Steph Talbot re-signs with Adelaide Lightning in WNBL

Adelaide head coach Kerryn Mitchell spoke on the importance of retaining the franchise’s star player with The Next: “It’s really important for the South Australian people to have South Australian products on the roster. Especially young girls, so that they can identify with and go, ‘Alright, well, she was me once and now she’s there, so I can do that.’

“I think it’s really important for the fans that are already ticket holders of the Lightning, that continuity for them is probably really important as well. I would think when you’re a member, you want your players to return. You want players that you know that you love watching. You want that from the season. So the fact that we’ve been out to keep Talbot, I think, is really important for the local fan.”

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Talbot will serve as connective thread in an otherwise uncertain stretch for the Lightning, but the team will enter a period of stability, ensured for at least three seasons. “I love the club,” Talbot told The Next. “We had a bit of drama last year and a lot of turnover, new owners, new coach, and just to be a part of the rebuild there, kind of … similar to what we’ve done in Golden State, is special.”

She has been the ultimate team player with the Golden State Valkyries, with the occasional high-scoring game. On Wednesday, June 26, Talbot had 13 points, five rebounds, and three assists while shooting 3-for-5 from beyond the arc as the Valkyries fell short against Australian Opals head coach Sandy Brondello and her New York Liberty, 81-78.

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In the prior game, Talbot pulled down 10 rebounds against the Connecticut Sun. This game prompted Natalie Nakase to share her thoughts on Talbot’s selflessness to assembled media at a press conference.

“What I love about Steph is she knows how to impact the game in any way,” Nakase told media. “You know, I really felt the last game she defended, [and] it just really wasn’t highlighted. It wasn’t on the stats, but she defended multiple people. Caitlin [Clark], she defended [Aliyah] Boston, she defended so many people, and tonight she comes in, and she just was moving that ball, making the right reads.

“And then again, we emphasize tonight, our goal was to out-rebound Connecticut, and then look what she does. So basically, whatever I think our key points are, she just takes ownership, and that’s what we need, and that’s what I love about Steph. It’s like she’s willing to do whatever it takes to win.”

It’s one thing for a player to say they’re team first, it’s another thing to do it, and it’s another thing again for your head coach to make a point of endorsing that silent part of your game.

Talbot has been a dependable contributor on any team and in every competition. It isn’t always on the scoreboard; in fact, it rarely is. It’s about making all the other plays and doing the dirty work. In the 2022 FIBA World Cup, she earned an All-Star Five selection while averaging just 8.5 points.

“She’s good in transition, she’s so fast and so powerful,” Mitchell said. “And she has really great moves in transition, so she’s dangerous in transition. She’s deadly from the three.

She’s really good in the pick and roll, so I think the fans are going to really enjoy watching her decision-making in the pick and roll because she’s actually elite at it. I didn’t know that about her as an [opposing] coach until I started really watching film when I got this job, and she’s actually really elite. … She’s built like a superhero. She’s just really immaculate, physically.”

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There’s a bit of everything in Talbot’s offensive game, to pair well with her physical condition and athleticism. Her defensive abilities have always been the driving force of her game, as Nakase mentioned. Talbot’s game-saving block against Belgium in the bronze medal match of last year’s Olympics rings true in all Aussie basketball fans’ minds.

Talbot has spent the past six WNBL seasons with Adelaide, where she has earned three All-WNBL selections and won an MVP. She also started her career with the club, where she won WNBL Rookie of the Year. All of her success in the WNBL has happened with the Lightning.

“It’s my home club,” Talbot said. “It’s amazing to be able to play at a high level and play in your home city, especially when I spend half the year in the U.S.

“It’s just nice to be close to my partner, my family and my friends.”

The WNBL free agency has been heating up lately, and landing a key piece has never been more crucial for Adelaide, amid the change in ownership.

“We’re still in the process,” Mitchell said. “It helps because when you are trying to recruit other players, you can say, you will be playing with Steph. She’s a marquee player, I think it’s definitely helpful when you’re putting the other pieces together to know that you’ve got her locked in the three, and then you’re building around her.”

With three and a half months until the start of the season, Adelaide has just four players on its roster. Talbot was one of the biggest dominoes in the WNBL’s free agency period and is certainly the most important move of the Lightning’s offseason. It will be interesting to see how the club builds its foundation for the next three years.

The Next’s Matthew Walter contributed reporting for this story.