Winning the Most Valuable Player in the London Lions' WBBL Cup final success clearly wasn't enough for Azania Stewart - she wants to win everything!
Veteran centre Stewart rolled back the years as Lions hammered Newcastle Eagles in the season's showpiece final, converting all of her shots on the way to a 20-point, six rebound performance. Now she wants more, starting with Sunday's BBL Trophy final against Sevenoaks Suns at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow.
"Who doesn’t want to win it all?" she asked "That would also part of my 'legacy' to be remembered for the impact I’ve helped deliver by coming here. I really enjoy how Sevenoaks play, they’re such a smart team and it should be a really good final, but we’ve just got to prepare the same way we have done all season.
"I’m just trying to help the team collect all the hardware that I can. It is important that the Lions achieve everything we can in the WBBL.
"These teams are all gunning for us, so we have to be prepared and ready for that challenge. I think I have another season left in me, but I don’t like to talk about tomorrow because today I have a game and so my focus is totally on that."
Stewart was part of the Great Britain team who performed well without getting a victory in the London 2012 Olympics, and she admits that the chance of finishing her career in the capital was a big factor in coming out of retirement to play for the Lions:
"Giving back was another big reason for me to come home" she said. "I know I only have one or two years left in me and I would like to finish my legacy not just at home, but with the girls that looked up to me and hand the baton over, in a sense. Their potential is sky high, but to achieve it takes a lot of learning."
Stewart has been a key member of the Lions team that goes into the final unbeaten in domestic competition. She is averaging 11.1 points, 6.7 rebounds and an impressive 2.9 assists in WBBL Championship games, despite playing just under 22 minutes per game.
The depth of Lions' roster has been key to their success as Suns' star player Cat Carr acknowledges:
"They have incredible depth on their team, able to play 10 to 12 players without really losing anything when they make substitutions" she said. "They share the ball so well and they play in a very similar style to us. They’ve brought back a lot of players from last year but bringing in Jo Leedham has taken them to another level entirely."
Coverage of Lions' WBBL Trophy starts on Sky Sports Arena at 12.30pm on Sunday with the men's BBL Trophy final following at 3.30pm
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