Oaklands Wolves have made a big move by adding rising Hungarian star Aliz Varga to their 2017-18 roster.
The 6ft 1in forward, joins Oaklands College for academic study and will feature heavily in the WBBL during her debut season. The Budapest native arrives off the back of an exceptional summer of basketball, which started with her lifting the Hungarian U18 national championship with home side Vasas Academy.
The junior international then went on to represent her country in the FIBA U16 Women’s European Championships, gaining a silver medal having narrowly missed out in the Final to France.
Varga was a starter for Hungary throughout the championships and led the nation in efficiency, averaging 8 points, 7 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game and shooting the ball just shy of 50% from the field.
The versatile forward will be sure to add a new dimension to the Hertfordshire outfit despite only being 16 years old, something Head Coach Lee Ryan is keen to maximise
He said: “Aliz is an exceptional talent and the best part is she is far from the finished article. I look forward to helping her reach her potential during her time with us at Oaklands but equally I’m excited to coach her in the WBBL this season. We have already seen her qualities in the pre-season and its clear that she will be the best player in the county at her age group without doubt.
“She has a maturity beyond her years that comes directly from the level of competition she has already faced in the sport, but to take on a leading role in the WBBL will be a whole new challenge for her to tackle. I am confident she will embrace it and flourish this season.”
The lure of being at one of Englands leading player development academies was too good an opportunity to turn down for Varga.
She commented: “It is very different here to Hungary, since at Oaklands we get more opportunity to work on our skills and improve individually, which is very good. I really like how we get to integrate our training with study every day
“It’s a great opportunity I had to take. It is difficult to be far from home, but I love my teammates and the seniors are very supportive and help us all to evolve.
“I am looking forward to playing in my age group and working for the chance to play in the WBBL. it is a strong league, I like that there is mix of internationals in the teams which means I can learn about different basketball cultures and how to play against them.”
Oaklands will be practicing hard this weekend looking to acclimatise Varga to the team after Durham had to postpone this Sunday’s scheduled fixture. The next contest sees the Wolves take on last years champions Sevenoaks Suns when they welcome them to Hertfordshire on Saturday 14th Oct in a 3.45pm tip.
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