Last week had the privilege to travel to Sydney to report on the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup.
I was selected as an official Media Rookie along with Nate Siasat, a Year 12 student from Marian Catholic College in New South Wales, to cover several matches.
Before I had the opportunity to sit courtside, I was lucky enough to meet Marketing and Digital Manager Alicia Kish and Marketing and Content Coordinator Celine Shashati, who selected Nate and I for the program.
I was also introduced to FIBA Social Media Specialist Manuel Riccio, FIBA Women’s Basketball Specialist Paul Nileson, host of FIBA’s video content at the event Giulia Zed, FIBA’s Communications Senior Manager Jalinka Michaux and Media and Communications Coordinator Eleanor deJersey.
It was an honour to meet these people and I was humbled they all treated me with kindness and respect, but most importantly, like a friend.
Then it was on to the basketball, with my first match the clash between Puerto Rico and China, which was an incredible game.
China was such a dominating force on the court, I could not keep my eyes off the play.
Kish kept telling me that even though Puerto Rico lost, it did not detract from how incredible they played.
By then, the nerves had settled and I was taken to the mixed zone where the players meet the press for interviews.
I stood with Kish and Shashati as we watched the Chinese team undertake media interviews from a host of international reporters, before heading to the media area where all the reporters gathered and attended the press conferences next door.
The next match, described as “the best game of the tournament so far”, was between Canada and Australia.
It was breathtaking to see the arena become a sea of green and gold, coupled with the electric atmosphere and roar of the crowd.
Things reached fever pitch when one of Australian basketball’s greatest players Lauren Jackson took the court.
The game was intense from the first minute played to the last and Australia took away the win, giving them a confidence boost heading into their match against Japan the next day.
Following the match I was fortunate to interview Opals player and gun centre Marianna Tolo, as well as four times WNBL MVP, five times WNBL champion, seven times WNBA All-Star and three times WNBA MVP Lauren Jackson.
I was able to talk to Tolo and Jackson about their playing styles, how they have brought their skills to the world court over the years and confidence for the rest of the tournament.
After the interview, I attended the press conference and I was able to ask Opals coach Sandy Brondello about how she felt with her team heading into the match against Japan the next day.
My final sessions of the tournament were the Puerto Rico and Korea match, followed by the US taking on Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Puerto Rico was an absolute force on the court and I was able to watch their historic win as they advanced to the quarter finals for the first time in history.
I was able to ask Puerto Rico coach Jerry Batista how proud the country and his team must feel with the hurricanes and devastation happening in his country, after which I was given a high five from another reporter and told “you just asked the best question of the day”.
In the USA and Bosnia and Herzegovina match I watched a swag of WNBA players dominate the court in an impressive performance.
After the game I interviewed recent WNBA champion, WNBA All-Star Game MVP and gold medal Olympian Kelsey Plum, asking her thoughts of being named player of the match and the tournament so far.
I ended my World Cup experience with tickets to Serbia vs France and Australia vs Japan, which I thoroughly enjoyed.
It’s fair to say this experience was unreal and completely outside of my wildest dreams.
I will be eternally grateful for this experience and the doors that this opportunity has opened for me.
