For the love of b-ball: Inspiring next-gen athletes through volunteering

Making jump shots on and off the court, Gold Coast basketball coach, Indigenous Basketball Association volunteer and Yugambeh woman Cassie Dover aims high for culture and connection.  

After spending 30 of her 36 years in the world of basketball, it’s fair to say Cassie Dover’s lifelong love and passion for the popular sport is a slam dunk.

With the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games staged in just over eight years, the Gold Coast local is working towards her dreams of developing First Nations athletes and encourages others to get involved at the grassroots level.

Cassie grew up on the basketball court, playing alongside most of her four siblings and friends while her mother coached at a grassroots club level.

She joined her first team at age nine, becoming a title-winning club, junior and state representative. She also stepped into her first coaching role at 13, helping her mum on the sideline.

She moved to Townsville at age 17 in her final year of high school to play professionally for Townsville Fire and then Dandenong Rangers in the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) for four years. A stint in the semi-professional NBL1 league (formerly QBL) followed after her daughter, Miah, was born.

When a major knee injury called time on her playing career, Cassie found her true calling as a coach, establishing Fortitude Training Academy in 2015 and coaching the NBL1 development team in 2016.

From 2020 – 2023, the number of people participating in basketball in Queensland has grown 79.2 per cent.

“We’re trying to get kids involved in basketball through the Indigenous Community Basketball League (ICBL) and encourage them to see if there might be some who identify as the next [NBA player and Australian Olympian] Patty Mills,” she said.

As an Aboriginal woman on Yugambeh Country, Cassie recognises how First Nations role models can inspire aspiring athletes and the power of seeing what you can be.

“It’s important to see Indigenous basketball players and athletes on the world stage because it gives kids a purpose and a drive to see what can be achieved,” she said.

“Young people are still learning about identity and who they are as part of their growth. It wasn’t until I was 21 that I had the confidence around who I was and understood where I came from.

“So, to be able to instil that into young people and coach basketball is awesome. Embedding culture and basketball are my two big passions coming together.”

Cassie was one of the first four graduates of the Australian Olympic Committee’s Indigenous Coaching Scholarships program, which offered practical and educational experiences, including life-changing opportunities such as running a clinic in the Torres Strait community of Horn Island and a visit to the Basketball Australia Centre of Excellence.

As anticipation mounts for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games and Cassie is working towards realising her own national coaching goals

“I always try to take on opportunities that come and by 2032, hopefully I will be on the coaching staff for [Australian national basketball teams] the Boomers or Opals – that’s a dream of mine,” she said.