A Harrower patrolling the Red Energy Arena floorboards, coaching basketball at NBL1 level - it's a sight that Bendigo basketball fans should savour.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Unfortunately, Kristi Harrower will be plotting the downfall of the Bendigo Braves rather than helping the club to another victory.
Bendigo basketball's greatest product returns to her hometown on Saturday as coach of the NBL1 South women's leading team the Keilor Thunder.
Right beside her will be her father, Bernie, the most successful Bendigo Braves' coach in club history and two-time WNBL championship winner with the Bendigo Spirit is an assistant coach with the Thunder.
In her first season with the Thunder, Kristi has taken Keilor from 16th last year to first this season with a 15-1 record.
"I didn't think we'd be sitting 15-1, but we have such a great group of girls,'' Kristi said.
"When I was appointed my aim was to follow the same path that Dad did when he coached - recruit great people and have great chemistry and, hopefully, keep this team together around Keilor for a few years.
"The girls make my job much easier. They play well together and they've bought into the structures that I've put in place. I'm really enjoying it."
BENDIGO BRAVES WITHOUT KEY PLAYERS
On Saturday night the Thunder come up against a Braves side depleted by the absence of Amy Atwell and Ally Wilson on international duties.
"We're leading into finals and we want to keep top spot, so we need to make sure we keep building on what we've been doing,'' Harrower said.
"We need to make sure we don't take them lightly because they're a team that plays well together and has been together for a while.
"We need to play hard and get the job done."
Kristi's coaching career has taken off in the past couple of years.
From an assistant coaching role with Melbourne Boomers in the WNBL, Kristi has had an assistant coaching role with the Opals and was recently appointed head coach of WNBL club the Southside Flyers.
"It's all happened quite quickly, which I didn't expect,'' Kristi said.
"It makes a big difference when you have players that want to learn and they're happy with your system. Keilor is a great association, they really look after me and respect me.
"It's a big jump up from NBL1 to the WNBL, but I'm looking forward to the Flyers job and we're doing the hard part of the job now, which is recruiting.
"Southside is a great club that has been quite successful over the years and, hopefully, we can put together a team that can make finals.
"For me, it's about giving back the experiences that I had in my playing career. I want to bring back the thinking game and the power game - something that is lost in today's basketball.
"I was always a thinking player and I want to give that back to the girls to help with their development."
So when the Thunder and Braves do battle on Saturday night will we see some familiar plays that we saw during the Braves' and Spirit's glory days?
"There is a bit of the old stuff in the play book,'' Kristi said with a chuckle.
"I love the system that Dad put in place and I loved his offences. Some of them were stuff I brought back from my playing days overseas, but I enjoyed playing in that system."
The Braves-Thunder women clash starts at 5pm with the men's game to follow from 7pm.
The Braves will host a special ceremony on Saturday night to retire the numbers of four of the club's most loyal players.
Gabe Richards, Jane Chalmers, Chris Hogan and Taylor Bell won multiple championships and played thousands of games in stellar careers for the Braves.
They'll join a list that includes Kristi Harrower, Andrea Walsh, David Flint, Steve Kelly and Ricky Daniels to have their numbers retired by the club.
