Following the official announcement of EuroCup Women’s basketball for Gladiators this morning, the club can confirm their first new signing in Kirsty Brown, who will join the squad after playing her rookie professional year with Leicester Riders.
‘KB’, who has a lot of Scottish family, returns to the country for the first time since she left for California at the age of six.
The move to East Kilbride is a big one for both parties, as Kirsty proved in her first professional campaign last year proved to be one of the best young bigs in the WBBL. In the Midlands, she averaged 6.7 PPG, 6 RPG, and 1.8 APG, contributing in a big way to Leicester’s third-place finish and three finals appearances (Cup, Trophy, Playoffs).
In the summer, Brown was a part of GB’s camps, having previously been in the 12-player squad that qualified the nation for EuroBasket last year. She played alongside Chantelle Handy in that squad, and Robyn Lewis and Erin McGarrachan in this summer’s outings.
During her collegiate career, Kirsty spent four years at Cal Poly Mustangs, averaging 8 PPG, 6.5 RPG, and 0.8 APG in her senior year (21/22 campaign).
Upon signing, Kirsty Brown said: “It definitely feels like a homecoming for me. I have so much family around here, so it’s going to be exciting for them to come to games at Playsport. I can already feel the culture of the Gladiators.”
KB joins Erin McGarrachan, Chantelle Handy, and Robyn Lewis as the start of a solid core for the team. Season ticket confirmations and further roster developments in the coming days and weeks.