FORMER Portland basketballer Tanielle Knight keeps defying her own expectations with her basketball journey moving towards the national stage.

The 18-year-old was late to the game but hasn’t let that hold her back with state representation, Big V Championship team selection at Wyndham and a national invitational camp some of her many recent achievements.

Next week she will join some of the best under-20 players in the country at the Australian under-20 Championships when she represents the Victoria Navy side.

The championships will send two women’s sides from Victoria with 20 of the best players selected to compete in Mackay, Queensland.

Knight will come up against the best players from each state across the five-day tournament.

State representation is no new feat for Knight but she says she’s ready to go and excited for to compete with the other nine players.

“I’m excited to go to champs; our team has been a bit all over the shop and it has been hard to get trainings in but we’ll be organised when we get up there,” she said.

“Our team is so great – everyone is so nice and we get along really well.

“My role will likely be out on the wing I think but we’ll see.”

AIS Centre of Excellence squad camp

One of her biggest achievements was receiving an invitation to attend the Australian Institute of Sports Centre of Excellence squad camps that form the selection for the under-19 FIBA Oceania Championships.

Only 24 players in the country were invited to attend with Knight selected as one of eight Victorians.

The camp was held on March 18-20 and was run by some of Australia’s best coaches and current WNBL players were among some of the attendees.

“The camp was unbelievable,” Knight said.

“The culture and environment they set was so good to be a part of.

“There was 24 players invited but in the end because of COVID and everything only 21 players actually attended the camp.

“It was mainly on court sessions – we had six two-hour sessions across the weekend and then some after court sessions that talked about expectations.”

The players who will form the Australian team for the FIBA Oceania Championships are yet to be announced.

Big V at Wyndham

After developing her game for the past few years in the Geelong Supercats NBL1 side, Knight has made the move to Wyndham Basketball Association to compete in their Championship side in the Big V competition.

Knight said it was tough to leave Geelong but the right decision for her game development under the guidance of head coach Gerard Hillier.

“I’m loving it at Wyndham; it’s definitely different and a big step up but it’s what I needed,” she said.

“The only reason I moved was for the coaching; I haven’t had Gerard as a coach before but I’ve seen him at state champs and knew of him and spoke to people who have been coached by him so I knew he was good.

“The whole club is so involved and super inclusive and I’m just loving playing there.”

So far the team has had three wins and two losses with Knight a consistent contributor.

Knight is ranked third in her side for rebounds, assists and blocks and averages 26 minutes per game.

“We had a few hiccups at the start of the season but we’ve settled in now and are performing strongly,” she said.

“Our coach’s main idea was to bring in young players and then have two or three players with some more experience.

“I think we’ll do pretty well as a side and we’ll just keep getting better.

“Personally, I’ve been working on my mindset and I just try to focus on one thing each game and when I do that the rest of my game can flow.

“For example if I think about boxing out one game and making sure I do that consistently, my shooting and other parts of my game just come.”

Knight also represented Wyndham in the 3 x 3 national basketball competition in January with her under-18 team taking out the title.

Juggling the load

Amid all of her basketball achievements and commitments Knight is also completing her year 12 studies this year.

The many commitments has meant she doesn’t have a lot of time to herself but she is just happy to see her hard work paying off.

“It can be a complicated to juggle it all but I manage,” she said.

“I have study periods which allow me to get work done outside of being in the classroom and the gym.

“I’m also working so it’s pretty jam-packed, I just try to prioritise school and basketball.”

Despite the busy schedule Knight is just excited to be playing at the level she is and getting recognition for her game.

“I was very late to start playing basketball,” she said.

“I definitely didn’t think I’d be doing what I’m doing – I honestly didn’t think I’d ever leave Portland so this is all more than I could have expected.”