Patterson will line up for the Shoalhaven Tigers in Saturday’s Women’s State League fixture, the side which will host the Goldminers in their second game of the new season.

Though the Tigers are for the most part an unknown quantity for the Bathurst outfit, co-coach Paul Masters knows that Patterson is a player who needs to be contained. 

She can shoot, she’s strong with or without the ball and more than anything she boast an unmatched competitive spirit.

But considering Patterson’s an ex-Goldminer, Master also knows his side has the knowledge to stop the diminutive guard having too big an influence on the game.

"They've got Olivia Patterson playing for them, she played for us for a few years. That gives us a bit of added motivation - we don't want to lose,” Masters said.

“We know how to stop her and I think we have the girls to do that, they are very smart basketballers.

“But we've got to play as a team and not just focus on one player as well.

"They have picked up a girl - Kate Bellamy - who played college basketball for four years like Haylee [Lepaio] and has had the same sort of results as Haylee - she has come out pretty strong.

"I don't know if they'll be as strong as last year.

“They used to have Misty Collins - she played for Bathurst years ago - she has retired and they have lost a couple of other kids as well.

"They are a bit of a unknown factor, but they won their first game last weekend against Wagga by one.”

Bellamy, who represented Northeastern State in college basketball, scored 22 points in the Tigers’ 59-58 win over Wagga Wagga.

Like Patterson, she will be a threat.

Still, the Goldminers have plenty of potential match-winners in their squad as well.

Haylee Lepaio, who played her college basketball with Newberry, is likely to be absent but new Bathurst recruit Sophie Kleeman, who moved to Orange from Newcastle recently, will give the team height and plenty of invaluable experience as well.

Kleeman scored 16 points for the Goldminers last month when they won their season opener 74-28 against the St George Saints and was, simply, superb on debut.

Claire Woolmington scored a game-high 26 points in the season opener in a blinding performance, she’ll also play a huge role while guard Rachel Murray was the league’s most valuable player last season.

She’s valuable for obvious reasons.