For the love of the game: Jackson inspires the future of female basketball

Arriving in Wagga on Thursday, Jackson ran her biggest She Hoops program to date, with hundreds of young athletes taking the court alongside their idol.

Evolving from an online project through COVID-19 lockdowns, Jackson has grown her 'baby' to involve girls and women in basketball, both on and off the court.

As women's sport at the top level continues to grow and increase in popularity, focus is shifting to the grassroots levels.

Codes are being forced to step up and provide access for young girls and Jackson is proud to be part of the movement.

"Women's sport in general is growing, and I think that's demanded that basketball lifts, and we really have," Jackson said.

With an emphasis on fun, Jackson ran She Hoops biggest youth program to date at Wagga's PCYC.

Ensuring girls enjoy themselves when involved with sport is essential in the longevity of female programs.

"For girls in particular, I think one of the biggest reasons they drop out is they just don't enjoy it anymore," Jackson said.

"The more that we can get them growing up together, get them in teams, get them involved, in camps like this, have their idols come out and coach them, talk to them, even if it is for a couple of hours, it's important.

"We're all just like they are, we started in domestic clubs and had big dreams.

"We've just got to go and talk about it."

She Hoops has developed since its virtual beginnings to encapsulate both on and off court programs for women and girls.

By expanding their offerings, Jackson is hopeful participants can see the vast array of spaces within basketball available to them, whether that be playing, coaching, refereeing or administrating.

"We've taken a different pathway, She Hoops is definitely starting to bridge a very big gap in the sport, we've got a lot of work to do but it is a moment and we need to capitalise on it," she said.

"For me, with these camps, it's about being able to get to regional centres where there's not necessarily visibility over women's basketball and the WNBL and really promote it, discuss the different pathways, and how they can get involved, and show them that it's fun, it doesn't have to be all full on training all the time, they can just have fun and enjoy it."

Standing in a packed gym, with bus-loads of athletes attending the two workshops, Jackson was proud of the impact She Hoops is having on the next generation.

"It makes us feel like we're doing the right thing, it makes us feel like we're impacting the next generation of kids coming through," she said.

"This is why we do it, this is why I'm involved in basketball still, I love it, and I love that we're actually making a difference, it's special."

For 11-year-olds Allencie Derrick and Anneliese Azer, having Jackson in town was a not-to-be-missed event.

The pair are part of the Wagga Heat representative program and wish to pursue high level basketball.

Famously hailing from Albury, Jackson's ties to the Riverina were felt by the duo.

Derrick, who used to live at the border said it's special to have someone to look up to from her home town.

She said having athletes like Jackson visible is important.

"Some kids might not want to play basketball because there's not many girls, and once they see that girls can actually do it, they might want to have a go and be inspired to do it," Derrick said.

"Normally there's not many girls and lots of boys, so it's nice to have lots of girls around."

Azer said Jackson has been an inspiration throughout her basketball career.

"She is one of the best women's basketball players in the world and she's really inspiring, I want to be like her when I'm older," Azer said.

"She worked so hard to get to where she is."

With a taste for representative basketball already, Derrick and Azer are eager to get as much court time as they can.