Townsville Fire round 3 hub: Jess McDowell-White on family and Fire
Jess McDowell-White opens up about family, five years of winter and how the Fire found her, plus see the key match ups and three burning questions ahead of the UC Capitals match in round 3.
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Townsville Fire recruit Jess McDowell-White comes from a family chock full of sporting success, but she’s ready to forge her own legacy after making her WNBL debut in round 1 this year.
The talented 23-year-old point guard came off the bench against Bendigo and made great use of her time by dishing out four dimes, blocking a shot and collecting a rebound in just over nine minutes on the court.
McDowell-White’s father is three-time AFL premiership player and Brisbane Lions legend Darryl White while her mother Bianca McDowell was a talented basketballer in the Northern Territory.
Her older brother William currently plays for the New Zealand Breakers in the NBL while eldest brother Darryl Junior spent 2023 with the Brisbane Lions AFL squad.
This year, her 19-year-old brother Kobe played NBL1 for the Southern District Spartans.
As the third eldest of eight children, McDowell-White said her family had probably broken more basketball hoops than most would have bought.
“I think it’s really nice that we’re all involved in sports, and pretty much all in basketball,” McDowell-White said.
“We have broken so many hoops because the boys were dunking on them every day.
“We’d lower them down because we wanted to do crazy dunks and be cool, so we’ve probably broken more than many people have ever bought.”
One of McDowell-White’s fondest family moments came this year when she was finally able to play alongside 17-year-old sister Hayley with the Southern District Spartans in the NBL1 North.
“That was our first time actually playing together because she was always too young growing up,” McDowell-White said.
“It was honestly a really cool experience and something I’ve always wanted to do.
“Because my brothers were always able to play together with their age difference, this was something I wanted to do for a long time.
“It was definitely different. It was weird to begin with, seeing her out there with me, but I enjoyed every minute of it.”
McDowell-White was a regular starter at the Spartans and played big minutes most games, averaging 12.5 points, 6.8 assists and five rebounds.
A month ago, Townsville coach Shannon Seebohm said her impressive showings against Fire players like Courtney Woods, Steph Reid and Mikaela Ruef made the decision to bring McDowell-White on board an easy one.
“I watched a lot of those (NBL1) games, spoke to her coach on a number of occasions and then a lot of our girls also spoke to me about her and recommended that she’d be a good player to look at as well,” Seebohm said.
“I think that says a lot about Jess, the fact that some of our more experienced players were also keen to have her on board made it a really easy thing to want to sign her.
“She’s got all the tools. She’s a really smart player and a tough defender, so I’m really excited about what I saw and I’m really keen to see her develop throughout this year.”
It came after five years playing college basketball in the United States, first at Eastern Washington before three seasons at the University of San Francisco.
McDowell-White said one of the highlights of her college career was regularly playing against other Australians.
“I absolutely loved the college experience. My teammates made the experience so much better and they’ve all become lifelong friends,” McDowell-White said.
“In terms of basketball it was really good, especially being in the WCC (West Coast Conference). There were actually a lot of other Australians in that, so it’s always nice to go on the road and see fellow Aussies.
“I’m pretty sure every team actually had an Aussie if I’m remembering correctly, so it was really cool.”
Some of those Australians included Townsville products Hayley Andrews and Alex Fowler – the latter of which could go head-to-head with McDowell-White again on Saturday night as a starring member of the UC Capitals.
But after 10 consecutive winters, McDowell-White said she was relishing the warmth in North Queensland.
“For me, because I’ve had winter all year round for the past five years being over in the States and coming back here in winter, I’m really enjoying the sunshine so far,” she said. “It’s a good place to be.
“Shannon has spoken to me and told me I am the backup point guard, so I think it’s just staying ready for when my name is called and when I’m out there, just playing my role to the best of my ability.”
THREE BURNING QUESTIONS
Who can stop Australia’s rising star Jade Melbourne?
Melbourne is quickly becoming one of the biggest stars in the WNBL.
