Kelly Wilson – In A League Of Her Own (450 Games)

Photo by Kelly Defina/Getty Images

Cast your mind back to January 2020, when Kelly Wilson broke the WNBL’s all-time games played record after playing her 395th game. Obviously a big moment for herself and the league but fast forward to today, four years later, January in 2024 has just ticked over and we’re still having the same conversation with Kelly.

She couldn’t help but to chuckle about that.

An all-time great of the game, Kelly Wilson is about to clock game 450 as her Bendigo Spirit face off against the Canberra Capitals this Thursday night, February 15th.

While I get the sense that she doesn’t absolutely love all the attention from the milestone, it was nice hearing the moments of reflection Kelly had when talking about reaching game 450.

“Maybe there’s an element of luck to it. But I don’t think that I would be still playing now if I didn’t enjoy the sport of basketball. So I just keep coming back to the fact that I like playing basketball.”

Another thing that was a big help: her additional job as a school teacher in Bendigo, which has made life easier on the court.

“It’s (basketball) also not always been my main focus, I’ve always kind of worked at the same time so I’ve never really seen it as a job if that makes sense. It’s never really been a chore to me.”

This isn’t just a recent thing either, Kelly has been working for almost 15 years as a teacher, so I had to throw out a witty line about clocking 450 classroom lessons too.

“No-one’s keeping track of those milestones. They’re probably more important.”

While we were joking around, I could tell that the last few words probably had an element of truth to them.

Stay ready

How often do you hear basketball players use that term?

There is good reason why.

It just makes sense. As a young player or even older player it’s hard to wait your turn. It’s challenging wondering if that moment for you to make the roster or get some minutes will ever come. But once it does, you better be ready for it, as Kelly explained.

“It’s sometimes hard to crack into it but there’s always going to be an opportunity, so when you get that opportunity it’s taking it and making the absolute most of it.”

She credited that as one reason why she has suited up for so many games.

Basketball is a habit now

An interview with Kelly from a couple of years ago has stuck with me. When asked about continuing to play for as long as she had been (referring to NBL1 at the time), she responded with explaining that it’s almost by accident that she keeps on playing every year.

When each season ended Kelly would essentially say to her family that she was done, “that’s enough for me.” But as the season inched closer and closer her enjoyment of the game won the battle, she eventually agreed to play that season despite never really planning to.

“It’s such a habit for me now, it’s obviously all I’ve known for a really long time so it’s kind of easy for me to fall back into that. The fact that my body feels fine so it’s kind of like, why not? If you’re enjoying it and still have a love for the sport that you’re playing then yeah, why not?”

Quite fascinating, and honest, at that.

“I think sometimes people view it as a job and sometimes it’s a chore to them but I sometimes look at it and I go well, I get paid to play sport, it’s pretty cool.”

It is cool, as is the fact that even after 20 years of playing, Kelly still has this perspective.

“If I’m being really honest, I didn’t necessarily see myself coming back after having a child and playing again at this level. These years or these games now are kind of just a bonus for me.”

The relationships in sport

Now, if you look at Kelly Wilson’s profile the list of accolades isn’t short. 4 x WNBL champion, WNBL Rookie of the Year and so on. But I very much enjoy asking about an almost underrated highlight of a someone’s playing career. Something that perhaps isn’t spoken about enough.

“Without a doubt the friendships I’ve made. I don’t even need to think about that. I’ve been really fortunate to have some amazing teammates, coaches, support staff, supporters and those connections and friendships that I’ve made will last hopefully a lot longer than my basketball career.”

The comradery of team sport is something that many athletes talk about once retiring. From what I’ve heard it’s rarely the on-court action that gets brought up first, it’s the relationships you make along the way and Kelly was very appreciative of hers.

“I think that’s (the) perspective of when you get older. When you’re younger obviously you’re kind of caught in that trap of trying to make it, you get to that certain point in your career where you’re like oh, this is what I actually cherish the most and this is what I place importance on.”

