Tara Murray
Keilor Thunder’s foray into the National Basketball League 1 South competition has received a boost with two former players returning.
The club last week announced that Aneta Bandilovska and Chloe Hildebrand would be returning to the women’s side.
Both previously played for the club and were part of the Big V championship division grand final team in 2019.
Bandilovska said Keilor had left an impression on her and she was quick to return when the opportunity arose.
“The only reason I left Keilor was that they were in the Big V competition,” she said.
“When they came up, it was easy to decide to return. It’s so special to be part of that first team.
“My first year at the club was when I was a six-year-old kid playing domestic. Then I came back to play seniors at 16 in division 1 and then championship and now NBL1.”
Bandilovska spent last season with the Waverley Falcons where she averaged nearly 15 points and three rebounds per game.
She said the year of experience would only help her and her teammates.
“When I left Keilor I was 19,” she said.
“I’ve had a year of experience playing against current and ex-WNBL players. They are more professional and older. Even though I was coming up from Big V, I felt like I could come up and play at that level.”
Bandilovska said her time at the Falcons also gave her the chance to play a bit more of the shooting guard role, having mostly played the point.
Joining Bandilovska back at Keilor is Hildebrand who has also spent the last couple of seasons in the NBL1 south competition.
Hildebrand, who played for the Thunder for two seasons previously, averaged nearly five points a game for Eltham Wildcats this year.
“I’m so excited to have signed with Keilor for the upcoming NBL1 season,” she said. “I love the environment, energy, staff and girls at Keilor.
“I had such a good experience with Keilor last time I played here. It was a no brainer as I’ve been coached by Tom [Bandilovski] throughout my juniors and it’s really important to have a coach that is willing to provide you with an opportunity to prove yourself and understands your game style and what you bring to the court.”
Hildebrand said being with the Wildcats the last couple of years had been really beneficial for her.
“I believe I bring experience from the NBL1 level, as I understand what it takes to compete at this level and feel I will be a great asset for the team this year in order to enhance our ability to perform competitively at the nbl1 level.”
The two join Ellen Kett as the announced signings for this year. Bandilovska said it was a pretty special place which made people want to return and play for.
The Thunder also announced last week that Luke Sist would be returning to the men’s program for next year.
Former Australian under-17 player Abi Akintola was announced as the side’s newest signing on Friday.