The 21-year-old point guard notched up her 50th WNBL appearance in round 1 and appears to have taken the next big step in her development after her rookie WNBA season with the Seattle Storm.
Melbourne loves to have the ball in her hands and is equally as dangerous as a scoring threat or a distributor – scoring 31 points on Wednesday night against Sydney while dishing out seven assists.
Townsville coach Shannon Seebohm said his team would need to be ready to shut her down.
“She pushes the ball for them and she creates for her teammates,” Seebohm said.
“She plays with a lot of joy, she’s a great young kid and plays with a lot of energy and a lot of talent.”
Experienced Fire forward Mikaela Ruef suggested Melbourne’s Seattle teammate Sami Whitcomb could be the key to containing her.
“Jade is a phenomenal young star. If we can get back and clog the paint and stop her and slow her down a bit in transition, I think that will really help us,” Ruef said.
“(Whitcomb) knows her game better than anybody and she’ll definitely want to beat her because you can’t have the young kids beat an old veteran.”
Will Townsville be able to control the pace of the game?
Seebohm stressed that the team’s focus this week had been defence after giving up a lead to the Flyers with only 10 seconds on the clock in round 2.
But while the Fire will be trying to slow and control the pace of the game, the Capitals will be more than happy to engage in a high-scoring shootout.
“I think they want to play at a really high pace, they want to get up and down and push the ball and take quick shots,” Seebohm said.
“Vealy (coach Kristen Veal) has given a lot of them the green light and you see them all shooting threes and they’re very persistent in their approach in terms of attacking the paint early in the clock.
“They just play at a great breakneck speed so we need to be really smart and disciplined against them.
“We don’t want to gamble on things in the full court, turn the ball over and create offence for them. We need to turn it into more of a half-court game and rely on our one-on-one containment and ability to keep them off the boards and hopefully that gives us a good chance.
Are the Capitals flying under the radar?
The Caps won just two of 21 matches last season, and have started the season 0-3, but Seebohm refused to buy into any talk of an easy win.
“They’re a great team. They kind of like to downplay and say, ‘oh, we’re just trying to win a few games’ and all those things, but they’re really good,” Seebohm said.
“They play really hard, they’re extremely fast. Vealy has got them playing a very unpredictable style.”
KEY MATCHUPS
SAMI WHITCOMB v ALEX SHARP
The Townsville captain will have to be sharp herself to stop one of the Capitals’ shining lights of this season.
Sharp joined the Canberra side after three seasons in Perth where she played alongside Whitcomb, and she is one of their main threats.
Sharp is averaging 17 points (7th in WNBL) and 12.7 rebounds (3rd in WNBL) – yet the Caps are still searching for their first win after three games.
Whitcomb was well contained by the Flyers last time out, restricting her to just 11 points, but the veteran was still able to collect a double-double with 11 boards.
STEPH REID v JADE MELBOURNE
The battle of the ballcarriers could be where the game is won or lost on Saturday night.
Melbourne, now 21, has been a revelation in the past few WNBL seasons and this year she became the youngest active player in the WNBA with the Seattle Storm – the same team as Sami Whitcomb – after bypassing the college system.
The Caps co-captain has all the tools to be a long-term star of the sport and she enters this contest off the back of a 31-point game against Sydney.
Reid exploded out of the gates against Southside with 15 first-quarter points, but was kept to just one of five field goal attempts for the remainder.
However the Fire co-captain can contribute in other ways, as evidenced by her 12 assists through the first two matches.
ALICE KUNEK v ALEXANDRA FOWLER
Fowler is a Townsville junior making her return to the Fire Pit after joining the Caps during the off-season.
Still just 22 and full of promise, the Australian Opal is part of a young core in the nation’s capital that are already seeing improved results on a poor 2022/23 – evidenced by her 19-point explosion against Adelaide.
Kunek will need to stay out of foul trouble to have her breakout game with the Fire. She picked up four personal fouls in game 1, forcing Seebohm to activate his bench, before fouling out against the Flyers.
Fowler missed her team’s last game due to Covid but is expected to suit up on Saturday night.
