Oaklands Wolves today unveiled their full roster ahead of the 2020-21 WBBL season commencing in ten days’ time.

Since their inception in 2009 as an elite academy, the primary focus of Oaklands College Basketball has been the development of youth, and as the franchise enters its fifth season, this ethos is continuing to be at the forefront of what the program is about.

This year sees five under 18 players join the WBBL ranks.The return of Jocie Leavold and Grace Ashton will give the pair a great chance to establish themselves in the main rotation this season. Leavold, a 6’0” wing, played in 14 games last season adding 1.8 points and 1.5 rebounds per game. Shooting 40% from the 3 point line she showed her potential throughout the campaign, and she will be looking for more opportunity this time around. Ashton, a 6’1’’ forward, appeared in 9 games for the Hertfordshire based outfit last year, adding an explosive presence off the bench with 1.2 points and 1.1 rebounds in limited minutes.

In addition, the Wolves add three guards to the mix from the Oaklands Academy. Sophie Beard joined the squad late last season, the 5’7’’ guard impressed in the WEABL and earned herself 4 appearances off the bench last season. She will be looking to establish herself this year and test her creative skills at the next level. Joining her is St Albans local Daisy Porter, a 5’7’’ guard. Porter has worked her way up the Oaklands Wolves Junior ranks and impressed with her high IQ and work ethic in the off season. Previously representing the Welsh national team and a duel sport athlete as part of the Mavericks Netball Academy, Daisy has a bright future in the sport and will look to be in the guard mix right from the off.

Oaklands has also added Kizzy Spence-Mussington to the roster. The 5’6’’ guard is a late addition after moving to the Hertfordshire program from Manchester, but already showing flashes of her high potential. The GB international prospect has a combination of quickness, skill and a confidence that is rare at her age, expect to see her make an impact through the season.

Louise Rouse, a 6’2’’ forward, will return to Oaklands Wolves for the 2020-21 season. The exciting GB U20 prospect will suit up in her gap year for the Oaklands Wolves as she looks to build on one of the most impactful junior debut campaigns in recent memory.

Hungarian International Kata Fulop will also suit up for Wolves once again in the WBBL. Fulop, a 6’3’’ forward, is the longest running player in Oaklands franchise history having appeared in all campaigns to date. Previously graduating from the Oaklands College academy, Fulop now attends the Wolves partner institution, the University of Hertfordshire, where she is in year 2 of her undergraduate degree.

Another Hungarian international Dorka Boros will return for her third year for the Oaklands Wolves WBBL team. The 5’9” combo guard has been a regular in her time with the Wolfpack, a two way player, Boros adds a defensive toughness to the guard position. Boros provides a threat on the offensive end as well, her high motor is perfect for the Wolves fast paced style and coupled with her excellent free-throw percentage she punishes teams in transition regularly.

Lauren Milligan will return for her fourth WBBL season with Oaklands Wolves. The 6’0’’ small forward and former GB youth international, was a very impactful player during her time with the Wolves, with averages of 4.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.9 steals last season.

Lizzy Harrison will suit up for the Wolves for her fifth outing in the WBBL. The 5’11’’ guard and Suffolk native, started her Oaklands journey in 2009 as a college athlete, making her effectively part of the furniture. The talented shooting guard has continued to deliver for the Hertfordshire outfit, getting better year on year, with last season averages of 9.5 points, 1.5 assists and 3.5 rebounds, she was on course to have her best season until it was curtailed due to the pandemic.

The Wolves have also added Estonian player Greeta Uprus for the upcoming season. The 5’10’’ guard joins the Wolfpack for her first spell of basketball overseas and outside of Baltic competitions. Uprus brings a wealth of experience having represented her country in the FIBA European Championships at the U16, U18 and U20 age groups and various teams in the Estonian and Latvian leagues. In a shortened season last year, Uprus played with Audentese SK Tallinn where she posted impressive stats of 26 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. In the full 2018-19 campaign, with the same team, she posted averages of 17 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 27 games.

6’3’’forward Merissa Quick joins for her second spell of topflight British basketball after a dominating season with Cardiff Archers back in 2017-18. That year the highly skilled forward produced averages of 18.4 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game.

And finally, US player Amari Carter joins Wolves from the University of Arizona or the 2020-21 WBBL season. The 5’9” guard joins the Wolfpack off the back of a stellar college career that spanned two NCAA Division 1 programs and after being named number 32 on ESPN’s top 100 college prospects in 2015.