By Jamie Thomas

On the verge of retiring from the game she has been so excellent at for so long, we’re delighted that returning home to Hungary and bouncing a basketball again whilst watching her beloved Sevenoaks online sparked star forward Judit Fritz to think twice and she’s now getting ready to suit up for a return to the WBBL with the Suns in the 2021/22 season.

Wearing a beaming smile throughout our conversation, Fritz is clearly delighted with her choice, as she discussed the reasoning for considering retirement, and why she opted to return after all.

“I’m really very excited to come back, especially because I had been thinking about retiring for a while as playing basketball to this standard alongside a full-time job is very difficult to balance, but really the last year reinforced how much I want to play, and so I decided to come back.

“I went home to Hungary to work from there and realised how much I really miss the game, so it was a great awakening to feel that way again about basketball and the excitement I have for this is just through the roof.

“Returning to Sevenoaks was an obvious choice for me once I’d made the decision. The three years I spent there before were amazing, I couldn’t have wished for more from my time there, and it just feels like I’m coming home to my family after a little break.”

“It just made me hungrier to be back with them on the court.”

One of the WBBL’s all-time leading scorers, ranking fifth, Fritz is truly one of the greats of the league and there will be much fanfare to mark her return to the court.

The Suns go into the year having been challenged significantly last time out by the Leicester Riders and the London Lions, with the Lions winning more titles than the Suns in the previous term and the Riders beating them in the WBBL Cup Final. Fritz discussed her expectations for the coming season, and the prospect of reuniting with former teammate Cat Carr.

“It looks like it is going to be a very competitive season, which is exactly what we want, and it is really exciting to see teams across the league building and improving year after year. I just want to help the team as much as I can.

“We’ve got everything we need to be competing at the top and I just can’t wait for that first game. I followed every game last year, especially after I had made the decision that I wanted to return to playing, and really enjoyed seeing the team online, but it just made me hungrier to be back with them on the court.

“Cat Carr had another amazing year last year. She’s an incredible player, but also an incredible person as well and a fantastic all-round leader. She has made Sevenoaks what it is today, and it would not be the same without her. Somehow she keeps getting better and better, as well, which is crazy but great to see.”

“It is hard to say at this stage where everybody is at.”

Fritz confesses she has been like a fan since her return to the Suns roster, enjoying the gossip and rumours regarding new signings, and excited to see how the new rosters across the league shape up when they take to the court. Laser-focussed on success once again with the Suns, embracing the experience this year is also going to be a key aim for the Hungarian forward this year.

“Everybody knows that I’m all about winning, but a big focus for me this year is going to be enjoying the experience as much as anything else. If the last year has taught us anything, it should be that we never know when things can come to an end, so to be in this position now is amazing and I’m going to enjoy every minute.

“I was training with my former team in Hungary, which was really nice, but it helped me realise how much I needed to start playing again once I returned to England and as soon as I did return those conversations could start.

“I’m really looking forward to having new teams in the league, new players and to having such a high level of competition every game. It has been so fun to see all of these new players coming into the league and seeing who is moving where. It is hard to say at this stage where everybody is at and what level teams will be competing it, but I can’t wait to get back out there and get to work.”

“Players can do great things individually but if you don’t win it means nothing.”

What can fans expect to see from Fritz as the season nears, then, and what is she most looking forward to about her return to the WBBL?

“I’m just ticking off the days one-by-one to that first tip-off in the WBBL Cup, because we’re sure to be up against a great team in Essex or London and I can’t ask for anymore than that.

“As much as I’m looking forward to competing, though, I can’t wait to just see old friends again because basketball is a really big community as much as anything else. We travel all over the country and it is so nice to see some friendly faces at the end of these long journeys … and hopefully come home with the wins as well … but definitely that community side of it is something I’m excited for.

“My only goal on the court is to help the team win, and it’ll certainly be a process to see where I’m most helpful for this group. Players can do great things individually but if you don’t win then it means nothing, so I’ll take whatever role I have to if it means we’re more successful.”