WOLFVILLE, N.S. – What brings a European to Canada to play university basketball? Ask Bianca Helmig, whose home is 5300+ kilometers east of Wolfville.

The Speyer, Germany native wanted to play college basketball, so she created a profile and had it sent to dozens of coaches in the US and Canada.

"Actually Len's (Harvey) email came pretty late. I almost went to a different college, but I then had my first meeting with him, and I loved it and realized this where I need to go", said Helmig.

Helmig played for the Eigner Angels Noerdlingen basketball team in the Damen-Basketball-Bundesliga premier women's basketball championship league in Germany before joining the Axewomen.

"We (Acadia) play a little faster and play less systems than in the German professional league. Most of the players now (at Acadia) are my age, rather than in Germany where most were older," noted Helmig.

Her experience and speed as a point guard seem to be her greatest asset with the Axewomen this season.

"I enjoy every part of the game, but I think with my footwork, the defensive game comes more easily to me. I love being aggressive by getting some steals or making it hard for the offensive player," said Helmig.

Axewomen head coach Len Harvey is thrilled with her defensive play.

"Bianca is incredibly athletic and has been really dedicated to defense since arriving here. We have guards on almost every team in our conference who are stars, so having a player like Bianca who can go out to defend against them is very important. Her offensive output is coming along as well. She's a skilled player and I think she is starting to adjust to our style of play, as well as the conference, very well," said Harvey.

Her experience so far at Acadia has been beyond expectations.

"I have awesome teammates who I look up to and can learn a lot from. Len also tells me a bunch of stuff, so I think there is a lot of room for improvement in many areas."

Harvey asks a lot from his athletes and Helmig is met and in some cases exceeded his expectations.

"Bianca is a real live-wire personality. She is intense and really loves basketball and competing, which makes her a great fit here. Beyond that though, she lights up every room she comes into. She has an incredibly sunny disposition and personality and is a joy to have around the team. I know she's universally loved by her teammates in short order, which speaks to how great of a person she is."

After eight games, the Axewomen are 6-2 with losses to Cape Breton and Saint Mary's and Helmig has started all eight games. Averaging 27 minutes a game, Helmig has posted 8.4 points per game – fifth among her teammates and is sixth in assists in the AUS.

How has Helmig adapted to head coach Len Harvey's style and the team's performance so far?

"He definitely is keeping us humble. We like where we are now, but we know there is a lot of work to do. We are taking it one game at a time. We know where we want to be at the end of the season, and we are not looking too far ahead."

"We're really glad she chose to come to Acadia, she's a great addition to our team," noted Harvey.

The Axewomen open the second half of the regular season at UPEI for two games this coming weekend including this Friday night at 6:00 pm and Saturday at 4:00 pm live on AUStv.ca

Interview of Bianca Helmig provided by AVR - The Axe Files - Len Hawley