Shout out a few teammates, Kelly, go on.

The first one came as no surprise, sister and former teammate Andrea Wilson. Best friend Gabe Richards was next and lastly Kelsey Griffin who Kelly noted was a part of the reason why she continues to play on.

What motivates you?

After 20+ years of playing professionally, what is the motivation right now?

Before Kelly answered this she touched on motivation never really being a challenge for her. That she had always been internally motivated but besides from that it was clear that one thing stood out from the rest.

“I always want to make my family proud. My mum, dad, brothers, sisters, that kind of thing but now there’s an extra added element. It’s really special for me, for my husband and son to come and see me play. Whether or not he knows what’s going on on the sideline, just to see him there and be so excited to see me at the end of the game puts a huge smile on my face.”

Life after basketball

Now I hate to speculate but one would assume that not too many years of playing would be left for Kelly…

“I don’t think I have much left in the tank.” (laughs)

“At this age and this stage of my career I honestly don’t look far ahead. Like I mentioned, most of what I’m doing now is a bonus for me so if my body feels great and I still feel like playing, I will, but I genuinely don’t think about one season to the next anymore.”

The question is, once that time does come, what’s after playing basketball for Kelly Wilson?

“I think in some way, shape or form I’ll always be involved in the game.”

Time away from the court initially sounds like a certain thing for Kelly, but she talked about helping the youth and focusing on teaching them the game of basketball eventually. Her current teaching duties include the basketball program in Bendigo, so it lines up well.

Speaking of youths, maybe we’ll see another Wilson hit the court in a decade or so, her son, 3-year-old Ted who Kelly admits “couldn’t really care less about basketball” right now.

“I just want him to do whatever makes him happy and what he enjoys doing.”

Let’s get to 500

With game 450 here, I made sure Kelly understood the plan moving forward, reach game 500 and we’ll chat afterwards.

Kelly agreed to that plan (kind of).

“Let’s set a date for that, Darren.”

“I feel like 500 is a number to celebrate.”

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Shaneice Swain – Grateful For These Opportunities

Photo by Matt King/Getty Images

Shaneice Swain’s name had just been called at the WNBA Draft, number 14 overall to the LA Sparks - pretty surreal for a then 19-year-old from Cairns, North Queensland.

Shaneice was the only Australian drafted in the 2023 WNBA Draft and the buzz back home was electric. Everyone loves those stories and it helped that her game is an absolute joy to watch too.

She just finished showcasing this by capturing the attention of many you need to capture the attention of, at the Nike Hoop Summit in Portland, Oregon. Leading the scoring department with 19 points, it was clear what kind of talent Shaneice was after just 21 minutes of action with Team World.

Bound for the WNBA

Swain had all the buzz, people started to shift their attention to the WNBA and seeing the name S. Swain on a roster.

We will see that become a reality in a short period of time as she is now officially a member of the WNBA.

Shaneice admitted that she had a feeling that she was going to get drafted at number 12 or below, but forget the typical draft night set-up with family and friends gathered around a TV or better yet, being there in person, her whereabouts while getting drafted isn’t what you’d expect.

It’s not always bright lights and popcorn while getting drafted

On a plane home from the Nike Hoop Summit, weak Wi-Fi, not being connected for the majority of the flight, this will be interesting.

Signal found, better late than never as the flight was just about coming to an end but hello to the chaotic influx of notifications to Shaneice’s phone.

“It was very overwhelming.” (laughs)

Admitting to not knowing where to start, the first message she saw was from a family group chat and from there it was obvious what she had missed while being up in the air disconnected from the world.

Imagine gearing up for a massive milestone in your life, a dream being achieved and not even being able to live it in the moment. A strange yet almost wholesome way of achieving a goal of yours.

A really nice touch from the LA Sparks was actually surprising Shaneice in Los Angeles during a layover there and congratulating her in person. An important ‘first opinions matter’ type of moment, one that she said made her feel really good and one would assume really welcome.

