Leicester Riders guard Deanne Hayward will return for a third season in the WBBL, with the Scottish guard ready to be in a Riders jersey once more, only this time under recently appointed head coach Krumesh Patel.

Hayward averaged 12 points, as well as 4 rebounds and 2 assists per game last season – helping the Riders to their best ever league finish as well as a spot in the WBBL Trophy Final in Glasgow.

“I’m really excited to be back and playing with my former teammates,” commented Hayward as she re-joined the team in pre-season.

“We had a lot of success last season and we will definitely be looking to build on that under Krumesh, it’ll be a good year.”

Coach Patel was pleased to see the rosters continuing to build with consistency in Hayward’s return!

He added: “It’s always great to bring back a scoring threat in the guard position especially when it is someone that enjoys defending the ball so aggressively.

“Dee has been great for the Riders over the last two years and enjoys a good battle, so to see her re-join the programme for a third year is a welcoming sight.”

“Her ability to stretch the floor and her quickness will help us and the dynamic combination of Hayward and Smith will be another year season stronger so it’s exciting to see what will come this year.”

Be sure to follow @RidersWomen on social media for further roster updates coming soon.