14 QUESTIONS IN 14 SECONDS WITH COURTNEY WOODS
1. What is your favourite random fact?
You are more likely to dream when sleeping on your stomach.
2. What is the strangest food combination you enjoy?
Broccoli and hot sauce mayonnaise.
3. What is your strangest irrational fear?
Someone breaking into my fourth floor apartment through the balcony.
4. Who would you choose if you could sit next to anyone on a plane?
Klay Thompson
5. What is your go-to karaoke song?
When It Rains It Pours – Luke Combs
6. What would your warning label say?
Spreads incorrect information confidently.
7. A genie grants you the ability to have infinite amounts of one item. What is it?
QANTAS frequent flyer points.
8. What is the most ridiculous thing you believed as a child?
That quick sand would be a problem in my daily life.
9. Do you eat or drink soup?
Eat.
10. Training preference – In the gym or on the court?
On the court.
11. Do you have any pre-game rituals?
Shoot in the morning, two coffees always.
12. What music do you like to listen to before playing a game?
Country.
13. Do you have any advice for aspiring young basketball players who want to make it to the WNBL/NBL one day?
Being a hard worker and a good teammate are two things you can always control.
14. What’s been your proudest moment as a basketball player so far?
Seeing kids wear my jersey.
Townsville Fire v Southside Flyers
November 11 2023
Looking at the Townsville Fire’s new captain Sami Whitcomb, it’s hard to imagine she was ever anything but a star.
But when the two-time WNBA champion and four-time All-WNBL First Team player finished her exemplary college career with the University of Washington Huskies, she was left without a path forward.
“Everything along the way has probably not gone the way I thought or wanted it to,” Whitcomb said of her basketball journey.
“Everything’s felt a little bit harder, a little bit longer, but ultimately I think it was a big part of why I have been able to accomplish some of the things I have and I have been fortunate enough to get some opportunities.”
When her agent couldn’t find Whitcomb a team to play on overseas, the recent graduate took up a role at the university as the Huskies’ video co-ordinator where she was involved in scouting, highlights and content creation.
“I think sometimes it’s just opportunity. There’s not a lot of opportunity because of limited spots in the WNBA,” Whitcomb said.
“For national team stuff it’s just really, really hard sometimes. I think some people want it to happen straight away or expect it to and if it doesn’t within a couple of years they sort of move on.
“It was understanding that it might not happen, whether it’s WNBA, national team or WNBL, none of it for me happened straightaway.”
After an extra year in Washington, Whitcomb finally landed a place on a team in Germany – ChemCats Chemnitz – and returned to the DBBL the following year with the Wolfenbüttel Wildcats.
Stints in Slovakia, France and Turkey followed while she began coming to Australia and playing in the State Basketball League (SBL) during the European league off-seasons.
“It took me three or four years of playing SBL before a WNBL team would sign me,” Whitcomb said.
“It took me a while before I could crack the Opals team without being an injury replacement, like actually earning a spot.
“It’s a grind and sometimes it takes years, sometimes it just takes as long as it takes.
“I played for going on six years overseas, and it was my second WNBL season when a WNBA team was finally interested enough to sign me to a training camp contract, so it took a long time.
“I was a 28-year-old rookie in the WNBA.”
It’s no wonder Townsville coach Shannon Seebohm has such high praise for the 35-year-old veteran.
“She’s probably the hardest working player I’ve ever seen,” Seebohm said.
“Not being around her as much when she’s been at Perth, you don’t see all of the extra stuff that she does, but now to me it’s crystal clear why she is such a good player and why she’s had such a fantastic career – it’s simply because she outworks everybody.
“It’s been awesome to have her join our group and she’s added so much not just on the floor but off the floor with her leadership and her guidance to some of our players, as well as setting the example on the floor every day with how hard she works.”
When Whitcomb runs out on Saturday evening, it will be her first time in Townsville with the full support of the league’s most boisterous fans.
She said she was looking forward to having the crowd’s backing for once.