Family, flowers and good vibes met her at the airport as she hit home back in Australia.

“Who’s one player, and one player only, that you are looking forward to competing with in the WNBA?” was a question that stumped Shaneice for a bit.

Deep in thought, her answer wouldn’t surprise anyone at all: “Diana Taurasi”.

A new chapter in Sydney

Things were looking pretty great from the outside for Shaneice. The WNBA was a real thing now, her life was about to change and to cap it off, she had one more exciting thing on the horizon which would come into effect earlier then the Sparks, that being a new team in the WNBL.

It’s become common for a young player to be drafted into the WNBA but to take a season or so to actually join the team, see Jade Melbourne and the Seattle Storm as an example of that.

Shaneice did the same, her Canberra Capitals stint was over and she had just signed a deal with the Sydney Flames to play this season in the WNBL. This mounted on top of the overall buzz from the WNBA situation.

“I was so excited for the season and starting with a new team. I was just so excited for it. To develop my game, take it to another level before looking to go over to LA.”

One thing stood in her way, those things we all hate called injuries.

A lingering knee injury caused Shaneice to sit out for the first 12 rounds of the 23/24 Cygnett WNBL season. The frustration had to be difficult to manage on her end but it even frustrated fans (myself included) as we were super eager to watch her play.

“I felt very isolated, just being by myself isolated.”

Being stuck at home by yourself while the team is on the road has to be a challenging situation as all you can do is clock watch and make as much progress as possible.

Shaneice explained that she’s very relaxed off the court so no new hobbies were found during her time rehabbing, just many chats with her two young nieces over the phone which spoke to what a family person she is.

Game one

The news was released, “Shaneice Swain to make Sydney Flames debut” and the excitement started to build. It may have taken to Round 13 but the time had come.

“In the lead up to it I was super excited, like so excited to play, counting down the days and then when it started getting a little closer… I was getting super nervous. Couldn’t sleep, thinking about everything that could happen in the game.”

Now I don’t know about you but when I watch Shaneice play one of the very first words that comes to mind is “confident” but that doesn’t stop the pre-game nerves.

“Before the game, I started feeling sick. I feel like that’s just how I’ve always been though. I was like that in Canberra.”

“You’ve played in the WNBL before, you’re stronger now, this isn’t new for you” were similar phrases Shaneice was saying in her mind to hype herself up.

“Once I got my first assist, my first bucket, I was rolling from there.”

It may be an awkward feeling coming back into the line-up with only a couple of games left in the regular season, but all Shaneice could say is that she’s grateful for the opportunity.

“I’m just grateful that I can play. Just being able to step out on court, some people don’t get that opportunity so I’m just super grateful for it.”

Under the radar talent

I love asking young stars this question.

Every player on the rise usually receives their own fair share of attention but I’m always curious who that next one will be. Who may potentially be where Shaneice Swain or Jade Melbourne are in a few years.

I asked Shaneice to give some love to someone potentially flying too far under the radar in the WNBL.

“I think Saffron Shiels. She’s pretty tough. She’s a big guard too. I like her game, she can handle the ball. If she really gets to play play, she’d be tough.”

For context, Izzy Borlase mentioned Saffron Shiels as well when I asked her this question so there’s one to jot down.

Next steps

As mentioned before, it’s an awkward thing to make your debut with a new side 13 rounds in, but I was curious on an individual level, what Shaneice was hoping to get out of the rest of the season.

“Even before I went into the season, I told myself I wanted to get better defensively. Just focus on defence and then I know my offence will come.”

Defence was emphasised by Shaneice which I quite enjoyed. Other notes were getting stronger and improving her decision making.

It took a while but her Sydney days are finally here. Let’s enjoy them as her next stop will be Los Angeles.

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Gemma Potter - Appreciating Every Moment

Photo by Kelly Defina/Getty Images

There’s many sides to a serious injury in sport, well, two serious injuries if we’re talking about specifics to Gemma Potter.

