Captain learnt it off Sam

TRACY Village captain Kylie Duggan (pictured) cares deeply about every young player coming through at her club.

“I think a big reason why we’ve been successful over the years is because of the way our young players are coached and brought through,” she said. “We can see their competitive nature from a young age, and it’s great to see.” Duggan and Sam Rioli were crucial experienced players during the J Jets’ run of 13 consecutive Darw win Basketball League titles, which ended in 2018. Duggan says playing with the everpositive Rioli at Coburg in the Big V before she returned to the Jets in 2012 had a massive influence on her career as a player and person. It is one of the reasons why she now takes her basketball and life mentor roles so seriously.

“I was still young at Woodville and Coburg, so coming off the bench was a great experience playing against some very talented players,” Duggan said.

“I went to Coburg because Sam was there. She really helped me get through it and get better. Then I had kids and came back to Darwin.”

Duggan brought a fierce desire for a challenge from her time in Adelaide and Melbourne back up to Darwin. But she also wanted to show young Jets players the importance of playing hard and having fun.

“Every game is so competitive down there, so I wanted to bring that experience I gained back up to Darwin,” she said.

“(Current Basketball NT high performance manager) Rod Tremlett was coaching at the time. He’s a great coach and we went on our title-winning streak. I felt at home straight away back at the Jets.

“I just loved the family environment, I was having fun and I really found my love of basketball again.”