Former Opals captain Tess Madgen (back left) and five-time Olympian Lauren Jackson (back right) were in town this week to deliver a She Hoops Holiday Camp.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
Listen, learn, level up.
Shepparton's Daisy Dickins, 7, practises her dribbling skills.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
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That was the order of procession for Shepparton’s rising female basketball populace on Monday as a pair of Australian basketball royals rolled into town.
Former Opals captain Tess Madgen and five-time Olympian Lauren Jackson delivered a skill-sharpening, scintillating clinic under the She Hoops Holiday Camp banner hosted by Marist Basketball Club.
Shepparton's Penny Gilbert, 10, and Lexi Graham, 10, get up and down the court.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
Shepparton's Harper Reginato, 12, applies pressure to Lottie Palmer, 10.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
A morning session welcomed 60 seven to 10-year-olds while more than 50 girls aged 11-16 congregated at Shepparton Sports Stadium to soak up the knowledge imparted by two of the best female basketball talents the nation has ever produced.
Shepparton's Zoe Kirby, 12, goes one-on-one against Mabel Alletsee, 10.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
Was it a roaring success as expected?
Lauren Jackson tries to guard Shepparton’s Sylvie Dickins, 10.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
Marist Basketball Club development officer Tyson Saunders certainly thought so.
Shepparton's Reese Opie, 11, tosses the rock up in the air.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
Shepparton's Thea Kelly, 10, listens to some sage advice from Tess Madgen.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
Lauren Jackson and Tess Madgen address an eager crowd of keen female basketballers.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
Shepparton's Daisy Dickins, seven, practices her dribbling skills.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
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Shepparton's Penny Gilbert, 10, and Lexi Graham, 10, get up and down the court.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
Image 3 of 8
Shepparton's Harper Reginato, 12, applies pressure to Lottie Palmer, 10.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
Image 4 of 8
Shepparton's Zoe Kirby, 12, goes one on one against Mabel Alletsee, 10.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
Image 5 of 8
Lauren Jackson tries to guard Shepparton’s Sylvie Dickind, 10.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
Image 6 of 8
Shepparton's Reese Opie, 11, tosses the rock up in the air.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
Image 7 of 8
Shepparton's Thea Kelly, 10, listens to some sage advice from Tess Madgen.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
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Lauren Jackson and Tess Madgen address an eager crowd of keen female basketballers.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
“It was a really good day; it was really well received by the community with some great feedback from the parents and kids saying how much they enjoyed the opportunity and to be able to mix with Tess and Lauren was unreal,” he said.
“From the athlete’s perspective, having that idol and someone to look up to, as part of their sporting journey is really important.
“I know Tess and Lauren spoke about when they grew up, women’s sport wasn’t really televised much and there wasn’t much exposure with women in sport.
“We’re lucky in this day and age that we’re getting a lot more televised and have a lot more things happening with the growth of women in sport.
“To have these kids be able to have players like Lauren and Tess come to Shepp and start to build that pathway for them and someone to look up to is really important.”
She Hoops, developed by Basketball Australia in collaboration with the Federal Government, aims to encourage young girls aged seven to 16 to participate in sport.
However, it wasn’t just the young hoopers who benefited from Jackson and Madgen’s Shepparton junket.
“From the coaches’ perspective, that flows back through our local clubs as well,” Saunders said.
“The advice they get from Tess and Lauren on certain skills, they’re able to take that back to their home clubs and help develop the kids locally as well.
“From an overall perspective, it was awesome to have the input from both ends.”
To have basketball brains of Jackson and Madgen’s calibre in Shepparton was a real slam dunk for the community.
While the sport’s female heartbeat in the Goulburn Valley is strong, the lack of a senior pathway leaves something to be desired for girls seeking to carve out a real future in the sport.
But it’s visits like these that stoke the fires around turning a vision into something more tangible.
“It’s probably something I know the association is working really hard on,” Saunders said.
“I know from a Marist perspective, we’re really trying to hone in on the female participation side of things.
“Generally, most seasons we see a 1:1 ratio with our female to male athletes which is really impressive.
“I know the association is working really hard at this point to try and build the growth of the female pathways — while it’s still at a junior level, we’re starting to see some really strong results.”
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