Continuing Willetton culture key for Tigers captain

Desiree Kelley admired some Willetton Tigers greats starting her SBL career and hopes she's continuing that legacy for the NBL1 West generation to follow her as she proudly prepares to play in the blue-and-white for a 250th time.

By the time Kelley started her SBL career as a 17-year-old she couldn’t help but notice that outside the four walls of the Willetton Basketball Stadium, the Tigers weren’t that well liked but much of that was purely because of how good they were.

They had already won women's SBL championships in 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2009, 2010 and 2011, and as Kelley started to join in she learned off some all-time greats like Melissa Marsh, Emma Lobb, Lara Napier, Lisa Wallbutton, Ebony Antonio and Zoe Harper.

Fast forward to this Friday night when Kelley will lead the Tigers out as captain against the Joondalup Wolves at Arena Joondalup in her 250th game, and she has herself turned herself into a Willetton great.

She has been part of championships in 2016 and 2021 including as captain in the last one, played in another three grand finals and been an inspiration for the next generation now coming up beneath her at a Willetton Basketball Stadium vastly different to the one she grew up in.

The special culture at Willetton

Above everything else, it's the culture that Kelley was able to grow up to witness herself as a teenager that she is now proud to have helped continue on including the Tigers playing in the first three grand finals once the SBL turned into the NBL1 West in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

"When I first started Willetton was the one club that nobody liked going back to those SBL days just because of the success and all the players there that were so talented," Kelley said.

"I was very grateful to be a junior and a rookie with the likes of Kate Malpass, Eb Antonio, Min Marsh, Zoe Harper, Louella Tomlinson and the list could go on.

"There were so many inspiring women to look up to and learn from, and I do hope that continues to be the Willetton way. I hope that for years to come people are proud to put on that blue-and-white jersey every week and wear it with pride.

"That's something that I'm super grateful for to have been exposed to that culture and had that instilled into me when I was starting, and now I hope to be able to pass that on to the younger girls in our team now."

Doing it all with Willetton

It's no surprise to see the athlete and basketballer that Kelley has become purely having seen what her father, Vince, was able to do in a career in the SBL that still sees him as the league's all-time leading scorer to this day.

Having originally come down under as an NBL import, he settled in Perth and went on to play 351 games at several clubs but it was the Joondalup Wolves (then Wanneroo) where he made his lasting legacy as the championship winning playing coach in 1993 and as MVP of the league in 1992.

However, Kelley herself grew up around Willetton and always wanted to be a one club player, and the greatest thing now about reaching her 250-game milestone is knowing that all of it has been done at the Tigers.

"I probably don’t realise how special it is until I truly do reflect on my own journey and look at how many players have come and gone, and I'm still there," Kelley said.

"I think for me that is something special where my integrity and loyalty is something that I'm very proud of, and it's something that I have always wanted to be known for.

"I've never really ever thought of leaving Willetton and I guess when I look back now it is actually a really special achievement to have played my whole career with one club. I hope that when I do end up hanging up the boots that it's something I am remembered for in terms of that.

"Willetton has a very special place in my heart. It has been like my second home for most of my life now and I've spent a lot of hours there so it is really special.

"I am proud of myself for staying with Willetton and it's such an honour to now have been a captain for a few years and to have won a championship as captain.

"A lot of players play a lifetime for and never get to achieve that so I'm grateful to the club for believing in me to lead the team and captain us, and to continue to believe in me and my ability."

Captain-coach relationship

It's a unique relationship that Kelley has with her Willetton coach Simon Parker, but purely from a basketball perspective and it's hard to imagine a better coach-captain partnership that has stood the test of time across the NBL1.

Parker took over as Tigers coach midway through the 2013 season and ever since has taken them to two championships and five grand finals, and for the most part over those past 11 years they have been genuine title threats.

Quite simply, Kelley doesn’t know any different than playing under Parker but at the same time, can't imagine having a better coach both in terms of what he does on game night and in having the team perform at a high level, but that connection he has with each and every player.

"We've been working together for many years now and obviously when he first transitioned to head coach I wasn’t captain or starting five or anything like that," Kelley said.

"But over the years we've developed a really good bond and it's awesome being coached by Simon. He gives so much to the program and the Willetton community, to our juniors, and he really does care about all of us as individuals too.

"Having a head coach like him has been amazing and I think the proof is in the work of the teams he puts together over the years and the success we've had.

"We've played in three of the four grand finals so far since we went from being the SBL to NBL1 which speaks volumes about how he goes about his business along with the other assistant coaches, and the effort they put in to get us players ready.

