Izzy Borlase admits her homecoming will be "bittersweet", given she left her former side because it was in limbo.
The star guard will take on the Adelaide Lightning for the first time on Tuesday night after signing with the Bendigo Spirit in the off-season.
She left her hometown after the Lightning's former owners relinquished the club's licence, forcing her to become a free agent.
Borlase was swept up by Spirit coach Kennedy Kereama and courted by senior players Marianna Tolo and Kelsey Griffin before she made the move.
Now, she's found Bendigo to be the "best fit" and a decision she is yet to regret.
Still, leaving Adelaide was no easy task, even if the club changed radically from the one Borlase knew.
The South Australian government and the WNBL's new owners stepped in to fund the side in May, and the club was saved.
But Borlase had told two of her closest friends, Tayla Brazel and Steph Talbot, she was going to Bendigo.
"I wanted to bring a championship home. I wanted to do that with Steph, and it's sad we didn't get to do that," Borlase told AAP.
"It'll be exciting to play against them, but that hasn't happened in a while, so it might feel a bit funny.
"Adelaide rebranded their whole identity. It'll be bittersweet."
Brazel says the move was unsurprising as Borlase wass aiming to make the WNBA next year.
The pair have grown up as best mates, playing basketball from the age of 12 and living only streets away from each other.
Brazel missed playing a final season with her best friend after being sidelined with an ACL injury.
"At the end of the day, she has to do what's best for her, and I knew it wasn't going to change our friendship. It was obviously not great, but it is what it is," Brazel told AAP.
"We're super competitive with one another. We're happy to be playing against each other now."
Now that Brazel is at full strength, she is eager to test herself against Borlase, who is averaging 20.8 points per game, the second most in the WNBL.
"Being one of my good friends, I'm happy to see her thriving and doing really well. But, when the time comes, I'm going to try and stop that," Brazel said.
"Coming back from my second ACL, I just really felt like staying home was right for me.
"I definitely am a lot stronger physically. Maybe if I hadn't done my ACL, I wouldn't be as strong as I am now."
