Spanish champions Ros Casares have snapped up Greece international forward Evani Maltsi.

The 28-year-old, who spent last season at French side Bourges, has agreed an initial one-year deal with Ros which ties her to the Valencia-based side until the end of the 2007/08 campaign.

Her signing means Ros have lured two important players from Bourges in the last two seasons, with Laia Palau electing to leave the French giants to return home to Spain before the 2006-07 campaign.

		Maltsi played for Bourges against Ros in the EuroLeague Women semis. Now she will join Casares.

Maltsi averaged 12.8 points and 4.1 rebounds per game during last season's EuroLeague Women, helping Bourges reach the Final Four where they lost 73-59 to Ros in the semi-finals.

Maltsi could only score eight points in that match against Ros, but then produced a superb display in the third-place play-off against CSKA, pouring in 24 points in a 68-59 defeat.

Such was Maltsi's impressive displays for Bourges, she was selected for the EuroLeague Women All Star Game in March - which was played in Valencia.

Ros Casares coach Manolo Real said of the 180-cm forward: "She is an excellent scorer who can also defend without any problems. She will also give us greater speed on the counter-attack."

Prior to joining Bourges in 2006, Maltsi spent two seasons in Spain playing for Mann Filter Zaragoza and Real Club Celta Vigourban, while she has also represented Greek sides Panathinaikos and Ment earlier in her career.

Internationally, Maltsi helped Greece reach the quarter-final of the 2004 Olympics in her home country, while she could also have a key role to play during this summer's EuroBasket Women in Italy.

Greece have been drawn alongside the host nation, France and Russia in Group C of the tournament, which starts in September.