Basketball ACT are thrilled to announce Canberra junior, Isabelle Bourne, has been selected by Basketball Australia as a Centre of Excellence (CoE) scholarship athlete in 2017.

The 187-centimetre forward utilises a range of perimeter and post skills, creating mismatches on both ends of the floor.

“Issie is unique in that she is an inside-outside type of player and her length and mobility supports her versatility to play in more than one position on court,” says Basketball ACT Head of High Performance Coaching, Phil Brown.

“Isabelle has demonstrated a strong commitment over several years in developing her game to a level where she has attracted the attention of National selectors.”

Bourne is a product of the Norths Junior Club and BACT high performance programs, having been part of the National Performance Program (NPP) and an ACTAS Scholarship Program. She represented ACT at both the U16 and U18 National Junior Championships.

The 16-year-old Daramalan College student was selected as a development player with the University of Canberra Capitals after a breakout SEABL season with the Canberra Capitals Academy.

UC Capitals Head Coach, Paul Goriss says Bourne’s CoE scholarship is a great reward for a lot of hard work.

“BACT and Phil Brown have been instrumental in Issie’s rapid rise both on and off court and in the gym,” says Goriss. “We at the UC Capitals targeted Issie as a future Capital and I believe she has the potential to be a WNBL player in the near future.”

Training session Nov 18, 2016 // Photo by Lachlan Ross

“A full-time scholarship at the Basketball Australia Centre of Excellence (CoE) will provide Issie with a terrific daily training environment and the opportunity to further develop her skills and understanding of the game while benefiting from world class coaching, sports science and medical services in addition to academic and career support,” says Brown.

“Isabelle’s selection to the COE demonstrates that Basketball ACT’s high performance pathway and elite player development programs in partnership with the ACT Academy of Sport are well positioned and aligned to support talented young basketball players in the ACT.”

“Everyone within the Basketball ACT family are excited and extremely proud of Issie’s achievement in securing a scholarship at the CoE and will continue to follow and support her ongoing development in the sport.”