Tasmania ends 30-year basketball drought with sold-out WNBL debut
Tasmania's Jewels break a 30-year WNBL drought tonight with a sold-out game.
Tasmania has not had a women's professional basketball team for three decades. The Jewels snap that drought tonight against Geelong Venom at MyState Bank Arena, a game already sold out before the opening tip.
The team has shattered WNBL membership records and drawn passionate local support akin to the NBL's JackJumpers. Captain Darcee Garbin is returning to professional competition just 10 months after giving birth.
The squad features three Aussie Opals: Garbin, Steph Reid and Keely Froling. For young Tasmanian basketball players, the team offers a professional pathway they no longer have to leave the island to chase.
- 30 years
- Years since last Tasmanian WNBL team
- Hobart Islanders
- Previous team name
- 3 players
- Aussie Opals on roster
- 10 months
- Months since Garbin gave birth
Why it mattersTasmania's basketball drought left young players with no local professional path. The Jewels change that overnight, while honouring the legacy of the Hobart Islanders team that was sidelined in 1996.
AustraliaTasmanians can now watch women's professional basketball at home. The Jewels become the first team to return professional sport to the island since the Islanders left, restoring a pathway for local athletes.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 2 h ago
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