Sunday, May 20, 2012

Player Scout: Mikaela Dombkins


Mikaela Dombkins is a triple threat.

She can shoot the lights out from anywhere on the court, she can leave defenders choking on the dust off her rip drive, and she will have them chasing their tails with her passing game.

Dombkins has been the standout for many of the teams she has played on. She represented NSW Country at the Australian Junior Championships in the U16, U18 and U20 age groups. She was awarded a scholarship at the Australian Institute of Sport in 2003, and was a member of the AIS WNBL team. On 19 November 2005, she hit 5 treys in a WNBL game, which remains the second most three-pointers in AIS history.

She was selected for the Australian Gems squad to compete at the Junior World Championships in 2005, and was a member of the Australian Sapphires, winning silver at the Youth World Championships in 2007.

She played for Maitland and Manly Warringah in the Waratah Championship League. In 2006 she was awarded the Waratah Most Valuable Player, named to the All-Star 5, as well as the leading point scorer and steals leader, averaging 26.2 points and 3.3 steals per game, in addition to 10.9 rebounds (third overall) and 3.9 assists. She scored a massive 41 points in a game against Parramatta during that season. In 2007 she was fifth in points scoring, averaging 19.6 points, 9.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game, in 2008 she was third in points scoring, averaging 21.4 points, 8.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game, and in 2011 she was second in points scoring, averaging 21.3 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game.

She was equally outstanding for Sandringham and Frankston in the South East Australian Basketball League, winning Game MVP and Player of the Week and Player of the Month awards, and leading her teams in scoring in 2009 and 2010.

She signed with the Sydney Uni Flames after graduating from the AIS, and had an outstanding season in 2009-10, averaging 11.2 points and 5.2 rebounds for the season. She stepped up her performance further when Sydney made the finals, averaging 13 points and 9.5 rebounds in the postseason. She was named the Southern Design Impact Player award, and deservedly so.


You really can’t say enough about Dombkins as a player. She has incredible anticipation on defense, that court vision and decision-making you just can’t teach, and plays every game with heart and determination. She’s positively bursting with talent, but her success has grown from her willingness to work as hard to get on the court as she does once she’s there.

In 2010 she suffered a back injury that threatened an end to her bright career, forcing her to miss the entire 2010-11 season. She recovered from her injury and most admirably, worked her way back to stellar form. She’s currently shining at Canberra, who was lucky enough to sign her for the season.

Besides her long list of accomplishments in basketball, she keeps herself busy with her successful career as a fashion model and designer, as well as holding the office of the CFO of NPIRE Australia.

And in between games, training, fashion shows and photo shoots, Dombkins still finds the time to save lives at the RSPCA.

On second thought, Mikaela Dombkins is much more than a triple threat.

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Double-Teamed

The top women's basketball coaches certainly deserve to be the coaches of national teams. For the Australian Opals, that title currently belongs to Carrie Graf, and her assistant coaches Phil Brown, Peter Buckle and Michele Timms, while Tom Maher is the Head Coach for Great Britain. Karen Dalton helped Cheryl Chambers take the Australian U19 Gems to the World Championships in 2011, and Chris Lucas is assisting Marissa Fillipou with the Australian U17 Women at the 2012 World Championships.

This is great for Australian basketball, to have so many coaches in the WNBL who are involved in international competition at various levels.

And it’s a boost for club teams when they're coached by a national coach. Not only having a coach of international calibre, but suddenly the club is able to attract international calibre players. Not to mention players who are looking to be coached by national coaches, in hope of adding their name to the hat when selection time rolls around.

It’s a tricky job for these national coaches to juggle international obligations with club gigs. When they're coaching their teams in the domestic league, they’d have to keep track of their national players as well. There are players in Australia to watch; any injury to them might affect their international chances. There are the players overseas; you need to keep a constant eye on their form. And then there's all this young home-grown talent, sprouting up from grass roots in every state. That's a lot to look out for.

It's important though, not to overlook the world-class talent on your own home court. Perhaps it’s easy to miss, because some players consistently deliver their high standard at every scrimmage. They are elite players who never make the same mistake twice, who understand exactly what the coach needs of them, and who execute during games everything they drilled in practice.

These players deserve to be considered for national teams. They have the skill to ball with the best; they stand up when you need a leader; they play every single possession with the heart and determination of a winner. They would make the most of any opportunity, to prove that they belong in the international arena.

They are players who have been right in front of your eyes all along.