How Amy Atwell unlocked the Bendigo Braves

Feature image via: Ian Knight Photography 

The Bendigo Braves have just completed a historically dominant NBL1 regular season, and have provided themselves the perfect platform with which to put last season’s Grand Final heartbreak behind them.

The Braves have put together a flawless 22-0 run in 2023, and as they re-tooled to attack the new campaign following last year’s loss to the Ringwood Hawks. They found the perfect piece that was missing in that so close, yet oh-so-far campaign: Amy Atwell.

Atwell has been an absolutely crucial piece to the Braves’ success this season. She averaged 24.6 points and 7.7 rebounds per game en route to the perfect, undefeated season, and added a new dimension to a team that has largely remained the same for a number of years.

She explained that despite missing a crucial chunk of the season due to her Opals commitments at the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup, the culture and chemistry head coach Mark Alabkov has built alongside a fluid system has allowed the team to continually adapt to whatever’s been thrown at them.

“I think everyone just wants to win. Most of these girls, minus me, have been playing together for a few years. So they know how to play with each other, they know what they're going to do and that kind of chemistry always helps,” she said. 

“I found it really easy just to kind of slot in because they've all played together so well. Obviously, Mark (Alabakov), we’ve got to give props to him as well… (he) makes us all easy to slot in here and there. I think, overall, it's just like really good people all around, which obviously makes your life a lot easier.

“I've never gone through a season undefeated I don't think. Definitely not my professional career anyway. It's definitely an unreal feeling and to go 22-0 is yes, crazy.”

Atwell explained that she likes to fly under the radar, despite being one of the team’s leading scorers – she has been in awe of Megan McKay’s dominance and Kelly Wilson’s leadership. 

“She has been definitely our most dominant player, night in and night out,” Atwell said of McKay.

“I don't know her previous stats, but I'd say [this has been] her best NBL1 season so far. She’s just continued to kill it and got even better since the season’s gone on too.

While the 39-year-old point guard who is leading the league in assists has been an excellent mentor and leader for the young Opal this season in Bendigo.

“Yeah, she's (Wilson)  just not slowing down, is she? She's just in her stride and keeps going," Atwell said. 

“She's just an insane person to learn from on and off the court, her knowledge and everything she sees on the court, it just has been so good to learn from this year and even in training.

“I'm just kind of sitting there sometimes I'm like, 'Wow how did you get that?' She shows no signs of slowing down. And it's been awesome being on the receiving end of some of the passes this year.” 

With an undefeated record, it’s hard not to look ahead to the 2023 Coles Express NBL1 National Finals. The Braves will be hungry to prove they can win the South, but go on to remain undefeated against the entire country. 

However, the Opal has not let that linger on her mind and is focusing on each game as they come to try to win it all. 

“We definitely want to get there (to the National Final). We haven't spoken about it as a team because it's kind of one game at a time,” she said.

“Obviously, we’ve still got to win three or four games before then to even get there and we got to go through some really tough teams. So right now, it's kind of as cliché as it sounds, It's like one game at a time and we are looking forward to this weekend, and the rest will take care of itself.” 

Watch the start of the NBL1 South Finals this weekend, with the Braves taking on Bec Cole’s Waverley Falcons on Saturday, from 6:00pm streaming live via NBL1.com.au or the NBL1 App here.