We sat down this week with Tegan Cunningham, current community basketball coordinator at Basketball Australia and member of the Melbourne Demons AFLW team. Tegan outlined her college basketball journey where she started off with an opportunity at a junior college, then transitioned to one of the powerhouse Big12 programs – Oklahoma State University. Here is what Tegan had to tell us.
BAP– Where did you start playing basketball?
TC – I grew up playing basketball for the Bulleen Boomers.
BAP– What was the highest level you played as a junior?
TC– The highest level I played as a junior was the Under 16 (top age) and Under 18’s (top age) State Representative Team in Victoria.
BAP– How did you get to college?
TC– I took part in a Melbourne based tour team that travelled to the United States to play a number of games against high school/college teams. It was soon after I realised I wanted to take the chance and head over to experience college basketball life. At the time my coach was American so she helped guide me to which schools were interested.
BAP– Where did you play at college?
TC– I attended Seward County Community College (2006 – 08) and Oklahoma State University (2008 – 10)
BAP– How would you describe your experience?
TC– AMAZING. To experience what I got to experience, all because I made a bold choice to venture to another country, is something I’m truly grateful and proud of. The best thing about college was not only my development as a basketballer, but also my development off the court. It gave me the chance to grow in all areas of my life.
BAP– Is there anything you would have done differently or wished you had of done in regards to your college recruitment and experience?
TC– I’m pretty lucky with how my college career panned out. I was given an amazing opportunity to succeed at junior college, which helped propel me into a fantastic D1 university. Looking back I would’ve loved to have known which other D1 schools were interested in me, however I trusted those around me and it payed off. Wouldn’t change a thing.
BAP– What have you done since graduating?
TC– After graduating I went on to play in the WNBL for 7 years. I was fortunate enough to get offered a contract straight after graduation which kick started my ‘Australian’ basketball career. After retiring from WNBL in 2017, I was extremely lucky to be given a 2nd chance at a professional sporting career playing AFLW. On top of playing AFLW I’m currently working for Basketball Australia as Community Basketball Coordinator, which allows me to give back to the sport that gave me so many opportunities growing up.
