Veteran cager Jack Animam signed with Polish club Energa Torun for her return in the European basketball scene.

Head coach Elmedin Omanić expects the 27-year-old Animam to make a huge impact on the squad.

“I wanted her on the team right after her first season in Serbia, where she demonstrated her potential. That was when we met and spoke a few times, but then she suffered a serious injury,” Omanić said of the Pinay cager, who turned heads while playing for the ŽKK Radnički Kragujevac in Serbia.

The National University product is coming off a championship campaign in Japan with Denso Iris in the Women’s Japan Basketball League last April.

“Now we have a Japanese champion on our roster, which is a success for our club. Animam wanted to play in Europe and work with me, and that was one of the reasons we were able to bring her here,” the Energa Torun mentor said.

Animam is expected to fortify her squad’s frontline and her experience playing overseas will help the team in its pursuit of a first-ever title in the Basket Liga Kobiet.

Animam is set to be the first Filipino player to suit up for the Polish club.

“Interestingly, she also knows La Mama (Kapinga-Maweja), so she almost certainly sought out opinions about our club. She has her weaknesses, but she is a hard worker and will bring real quality to the paint,” Omanić said.

Animam brings with her a wealth of international experience after playing at both club and international stages.

She has competed in Serbia, France, China, Australia, Romania and Japan, and was a regular member of Gilas Women.

In the FIBA Asia Cup last year, she averaged 10.4 points and 10 rebounds in five games.