Players WBBL Roster
Jessica Eadsforth-Yates penned a new deal with the club in the summer to return for a third season, after signing a two-year deal in 2022.
The Charnwood graduate originally signed from the Newcastle Eagles two years ago, where she spent her first professional season.
The deal includes her coaching at Loughborough University, where she will take the reins of Women’s BUCS 2s.
Kaia Harrison signed in the summer 0f 2024.
The American guard joined the Riders for her first professional season after playing five years at Wake Forest. In her graduate year, Harrison averaged 8.9 points per game, and finished her collegiate career with 145 games played, the second most in school history.
Harrison, a New York native, helped the Demon Deacons to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 33 years as a sophomore. She was the team’s second-leading scorer in her final collegiate season, adding electric energy to both ends of the court.
“KJ” is a Charnwood product, joining the Academy in 2020.
In 2021/2022, the versatile wing averaged 19.3 points and 11.7 rebounds in the WEABL and made the All-First Team in the Northern Conference.
She was also named to the Women’s NBL Division One British Team of the Year with the Loughborough Riders, putting up 13.5 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game.
Shae Sanchez signed for the Riders in the summer.
Sanchez has prior experience in British basketball, having suited up for Manchester Mystics for the 2022-23 season. The 5’9” guard put up 13.2 points and 5.6 rebounds per game from the backcourt, finishing the season as Manchester’s second-leading scorer.
Prior to her professional career, Sanchez spent four seasons in college, spending her junior and season years with Northeastern State University. As a senior, she averaged 9.6 points per game and dished 80 assists, which tied a programme record.
She played two seasons at College of Sequoias in Visalia before to landing in NSU, and recorded 13.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.5 steals per game in her sophomore year. Sanchez earned Central Valley Conference First Team honours both seasons, and was named First Team CCCAA All-State as a sophomore and Third Team as a freshman.
Leicester Riders signed Elise Tweedie this offseason.
The 21-year-old Scot joins from the University of Edinburgh, where she graduated this summer.
Tweedie played two seasons for her home country Caledonia Pride in the Women’s British Basketball League. The 6’4” center averaged 4.5 points and 4.2 rebounds and played 23 games in 2021/22.
Tweedie will also compete for Loughborough University, where she will complete her master’s degree. The club would like to thank the University for their support.
Abboud is an Israeli international, who joined from Maccabi Ramat Gan in the Israeli Premier Division.
She represented her country in the 2021 European Championships and has regularly played for the Israeli senior team since 2018.
In 2018, the Nazereth-native was named the first-ever Arab-Israeli captain of an Israeli Premier League team by Hapoel Petah Tikva.
In college, Abboud suited up for Northwestern State University, averaging 8.4 points per game as a junior while starting 28 games.
Dunsire, a 6’0” forward, has represented Loughborough Riders Women’s in the WNBL Division One since 2021, averaging 5.1 points per game last year.
She has made appearances for Leicester Riders team over the past three seasons, and suits up in Riders red under Head Coach Ben Stanley in 2024-25.
Dunsire is a product of the Riders’ player progression pathway, seeing her rise through the ranks of Loughborough University while featuring on the women’s professional team, to now signing as a full time squad member and a valuable contributor to the side.
Leicester Riders signed of Brooke Bigott in the summer of 2024.
The American wing signs from Dutch side Den Helder in the BNXT league. She averaged 12.1 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game in 24 appearances for the Suns, putting up a season-high 23 in March.
Bigott’s season with the Den Helder Suns was her first in professional basketball, following her five year collegiate career with Appalachian State University.
There, she started all 31 games in her graduate year, scoring 188 points on the year with an average 6.1 per game. Bigott was the Mountaineers’ top scorer in two games and was the top rebounder in seven.
Ben Stanley was appointed as head coach at the beginning of the 2023/24 season, following his success with Team Solent Kestrels in the women’s NBL Division One. He was named NBL Coach of the Year after a league-winning campaign in his first season with Solent.
This followed a near decade-long association with Nottingham Hoods, as a player from 2013 and as head coach until 2022.
2018 WBBL Trophy
2019 WBBL Trophy
2020 WBBL Trophy
2021 WBBL Cup
