Burdekin’s Young Basketballers Learn From the Best

The next generation of Burdekin basketballers had the chance to learn from two of the nation’s finest last Wednesday when Australian basketball legend Lauren Jackson and Opals star Tess Madgen visited the region to run a grassroots training camp as part of Basketball Australia’s She Hoops program.

From 9am, around 40 young players were put through a series of drills and games over 90 minutes, sharpening their skills under the guidance of two of Australia’s greatest basketball exports.

She Hoops, led by three-time WNBA MVP and Olympic medallist Jackson, is Australia’s largest resource for women in basketball—an inclusive, one-stop platform designed to empower, educate, and inspire women and girls from grassroots through to elite level, encouraging them to thrive as athletes, coaches, officials, and administrators.

Coming from a country town herself, Jackson stressed the importance of bringing these programs to rural regions.

“More often than not, we go to towns and kids are so passionate, but they don’t understand the opportunities that are present through the sport,” Jackson said.

“Tess and I are from the country ourselves, so we understand the barriers around participating in these areas. We’re just like them, but we just followed our dreams—they can, too.”

Since launching in 2022, She Hoops has already seen a 25% increase in female participation in basketball, with early signs suggesting it is helping reverse the trend of girls dropping out of the sport between the ages of 14 and 16.

Beyond the numbers, Burdekin Basketball representative Courtney Pennisi said the visit was a milestone moment for the community.

“Never in our wildest dreams did we think that Lauren Jackson would be visiting us here,” she said. “This town never gets this sort of opportunity, so we’re incredibly lucky to have them both here.”

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