Rediscovering her passion for basketball

Family connections & an inspirational coach drive Keryl Ousey’s determination to succeed

If you want to understand the value of a good coach you need look no further than Keryl Ousey.

Were it not for the support of her basketball coach, she may not still be involved in the sport.

“Truthfully, if it wasn’t for Matt Sutton I probably wouldn’t have kept with basketball,” Keryl said.

“From juniors I believed I wasn’t learning and growing as much as I wanted to, but he brought me into the (Pioneers) program and I am really grateful for that. It introduced me to how amazing basketball can be and how much I can learn.”

It sees Keryl signing on again for the 2023 NBL1 season for the OneFortyOne Pioneers having been part of the program in 2021 and playing twelve matches for the NBL1 Sandringham Sabres in 2022 when she studying in Melbourne.

“I’m really happy to have Keryl back in our program after a year away for study in Melbourne,” head coach Matt Sutton said.

“She’s a great young talent that represents our community really well; she works hard, has great size and mobility, which will add considerably to our depth.”

Keryl’s basketball journey was inspired by her equally talented older brother Braiden Ousey, who has been part of the Pioneers program as well and also spent some time at college in the United States.

“My brother Braiden was always playing basketball growing up so that’s how I really got into it,” she said. “I started playing basketball in under 12s which was in 2013.”

And that 10 year old who just wanted to follow in the footsteps of her older brother turned out to be quite talented, playing club basketball for Cougars, earning the Most Improved Junior Athlete award at Basketball Mount gambier in 2018, representing Mount Gambier in the junior Lakers program from Under 12 through to Under 18 and playing State basketball at Under 16 and Under 18 level.

Her association with the Pioneers dates back to 2019 when the team was cobbled together in record time as part of the SA Premier League. It was the season the club was under threat and not only maintained its men’s program but reintroduced its female program in a bid to achieve entry to what is now NBL1 – mission accomplished. She was also part of the program in the COVID-cancelled 2020 season, the 2021 season and then the season with Sandringham due to her relocation to Melbourne – where she also played in the BigV Under 23 team.

“I have truly been able to fall in love with basketball since being a part of the Pioneers program,” Keryl said. “Thinking about and playing basketball at this level has really opened my eyes up to how much I love the sport. I believe I’ve become a tougher and more confident player.”

And with her return to Mount Gambier and the Pioneers, Keryl has some clear goals for season 2023.

“I really want to become a smarter and more dominant player on the court, being around the girls and enjoying the game, while being as competitive and ruthless as we can be,” she said.

Her motivation also still very much connected to her brother Braiden. “He brought me right back into basketball,” Keryl said. “Seeing how hard he has worked in both basketball and football really pushed me to kick it up a notch and fight to be better.”

Juggling sports will not just be on Braiden’s agenda – Keryl is also set to juggle her Pioneers commitment with netball – another sport in which she has enjoyed great success.

She was a junior star at Kalangadoo, winning a premiership every year she played at the Magpies but basketball did become front of mind once she had completed her junior netball career.

This season though, she is headed to Tantanoola to return to her netball career as well as her career with the Pioneers.

The Castec Rural Pioneers and the OneFortyOne Pioneers will commence their 2022 NBL1 South campaigns with a double header on the road on April 1 & 2, before playing their first game at the all new state of the art Wulanda Recreation & Convention Centre on Friday, April 14.