One side is the comeback story, but two is the ability to move on from it and put it in the past. The balance of moving on and keeping it positive but also reflecting on it as part of journey must be a challenging thing, even for someone like me who was about to talk to Gemma about it.

A brutal sequence of injuries

I was super keen to get an insight into what it was like to rupture not one, but two ACL’s in a matter of years but also wanted to keep the positive energy alive, much like her Canberra Capitals team which we will touch on later.

Gemma’s first ACL was done in May 2021 while competing in the National Championships.

Fast forward to the beginning of the 2022/23 WNBL season where she had fully recovered and whack, in round one it happens again.

Super rough. That moment must have been so tough to accept.

To work your way back, the grind, sitting on the sidelines all those months just waiting, only for it to happen again in your literal first game back is a horrible storyline.

Again, moving on from it must be a big challenge but it’s a part of Gemma’s story now. Question after question, point after point, I apologised for talking about the injuries straight away but she understood.

I had to bluntly ask if she ever got sick of talking about the injuries.

“Yes and no. I think it kind of reminds me of how far I have come and like, how these four wins… they mean a lot.”

I really liked this point. Imagine how much more you would cherish every game, every win, every loss now, knowing that at any stage you could miss the next season. It’s a brutal game.

It’s not even about the points, the rebounds, the assists, it’s simply about being out there and competing once again.

“Trying to keep it light this season, just get back to playing basketball, I kind of can’t be too hard on myself when I haven’t played in two years.”

Athlete’s overseas have often floated the idea that you can come back more athletic in some cases after suffering a serious injury. From a fans perspective I was always curious if that could be true and while Gemma wasn’t sold on the physical front, the mental side was a big yes. Mentioning that you certainly come back stronger mentally and things like your IQ for the game had most likely continued to increase.

The road to recovery

I had to talk about this, Gemma’s two Instagram posts in a row, a couple of years ago.

“Been on pause for 2 years and cannot wait to play again” was the caption that came with the first post.

“As many highs as there is, they’re going to be lows and last night was no different. Unfortunately scans have showed that I have ruptured my ACL and strained my MCL.” was the next post combined with a photo of Gemma down on the ground clutching at her knee.

Just a brutal sequence for someone at the beginning of their pro career.

“Something I can look back on and laugh about.”

I’m glad, as it was painful to even think about that moment as I read the two posts.

A light hearted moment was at the beginning of this season when another set of media day photo’s came out to the team. Keep in mind the post before her second ACL happened included media day shots. Gemma was explaining that in her mind it was like a “oh no I can’t post these, not after what happened last time” situation.

We’re all human, we all have these thoughts, even if it doesn’t impact the outcome whatsoever. The old social media / putting it out there curse.

I know you’re wondering so yes, she did end up posting the media day photo’s, but left the caption minimal.

“I kind of always expected myself to do a knee. I don't know if that makes sense when you say it loud.”

Sorry wait, what?

“A lot of people have like a severe injury within their career and I just knew that I was going to have one.”

I had to ask Gemma to elaborate as I was thrown off a bit by this comment!

“So the first one in a way didn't come as a surprise. I was like well, here it is.”

Please go on.

“I’m weird with stuff like that.”

You said that, not me.

“I wish I didn’t think like this.”

After the first ACL rupture Gemma said she basically felt like “yeah, this is great, I'm done now, I'm gonna have the best time in my career.”

I liked the positive outlook at the end at least, but what a hit to the gut when the second one happened.

“When it gets taken away, you can’t even go to the toilet without help. That’s when it kind of slaps you in the face with ‘we’re doing this again’.”

“There was definitely a time where the 9-5 job looked a lot nicer than learning to walk again.”

Well phrased, it really makes you think doesn’t it.

“I think being an athlete, the hardest part probably is the not competing.”

This makes a ton of sense, but don’t worry, during Gemma’s first stint on the sidelines she picked up a new hobby, a new thing to obsess over.

