MERSIN (EuroLeague Women 2017) - There will be plenty of excitement amongst fans of Mersin Buyuksehir as the Turkish club continue to assemble a roster they hope can put them on the EuroLeague Women map during their rookie campaign in the competition.

They have certainly made a good start to their summer recruitment after turning to some experienced national team players and particularly Gintare Petronyte and Frida Eldebrink.

Lithuanian standout Petronyte is a double-double waiting to happen in any game and comes back to the competition having played in EuroCup Women last season for Dike Napoli. She has previously played in Turkey with both Galatasaray and Homend Antakya.

The size of Petronyte in the paint will help Mersin match-up with their opponents under the basket and Eldebrink brings a scoring touch to the backcourt. The Swedish star can score and create at the highest level and will suit up for her seventh EuroLeague Women club, having also played on Turkish soil in recent years with Besiktas JK.

Meanwhile Marissa Coleman played at Final Four earlier this year in Istanbul with Fenerbahce and the small forward will complete a switch to Mersin to bring WNBA quality to the table.

Another ex-Fenerbahce player and former Turkey national team center Kristen Vatansever will also take to the floor in a Mersin vest.

Perhaps the club’s biggest off-season signing has been the capture of Tiffany Hayes. Averaging 30 minutes per outing with the Atlanta Dream during the current WNBA campaign, the guard was one of the best players in the Turkish League last season and dropped almost 18 points per game with Yakin Dogu University.

 FIBA