A simple Facebook post from former Hume City Broncos star Yinka Olorunnife has led to her returning to the Big V state championship club.
In the Broncos’ 2013 championship year, Olorunnife was their MVP and named among the league’s all-star five.
Current Broncos coach Katrina Hibbert was among Olorunnife’s teammates in 2013 and says: “She had finished her degree and decided she wanted to play basketball again. She posted on Facebook something about missing basketball and I said, ‘I know a club where you’re always welcome’.
“Sharon [Milner, a former teammate of both of them] then posted, ‘I hear you’re moving back to Melbourne’, and it went from there.”
The signing of Olorunnife will give the Broncos one of the most dominant centre pairings in the league, with reigning two-time league MVP Colleen Plantea also returning.
Olorunnife averaged 15 points a game in 2013, while Plantea has averaged 22-plus points in both her seasons at the club.
Hibbert said Olorunnife would fill a void left by Nicole McMahon, who has departed to travel in Europe. “Yinka will push Colleen at training and complement her on court.”
McMahon is the only player leaving the team, which is set to have a squad of 13 with three other players stepping up to join it.
Vic Metro under-20 player Monique Andrioulo returns to her junior club, while Nikki Spencer and Sophie Byrnes will combine commitments with the women’s and youth women’s teams.
“Nikki adds a bit of height to the team,” Hibbert said.
“Sophie will add speed and push opponents to guard her closely.”
Hibbert said adding the four players would add new faces to a core group that had remained stable in the past two years.
“New players pushing for minutes always challenges people.
“The likes of Mua Laloifi stepped up in finals and will continue to grow.
“Our depth is getting better and it will help us get the best out of Colleen; it will make us difficult to guard.”
Hibbert is leading a revamped Broncos coaching panel, with former championship- winning coach Warren Taylor stepping away from the club. He was assistant coach last season.
Hannah Lowe has come on board as an assistant coach, as has Sally Braybon, who has stepped up from the Broncos youth women’s side.
“Hannah was a coach with the under-16 state team and I asked if she wanted to come to the Broncos,” Hibbert said.
“She said she was looking for a new challenge, and it’s nice to have different voices.”