You guessed it, crochet.

(Don’t worry I had to google this too.)

“I was obsessed with it.”

“I was crocheting when I was going out to coffee with my friends and I was like making them all get into it.”

Gemma’s crocheting phase now sounds over, sadly, as she reminisced about the left over bags of thread / wool somewhere in the house.

“I was definitely in my crocheting prime.”

Besides from Gemma’s intense crochet phase, I was keen to know what her life outside of basketball included during this time. While insight proceeded, it was clear that it largely revolved around her “little best friend.”

“He’s my little best friend. Most trainings I will rush home so I can come hang out with him.”

Her dog, Jax, who she got when she did her second ACL. We all heard of ‘COVID pets’ but I personally think ‘ACL pets’ may be a little more special.

That’s enough about not playing yeah? Let’s get into some basketball and positivity.

A special team in Canberra

Describe this seasons Canberra Capitals team, I said.

Her face lit up immediately.

“Oh it’s so special.”

“We are probably the most annoying team because we could be down yet we're still having fun and laughing and if a team did that to us, we'd probably get annoyed, but we still do it to other teams. Not because we want to do it to them, but because that's just the culture that we've set up here. We have fun but once we step over that line we also know that we want to win. We have a job to do.”

I love it.

See, from an outside perspective you feel like this team love playing together. The fun, the laughter, all of it. But you never properly know what a team is actually like and what façade they might be putting on.

“I have so much fun day in and day out and it definitely does not feel like a job when you’re here.”

It’s clear that Canberra really do enjoy playing with one another and speaking of enjoyment, that had to lead into Jade Melbourne. We all know how much energy and positivity she brings to a group, but I had to ask about other teammates that brought at least a bit of those vibes as well.

“Honestly no one is up to Jade’s standards. You probably hear her before you see her most days and she kind of makes a point to try and not let me hear her before I see her.”

“But I think everyone kind of builds off Jade when we see how much she cares and loves our group. You kind of have no choice then to do what she's doing.”

Gemma name dropped two players here. Firstly, Nicole Munger.

“She will still yell at you and say good morning even though it's the worst morning in the world, she'll still be happy and be loving life.”

We all know those type of people, and they’re terrific.

Secondly, Monica Okoye. Specifically the enjoyment everyone gets from allowing “Mon” to understand everything being said at meetings and beyond. Mon is from Japan and if any translating needs to be done, it will be done. Switching words, changing sentences, I could tell Gemma appreciated the bond the team has with Mon and what a bubbly personality she is.

Basketball is a universal language after all.

What does the future hold?

Now, talk to most young Australian athlete’s and their goals will include landing in the bright lights of the WNBA or NBA. Which for the record I love, aiming big is what it is all about. At the same time I think there’s something special about putting basically all of your attention on being the best damn basketball player in Australia you can be.

“I want to establish myself here in Australia and kind of be that name that people will know.”

“Other then that you know, the WNBA might come, but it's not the be all and end all for me.”

Clearly if the WNBA came knocking Gemma would most likely throw her hand up in the air immediately but I really rate the honesty of being like no, my focus is the WNBL and what I can do in this league and this country.

“I've kind of always said I want to establish myself here, in the WNBL.”

“I want to do that for the people in my life. Like, my little sister and stuff play basketball, so I probably want to stay here and see if I could ever play with her. That'd be pretty fun, at whatever level that is.”

“Playing with her would be pretty special, that’s for sure.”

I think most fans get a kick out of siblings playing together so I’m rooting for this to happen at some stage. Gemma turns 22 in February and her sister Teagan is currently 15 years old so I’m saying there’s a good chance it happens. Two Potters is better than one.

Gemma’s perspective on her future goals was really refreshing. It was largely based around family, home and enjoying where she is right now. Who can’t get around those things?

Oh and the other significant part - how much she loved Canberra and wants to stay there as long as possible.

“I'm just so set here. I love it. I love the life.”

