Capitals sign host of women's players ahead of NBL1 North

The Brisbane Capitals have announced the signings of Meg Essex, Emilee Tahata, Grace Champion, Grace George, Audrey Fuller, Ella Paleaae-Cook, Hannah Beede and Anna Cameron for the upcoming 2021 NBL1 North season. 

Essex has represented Queensland on the U18 and U20 State teams as well as earning a spot on the U19 Australian Oceania team. 

She attended NCAA Division 2 college, Newberry College and has played at state league level for the past few years. 

Essex is Brisbane's reigning women's MVP, winning the honour after the 2020 QSL season.

Tahata has been involved with the Tall Ferns as a member of the FIBA U17 World Cup and FIBA U18 3x3 teams.

She was also recently invited to the Asia Cup squad trials. 

Champion is a Brisbane Capitals junior and debuted for their QBL Women's team in 2017. 

In 2019, she played Division 1 College basketball for the Lancers at CBU in California.

George grew up playing junior basketball in Ipswich and was on the Queensland State team from 2015 to 2018. 

She was also selected for the 2017 Australian Sapphires and the FIBA Pacific Games teams. 

Fuller is a Capitals junior and was recently selected for the U20 Queensland State team to compete at nationals. 

She has also been offered a Division 1 basketball scholarship to Campbell University in North Carolina.

Fuller debuted for Brisbane's QBL team in 2019 and was also on its 2020 QSL team. 

Palaae-Cook grew up in Brisbane and has represented Queensland on multiple levels including the U16 Girls National Championship and U18 School Girls. 

She has also represented the NZ Tall Ferns at the FIBA Oceania competition where the team won a Silver medal. 

Palaae-Cook has also committed to Miles Community College in Montana. 

Beede and Cameron are both originally from New Zealand and former college ballers, with Beede spending time at Texas A&M and Cameron playing at the College of the Siskiyous. 

Cameron also had a stint at NCAA Division 1 college, the University of Nevada Reno in 2016. 

Before this, she played her junior basketball in Waikato.

Beede instead spent her junior years in the QBL, playing with the Northside Wizards, USC Rip City and the Gold Coast Rollers since 2013. 

The Capitals tip-off for 2021 at home against the Northside Wizards on Saturday 15 May.