MUNICH (Germany) - A glut of players will all take their first footsteps in the EuroLeague Women Regular Season and we have picked out seven names to follow.

Sami Whitcomb - BLMA

Having propelled BLMA to the EuroCup Women Final last season and also Australia to the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup Final last year, Whitcomb will now transfer her talents to EuroLeague Women. She is a heartbeat player for BLMA who can shoot the lights out on any given night. An explosive scorer, she is also smart and team-orientated too. If BLMA want to improve on their dreadful record the last time they appeared in the Regular Season, having Whitcomb firing on all cylinders will be essential. She brings the hustle, passion and fire too!

Jonquel Jones - UMMC Ekaterinburg

 
Busy trying to land a WNBA title with Connecticut Sun, the belated debut of Jones in EuroLeague Women will come around late November or early December when she will finally be registered to play and get onto that UMMC roster. It has been a long time coming, with Jones having played for much of her career in Asia alongside her WNBA outings. Last season she did get to wear the famous UMMC vest but it was only in the Russian League. Excitement will reach peak levels when we finally get to one of the most powerful and potent frontcourt players in the women's global game. 

Bec Allen - Arka Gdynia

 
There is of course a slight irony in having Allen on this list because Arka Gdynia completed their brilliant road win in the Qualifiers against Botas without the use of their star forward. Allen was busy on the other side of the world with the Opals on international duty, She showed her value with a super showing for Australia at the FIBA Women's Asia Cup in India where she was named to the All-Star Five. Her scoring and rebounding will be important, in what feels very much like an overdue Regular Season debut - having returned to play and finish the job in the Qualifiers home leg against Botas.

Diamond DeShields - Famila Schio

 
If you drew up a list of players globally who you wanted to see finally land in EuroLeague Women, there is no doubt that DeShields would be on it and somewhere near the top. A super scoring machine in the WNBA with Chicago Sky, she has also shown her abilities with the USA who rode to victory in the FIBA Women's AmeriCup in Puerto Rico. recently. A gold medal added to her collection, she will now turn her attention to doing the business for Schio. They needed to replace the offensive output lost with the summer departure of Allie Quigley and it will be her Sky teammate who will look to now fill that void. 

Stephanie Mavunga - BLMA

 
The eye-popping numbers posted by Mavunga in EuroCup Women last season at Enisey Krasnoyarsk always pointed towards her being snapped up by a club intent on EuroLeague Women participation and so it has proven. The powerful performer has already imposed herself during the recent qualifiers in the competition and having racked up an astonishing 24 points and 12 boards last year in EuroCup Women as the leading scorer and rebounder,  her opponents in the paint had better brace themselves. Stepping up in class should not be an issue for Mavunga who is taking everything in her stride. 

Kitija Laksa - TTT Riga

 
To have missed out on the FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2019 on home soil with Latvia was a hammer-blow to Laksa as she continues to search for full health and fitness in the wake of her ACL injury which she sustained late last year while at the University of South Florida. Back in her homeland at TTT Riga, she will be keen to make up for some lost time and her shooting talents  from all over the floor, but especially from long-range will be at the heart of her team trying to replicate their stunning run to the Quarter-Finals in 2018-19. 

Elisa Penna - Reyer Venezia

 
It was a close-run thing, but Reyer Venezia finally got to punch their ticket back to the Regular Season for the first time in a decade after squeezing out DVTK in the Qualifiers. It also means that we will now get to see Penna making her Regular Season debut in the competition. While she may not yet be a standout like some others on the list and a regular headline grabber, her role and potential should still be recognized. The Wake Forest graduate is preparing for her rookie pro-season with Venezia and also looking to grow in that famous Italian national team vest too during the FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2021 Qualifiers. It's certainly looking like a big few months ahead for the forward. 

FIBA