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Izzy Borlase - Right Here, Right Now

Photo by Mark Nolan/Getty Images

19 years old, establishing yourself as a quality WNBL player in your third season with the Adelaide Lightning, trying to focus on the present, do some sudoku’s in your down time and not look ahead to your name being on ESPN’s latest WNBA mock draft at #12.

The current status of Izzy Borlase.

Seeing the mock draft makes it all real.

The WNBA, moving overseas, the Opals, these are all massive things for a 19 year old.

People like myself don’t help Izzy stay in the moment, I’ll admit, but I had to ask the question about her future!

“I really try not to look ahead, I wouldn’t say I’m that good at it to be honest. I feel like as a young athlete it’s easy to potentially get carried away with what could be but yeah, it’s definitely something I’m working on cause you know, I’ve got a game tomorrow and things are getting talked about a couple months down the track.”

A WNBL game tomorrow, me asking about getting drafted into the WNBA today, you’re welcome Izzy.

It would honestly be very challenging staying in the present so I appreciate her talking about this openly.

“Sometimes it’s exciting when you start to think about it but sometimes you can go down a hole when you think about it too much and it’s like woah, I’m actually right here, right now.”

Izzy understood where I was coming from, I hope, as I was simply excited to chat with her about it and at the end of the day I’m just a basketball fan like many others. It’s intriguing, it’s exciting for many.

“I think it’s exciting. If I’m being completely honest I knew that I was eligible for the draft this year but when that mock draft came out I was like wow, I was quite shocked to be honest to see that my name was that high in the first round but you never know what can happen. So obviously I’m really excited but you know, there’s a lot of water to go under the bridge and we’ll just see how it plays out.”

“A lot of water to go under the bridge.” – Izzy is clearly prepared for the media attention about to come her way with these cliché lines at the ready.

(laughing) “Maybe don’t use that.”

Izzy’s rise to the present day

It has got to feel like it has happened quickly for Borlase. It wasn’t that long ago where she played just one game in her debut WNBL season back in 2021. Fast forward to 2022 where she averaged 13.5 PPG and right now at the start of 2024 she’s sitting at 15 PPG in her third year and is basically the face of the Adelaide Lightning with Steph Talbot sitting out due to injury.

Not many people, let alone at 19 years old, let alone Australians, have their name near the top end of WNBA Draft conversations so it must be a whirlwind right now for Borlase.

“I definitely didn’t plan it out to go this way. A lot has happened in the past 18 months since my first real full season. I’ve really enjoyed it and I’ve learned a lot.”

Photo by Sarah Reed/Getty Images

Keeping you grounded

You know why parents are so important? Regardless of how ‘big’ you get in the world, you will always be their kid and they will always bring you back down to earth.

“I get people like you, my coaches, everyone just like hyping you up and it’s really good and then you come home and my family just bring me back down to earth which is a good thing, it’s a nice balance.”

You actually need that. Those people that remind you where you came from, your family, your friends, the things that really matter and the things that will never stop motivating you.

We all make a big deal out of mock drafts, and rightly so at times, but often as fans we get caught in this basketball bubble. That being a bubble where we literally think ball is life and forget that not everyone knows about these things, including Mr and Mrs. Borlase.

“I literally showed Mum and Dad the mock draft… they were just like, oblivious to all that stuff.”

The signs of a leader

When talking about this WNBL season I thoroughly enjoyed Izzy almost immediately taking accountability for some close losses Adelaide have had and said she could have done more to help. It’s a little thing but it shows leadership qualities already. Ticking boxes.

I had to force out of her one thing and one thing only, that she wants to improve on while talking about helping her team.

“Creating my own shot in different ways. Whether that’s like, a pull-up game or floaters, because I think I’ve got an ok 3 point shot, getting to the ring really well but finding that middle ground.”

It always interests me how players answer that question.