"Willetton, for him, is a huge part of his life and life myself in a way, has dedicated many, many years to the Willetton family. That means that each time we step out on that home floor each win means that little bit more because it's a community means so much to us both."

WNBL season at the Lynx

By the end of the 2022 season at Willetton, while Kelley was still in her physical prime as a basketball player, she did have good reason to think that an opportunity in the WNBL might have been beyond her.

However, the opportunity presented from Perth Lynx coach Ryan Petrik to be a development player and she jumped at that chance for the 2022/23 WNBL season.

She was able to get some time out on the court as well and will forever be able to call herself a WNBL player. At the same time she had to continue to work the whole time while putting in the full commitment to train, work out and do everything a WNBL player would.

It's something that she now looks back on with mixed emotions, but is rightfully proud of herself for pushing herself right to the limits.

"I probably do look back on it with mixed emotions on that whole experience. Mentally it was a big adjustment going from NBL1 where I was a starter and playing a lot of minutes to then readjust your mental load to understand that you are at the bottom of the pecking order again," Kelley said.

"I think for myself it did help me bring a lot of resilience and do like to think I'm a resilient person just in day to day life. But I think when it came to that it was something that was hard, and I was working full-time as well so it was a very long 10 months mentally and physically.

"Most days I would get up at 5am and work from home for a few hours, then go to weights and training with the Lynx, then go straight into the office to work, and then come home to do more work at night and then do it all over again.

"At the same time, I'm grateful to Ryan (Petrik) for that opportunity and I still learned a lot, and was able to be surrounded by some very talented players and amazing people.

"Every moment ends up shaping who you are today so there was a lot I've taken from that experience into my leadership and basketball at Willetton, and my life in general. It is something I look back on with a smile and am proud of myself for that opportunity, and that I got through it."

Start to 2025 season

After the Tigers played in a third straight NBL1 grand final back in 2023, there was a mass turnover in the playing squad for the 2024 season.

However, things started to click in the back end of the season and they did end up making another run to the semi finals before once again there has been a significant turnover heading into 2025.

Willetton are firing early this season with a 4-1 record heading into this weekend's double header away to the Wolves on Friday and at home to the Lakeside Lightning on Saturday.

"It is a whole new team pretty much again this year which does come with its challenges like learning to play with new people and their style of play, but they're an amazing group of girls," Kelley said.

"I feel like we all get along really well off the court, on the court and that's made what can be a difficult transition really easy. I think we're all just likeminded people and we're unselfish basketballers and everyone's happy for each other. It's actually such a fun group of girls to be part of and I'm loving it so far."

Playing with a dominant centre

There has been no shortage of dominant and brilliant players that Kelley has shared the court with over her 249-game career at Willetton, but after three matches, none might have had more impact that Zitina Aokuso.

Kelley thought that coach Parker was pulling her leg when he initially told her that he had signed Aokuso for the 2025 season, but he was certainly being honest and now she's putting up 22.3 points, 11.0 rebounds and 8.3 assists so far.

Kelley is just thankful she's on her team.

"Honestly it's been so good to play with her and when Simon told me he was signing Zitina I didn’t believe him," Kelley said.

"My first response was how did he manage that because surely she would have got offers left, right and centre. But just being able to play with a calibre of player like Zitina, in my personal opinion I don’t think anyone can really stop her.

"She is a force to be reckoned with on the court, but she's an even better human being. To be honest she's just fitted straight in to the Tigers culture and community, and it feels like she's been here for years.

"It's been awesome already and she's super knowledgeable and intelligent when it comes to the game too so having her out on the floor has been such a good addition to the team, and we're all learning a lot from here. I'm definitely glad she's my teammate and not opponent that's for sure."

Finding the continued motivation

With Kelley about to play 250 games and having already won two championships with Willetton including one as captain, and now having had a taste of the WNBL too, she knows she has nothing left to prove.

That doesn’t mean that at 30 years of age she doesn’t still have as strong a motivation as ever to be leading the way in carrying on the culture at Willetton which is her ultimate driving force.

"For myself personally what keeps motivating me is the love that I still have for the game and the community that I'm luckily enough to be surrounded by," Kelley said.

"Seeing all the kids that come to the game and having them look up to you, and wanting your autograph or wanting photos with you is the sort of things that makes you feel like you are having an impact what you are doing.

"That is where the biggest motivation comes from because hopefully people look at what I'm doing, and are inspired that they could do that too.

"Obviously I would also like to go out and win another championship, that's everyone's dream ending to a career so I would like that but I'm not ready to think about the end just yet.

"I still get the feeling inside of me every time I'm training or standing there for the national anthem, and I still get the goosebumps so that lets me know I have more in the tank still."