Year 10 student Lucy Dawson is well on her way to reaching her dream of playing in the WNBA.

Year 10 student Lucy Dawson has been playing basketball for around four years, competitively for two. It started when she was only eight years old and attending Hampden Street School. Having seen a sign-up notice, Lucy decided to give the sport a go. She discovered that she loved the sport and has since racked up a number of accolades and achievements.

In 2018 Lucy represented the Nelson U13s and in 2021 she was one of only three girls selected from Nelson to attend the National U14 Basketball Camp. 

Now, for the second year in a row, Lucy has been selected as an All-Star 5 for the U13 Girls division at the HoopNation Junior Showcase.

When her local club wasn't taking part in the HoopNation Junior Showcase, Lucy got in touch with a Levin based team that had entered where she knew a couple of the players. They were very happy for her to join their team and sent her their training schedule which she did on her own here in Nelson. When it came time for the tournament, she flew up to join her teammates and after facing some tough competition, they won their division!

As well as being part of the winning team in her age division, Lucy also qualified for the 3 point contest with the highest score. She was one of four who made it through to the contest. 

"You have 25 shots, five from each spot and you have to see how many points you can get in one minute. The top four people from the country with the highest scores from under 13 girls division to the under 19 boys division and all the divisions in between... and then those four participate in the finals."

While Lucy didn't do as well as she wanted in the final, it is an incredible achievement to have made it to the top four in her division! 

We have no doubt that Lucy is well on her way towards achieving her dream of playing in the WNBA! Well done and we wish you all the best Lucy!

To read more about Lucy's journey in basketball, see the Nelson Weekly article from 2019. 

https://nelsonweekly.co.nz/2019/07/lucy-shoots-for-even-field/