The Green & Gold effect, representing Australia

Whenever basketball players talk about representing Australia their eyes typically light up. It’s such a big thing to almost every one of them and Borlase is no different.

After Opals Head Coach Sandy Brondello told ESPN that “she's going to definitely be an Opal”, Izzy admitted that it is nice to hear those things and she spoke with Sandy after a game in Adelaide earlier this season.

“The thought of representing Australia at any sort of level is just so exciting. There’s only a small group of people that get to do it.”

A small ground indeed but a group I think Borlase will be part of very soon.

Photo by Mark Nolan/Getty Images

The worldwide rise of women’s basketball

Women’s basketball is on the rise full stop, and a big part of that is credited to the NCAAW and specifically their Tournament last season which many eyeballs tuned into. At the top of that conversation is Caitlin Clark whose name continues to climb to pretty insane levels.

As a fan and as a player it’s hard not to see Clark’s highlights on your feed and take in what she is doing for women’s basketball.

“Seeing what Caitlin Clark is doing in college is amazing. I’ve never seen someone shoot the ball like she does.”

If you are talking about young Aussie talent there’s a few names that will come to mind for most.

Yes very good, Izzy Borlase – check.

Sitting at #7 on the same ESPN WNBA mock draft, Nyadiew Puoch – check.

But the other name is Jade Melbourne who I am a big advocate for.

“Who isn’t a big Jade fan?” was Izzy’s response to me complimenting her. Fair point, I’m not sure who wouldn’t be a fan of hers.

Melbourne is also one that is currently bridging the WNBL to WNBA gap and paving the way for players like Borlase. She’s suiting up with the Canberra Capitals right now and will be heading back to Seattle post-season.

My point here was really to get some other names from Borlase, some Australian talent that may be flying under the radar, some dark horses if you will.

Maybe slightly bias but Izzy spoke very highly of best friend and teammate Tayla Brazel, as she did with Townsville’s Saffron Shiels - “She’s going to be very, very good once she gets a bit older.”

The other was Dallas Loughridge who has returned from an ACL injury this season with the Southside Flyers. Izzy pointed to one element of Dallas as a person that impressed her the most, hard work.

“Dallas works so hard. She’s probably one of the hardest workers that I’ve got to play with before.”

Every basketball fan, coach and scout is a sucker for hard work, so that was an enjoyable insight.

Finding a ‘side hustle’

I said it above but I’ll say it again, talk to any Australian athlete and they’ll tell you how special it is to represent Australia but any athlete in general will tell you how important it is to have that ‘side hustle’. That activity away from basketball that allows them to escape from the world of sport for a moment or two.

“I’m working on finding a hobby. That’s why I need to get good at reading.”

While it may not be there yet for Borlase, I could tell that she understood what an important role having things outside of basketball is for her.

Izzy sounds like a big beach person. Surfing, walking along the sand, catching up with friends, that sounds like her side hustle right now. A pretty great side hustle if you ask me.

“Catching up with friends away from basketball is super important to me at the moment because like you said it can be a lot sometimes.”

Another example of finding ourselves in the basketball bubble and the importance of finding people on the outside of it.

Izzy currently studies Human Movement at University with ambitions to move into Occupational Therapy later on, she also teaches swimming so while she may not have that one specific passion outside of basketball, she certainly has a few things on the go.

Borlase has a bright future on the court which I’m stoked to follow, but it’s sometimes missed what players are into off the court so I look forward to following the journey of both.

Good luck getting more into reading Izzy, I am also trying to do the same.

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A Killer On The Inside - Jordin Canada's Big Performance In Melbourne

The 2 x WNBA Champion Jordin Canada walked into a packed stadium in Melbourne and impressed many, including myself as I recap from a photography perspective.

Ahhh, the buzz surrounding the beginning of the regular season. Whether that’s an away opener or a home opener, there’s a big feeling in the air.

Being in Melbourne I’m always keeping tabs on what games in the WNBL and NBL are being played here and I knew I had to be there when I saw Southside Flyers vs Melbourne Boomers on the WNBL opening round schedule.

