Izzy Borlase has won the WNBL’s Suzy Batkovic MVP Award, becoming the youngest player in more than a decade to achieve the honour.
Borlase has lit up the competition this season, the league’s most prolific scorer producing multiple game-defining performances and leading the Bendigo Spirit to the finals.
At the Australian Museum in Sydney on Monday, the 21-year-old Opal was rewarded for her efforts, becoming the youngest winner since WNBA All-Star Liz Cambage won it in 2010/2011 as a 19-year-old.
Borlase joins a list of WNBL and Opals legends who have won the award at a young age, including Lauren Jackson (17) and Penny Taylor (19).
This season Borlase has averaged 22.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists a game, while making nine in 10 of her free throws.
She also became the 11th player in the league’s history to register 42 or more points in a game, when she bucketed 42 points against the Southside Melbourne Flyers on January 21.
It was the first time a player had recorded that tally since Taylor in 2002.
After being drafted by the Atlanta Dream in 2024, the award will only strengthen Borlase’s case to play in the WNBA this season.
The competition for the WNBL’s top individual honour was tough, with Perth Lynx’s Anneli Maley a contender, having on Saturday registered the league’s first triple-double since January 2025. Maley, who was the fans’ MVP, was also the league’s top rebounder (14.26 per game).
The Townsville Fire’s Courtney Woods was also in the mix after leading her team to the minor championship and winning the Golden Hands Award for posting the best assist-to-turnover ratio (6.7 assists, 1.9 steals and 3.2 turnovers a game).
Ultimately, the coaches, captains and a dedicated awards panel chose Borlase, who headlines the All-WNBL first team, alongside the competition’s second-highest scorer Mackenzie Holmes, Opal Ally Wilson, Maley and Woods.
The Spirit’s coach, Kennedy Kereama won the Coach of the Year gong after steering Bendigo to a third-place finish with a 16-7 record.
Kereama was tasked with leading a much younger and mostly unknown team after the reigning premiers lost stars Veronica Burton and Sami Whitcomb in the off-season.
Opal Marianna Tolo (pregnancy) also left midway through the campaign, while WNBL champion Casey Samuels (foot) has yet to play.
Dallas Loughridge capped off her successful season for the Adelaide Lightning be being named Breakout Player of the Year.
The 22-year-old was a beacon of light in Adelaide’s season of struggle, averaging 16.35 points, 3.96 rebounds and 3.35 assists a game.
Perth’s towering superstar Han Xu claimed the Defensive Player of the Year award, despite not playing until round seven.
Han leads the All-WNBL Second Team, which also includes Perth’s Alex Ciabattoni, Bendigo’s Kelsey Griffin, Southside Melbourne’s Cayla George and Townsville’s Miela Sowah.
The best-of-three semi-finals tip off on Saturday between the Lynx and Spirit, before the Fire play the Flyers on Sunday.
