forward combo of Talbot (New York Liberty) and Smith (Phoenix Mercury) will cause frequent headaches for opposition teams as both players exhibit lethal two-way tendencies.

While the Katherine-born star does not explode for points often, you can guarantee that she will contribute a solid amount each time, as Talbot accumulated double-digit points totals in 17 of her 21 contests in WNBL20, whilst recording a season-high 25 points against the Southside Flyers back at the start of December.

Furthermore, Adelaide’s nine-year veteran will have more obligations to look forward to than just the upcoming national competition. Talbot received praise for her recent efforts after being offered a playing position in the upcoming Opals squad bound for the Tokyo Olympics next year.

Having already represented the country at events like the 2018 Commonwealth Games (Gold Medal) and the 2018 FIBA World Cup (Silver Medal), Talbot only needs the Olympics to be crossed off to complete the three national feats in Australian basketball.

With the days counting down quicker and quicker until the start of WNBL21, Adelaide will start to make their final preparations before heading up north to Queensland, where hopefully the Lightning can return to the postseason again, after their semi-final exit last time round thanks to the Southside Flyers.