Portland's Nicola Handreck joins NBL1 North team Sunshine Coast Phoenix

The point guard will represent Malta in June in the FIBA European Championships for Small Countries.

She will suit up for NBL1 North club Sunshine Coast Phoenix on either side of the European tournament, starting with her debut on Friday night.

Handreck, who moved to Queensland with partner Brandon at the start of April, said she was excited to play high-level basketball for two different teams.

The Phoenix will start its season with a road double-header against Rockhampton and Mackay this weekend.

"My partner and I bought a place up here and someone saw on Facebook that we'd moved up and she reached out to the coach and told them," she told The Standard.

"He (Darren Browne) got in contact with me to see if I was interested in playing.

"I am super excited. If I stayed in Melbourne I was going to be playing with an (NBL1 South) team there but since we were moving up I didn't commit to anywhere.

"I was just going to reach out and train with them (Phoenix) as I am heading to Malta to train with them in June for a FIBA tournament.

"Darren mentioned they didn't have a point guard and they'd be keen to bring me on for the season even though I'd be missing a month of it.

"It's all slotted into place and worked out really well."

Handreck is happy to fill any role required and "go with the flow".

"We have a couple of imports coming in so that will be really good to help out the team," she said.

"I am not sure where that will put me in the roster but I think between myself and one of the imports we'll be rotating one and two.

"There's no particular goals, I am just really excited to get out there and play with another team."

Handreck, who led Portland Coasters to the Country Basketball League title in February during a pitstop in the south-west, has dual Australian and Maltese citizenship through her grandparents.

She has represented Malta twice and is excited to suit up for the country again.

"They reached out so I'll be heading over in June for a month for a training camp and the tournament in Cyprus," Handreck said.

The former Warrnambool Mermaid is settling into her new home in Coolum Beach, having spent time in America and the United Kingdom in recent years.

"We're really happy with where we've ended up; it feels like we're on holidays really," she said.

It follows a stay in Victoria in her home town of Heywood.

"It was lovely. Catching up with friends and family I hadn't seen in a long time was good and especially with CBL, we won the championship and it was an awesome time with that team, getting to know new girls around the area and the talent we've got coming up there.

"It was a really awesome and valuable few months back home."

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