The Tasmania Jewels have locked in WNBA draft pick Madina Okot as their second import and final player ahead of the team’s debut WNBL season.
Okot, the 13th pick in the most recent WNBA draft, is currently playing with the Atlanta Dream.
The 21-year-old centre only picked up a basketball for the first time as a 16-year-old schoolgirl in Kenya in 2020.
Jewels coach Claudia Brassard said Okot was the perfect final addition, standing at 6 foot 6 with a 6 foot 10 wingspan and a running jump that eclipses rim height.
“We have that good balance of experience and leadership, youth and hunger, but also playmakers, sharp shooters and interior presence,” Brassard said.
“Okot is the final piece of our team, we’ll be very competitive.”
“She’ll give us a big presence inside the paint, an elite rebounder who can also help us defensively.”
Okot said surrounding herself with the right people for her development and finding a team with strong culture were key factors in her decision.
“After talking to Izzy (Isobel Borlase) my teammate, she’s from Australia and after having a Zoom with the coaches, they made everything so clear,” Okot said.
“I like the team’s culture, I like how you they take good care of players and I just can’t wait to meet you all.”
Okot said learning basketball came naturally from the start.
“I was just out there playing volleyball,” she said.
“I think it was so easy to learn and the things I was supposed to do like learning to dribble, how to make a layup, I think it was so easy to learn and I also think it was the person who was trying to teach me, they were so good at doing it.”
Okot will join the Jewels pending league review and approval.
The Jewels’ first game is scheduled for October 15 at MyState Bank Arena in Hobart, with the first Launceston Silverdome match on October 31.
Foundation memberships for the Jewels are available at www.tasmaniajewels.com.au.
