The St. Louis Surge family will be forced to say good-bye to a key member of the 2014 championship squad. Hannah Weedman will depart this Wednesday, February 18 for Australia to continue her basketball career with the Latrobe City Pacers.

Weedman was on the lookout for new basketball opportunities and was happy to find one in Australia.

“It was most definitely exciting finding out that this Australian team had interest in me,” said Weedman. “I found out that there were interested in me about a month and a half before Christmas and I officially signed my contract a few weeks before Christmas.”

The Surge will miss Weedman’s presence in the paint and wish her the best with all of her future endeavors. She was able to grow into a new role as a forward with the Surge and showed tremendous improvement. She played a major role in the team’s 2014 WBCBL Championship. Despite leaving for this new opportunity, Hannah still attributes a lot of her skills and success to her years with the Surge.

“The coaches helped me grow mentally and physically stronger,” claims Weedman. “The Surge helped me transition into a new position as a forward.”

This trip will definitely be new territory for Weedman who has never actually left the United States. Not only will she be gracing a different jersey this season, but she will also be doing so with a totally new lifestyle. It has always been her dream to play in Australia, and she will be able to live it out for Latrobe City.

Basketball isn’t the only thing that Weedman is excited about however, “I’m looking forward to the friendships that I’ll build and the places that I will see,” Weedman began, “this a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

Hannah sees this trip as a chance to enhance her basketball ability. However, she also believes that it will serve as a valuable non-athletic learning experience that she can grow from.

“What I’ll miss most about the Surge is the family I’ve already built,” Weedman exclaimed. “We became a family last summer, so I’ll miss the bond we had and seeing their smiling faces at practices, games and events.” Weedman has stressed the fact that she will never forget her experiences with the Surge.

Even though Weedman is leaving, don’t rule out a return. The forward states that she would “love to come back and continue to be a part of the Surge.” Her experience with the St. Louis squad has been huge influence on her basketball career. Hannah respects all of the strides that are being made to enhance the organization and believes the team is a “true inspiration.”

The Surge family wishes Hannah the best of luck with Latrobe City Pacers, and hope she succeeds and brings her game to a new level!