They are both Melbourne based teams so it would be rude not to call it a rivalry right?

The line to get in was out the door, it was a nice, warm enough Saturday night, the stage was set for a great night of basketball, surely. That’s exactly what it was.

I had my camera with me, I was ready to capture some moments from a hopefully close game. But amusing story…I found it amusing at least, or challenging might be a better word, which I’ll dive into real quick.

Just skip to the pretty photo’s if you like, I won’t be offended.

Running on 20% - a short story
I like to think I’m a pretty organised person, actually I am pretty organised, but every so often we all slip up. This weekend was my turn. Whenever I’m planning to do a shoot of any kind I always prep my batteries and SD cards to make sure I’m all good to go but my preparation failed me here.

After some work shoots in recent days I left the spare batteries and chargers in the office and I was already driving home when I realised. As I switched the camera on before game day it only had around 20-25% left of the battery. Not ideal.

Yes I could have simply gone to the office to collect everything I needed but I actually liked the challenge of this.

I have 20% battery only, to shoot an hour and a half basketball game. Fun.

I knew I had to be way more targeted in terms of when I pulled the camera out and what moments I sensed would make for some good shots. It was actually quite enjoyable, it reminded me of what people describe shooting on film like.

You only have a certain number of shots so use them wisely.

Anyway enough of that, Jordin Canada killed it and I managed to get some shots with a battery on 20%.

Attention grabbing

Often when I’m shooting a game my lens has a magnetic pull towards some players.

In amongst the chaos on the floor some players just stand out from the rest on any given night, Jordin Canada was the one tonight.

When I decided that I was going to watch this game live I was already keen to see Canada’s game properly in person and she did not disappoint.

Calculated

I found myself eager for Canada to put up more shots at times, you know, get her own, but she was so measured in terms of when it was her time to score and when it was time to play-make and create for others.

It felt like a perfect balance in this game as she knew when her team needed a bucket and her passing was elite at times, it was very fun to watch how she saw the floor.

There was one pass I recall where I was looking down my camera lens too far so I didn’t get the proper appreciation for how good the pass actually was. It was a semi-transition play where she stopped for a moment and whipped a pass perfectly to a cutting teammate for the layup, completely freezing the defense.

If I had zoomed out for a wider shot that would have been the perfect angle but that’s the joy of photography and videography, you aren’t always going to get it right but when you do, it’s a great feeling.

A new beginning

This photo made me think of where Jordin Canada was to where she was at this very moment.

Finishing your season with the Los Angeles Sparks in the bright lights of the WNBA to finding yourself centre stage in South East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

I always find these things really cool. Players experiencing new places, new cultures, new stadiums from the opportunities that basketball can provide them.

What this means for them, their families, the relationships they can build and the people they meet - it’s a pretty special thing.

An eye opening performance

Watching Canada play for the first time live really put her talent into perspective.

Her resume so to speak, tells us who she is but it’s different seeing it for yourself. Jordin has a smoothness to her game. Some players look like they’re exerting a lot of effort out there and some effectively glide around the court making things happen, you can guess which category I think she falls under.

Unphased but engaged

Canada’s demeanour was something that caught my eye.

Think Damian Lillard.

A killer on the inside but rarely do you see a ton of emotion. I really like this mindset.

Goodnight, Melbourne

This was an amusing moment to me.

Technically an away game for Canada’s Melbourne Boomers, she fouled out and the crowd were humming about the play and as it was only a minute or so left, Jordin knew she’d be walking out of that stadium with the win plus her 15 points, 8 rebounds and 10 assists so to me, she couldn’t help but smile.

I’m glad I caught it on camera.

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Hey thanks for reading that, I hope you enjoyed this photo journal concept. This was something that I’ve thought about a lot lately. I love telling stories through my photography so I thought it was a good idea to expand on the story and elaborate on the moments that I captured. Feedback of course welcome.