“I played against Suzy B (Batkovic) back in the day in some big games, and those were always really fun,” Whitcomb said.
“They were at Townsville Stadium back in the day and I always thought it was really fun coming and playing in that stadium.
“It was always full, they had tables along the side and there was always the one table behind the visitors’ bench that was always the rowdiest and they would just chat to you and bark at you and that was always fun.
“I enjoyed that atmosphere and the environment and just how competitive those games were.”
Whitcomb has been clear since joining the Fire that the lure of a WNBL championship was her main motivation behind leaving Perth, but said that wasn’t the only mark of success this season.
“Every team probably goes into every season with (winning the championship) as their goal and then there’s probably smaller stepping stone ones along the way,” Whitcomb said.
“Coming together as a team and getting the most out of what we’re capable of, and reaching our ceiling, hopefully everyone individually really feels like they can compete and be the best version of themselves, I think that’s got to be the goal for us.”
THREE BURNING QUESTIONS
Can the Fire continue dominance over Southside?
There’ll be plenty of meaning for each team in this grand final rematch.
Townsville won all five of its games against the Flyers last season – including sweeping them 2-0 in the grand final series – after losing nine in a row in the years before.
While the closest margin of victory was just three points (in round 5), the Fire outscored the Flyers by 84 points or an average of almost 17 points.
Southside enter the contest coming off a 104-79 thumping of the UC Capitals but Saturday will be the club’s third game in eight days.
Thankfully for Flyers fans, the wide margin allowed coach Cheryl Chambers to give her bench big minutes and limit the involvement of star player Lauren Jackson while captain Bec Cole sustained a back injury in the second quarter but is expected to play on Saturday.
Which new captain will lead the way to victory?
Whichever team’s captain comes out on top will have a telling effect on the final result.
Both Whitcomb and Cole are first year captains at their respective clubs – Whitcomb immediately taking the role at the Fire after leading Perth last season, while Cole has been with Southside since the club’s inception and takes over skippering the Flyers after Aimie Rocci departed for the Boomers.
Whitcomb has a reputation as one of the WNBL’s best three-point shooters and she didn’t disappoint against the Spirit.
Townsville’s veteran captain hit six shots from deep – putting her atop the league’s three-point scoring charts (as of Friday).
Townsville’s new skipper comes with plenty of leadership credentials.
Whitcomb led the Perth Lynx last season as well as captaining the New York Liberty in 2021 and 2022 before returning to her WNBA home in Seattle this year.
She has also spent time as the Australian Opals captain.
Cole doesn’t have quite the same experience in leading a team but she’s an experienced WNBL player who can lift the Flyers with her inspiring play.
Who will win the battle from the bench?
Both coaches are highly decorated championship-winning coaches, although they’re at either end of the experience spectrum.
Shannon Seebohm is five games away from his 100th match in charge in the WNBL, while Chambers’ 330 matches holding the clipboard puts her closer to 500 than 100.
Seebohm is the reigning Coach of the Year – a title he also won in 2020 with Townsville and 2014/15 with the Sydney Flames. Chambers has won the award three times as well.
Only legendary WNBL coach Tom Maher (4) has earned the honour more times in a career that saw him win nine championships.
KEY MATCHUPS
Sami Whitcomb v Bec Cole
As discussed in the three burning questions, the clash of the captains will be key to each team’s success.
Whitcomb’s impact on the Fire was immediate, with teammates and coach Seebohm heaping praise on her work ethic and professionalism. Whitcomb played more minutes than any other player (37:38) and finished with 18 points, four rebounds and four assists.
Cole has entered her fifth year at the Flyers and the 30-year old started the season with a bang, draining 25 points in her first game including 5-10 from beyond the arc.
A back injury picked up during the second quarter against the Caps sidelined Cole for the remainder of the Flyers’ last game.
Zitina Aokuso v Lauren Jackson
Aokuso was under pressure to shine against Bendigo after Tianna Hawkins pulled out of this WNBL season due to injuries, and that’s exactly what she did.
Townsville’s big centre was the strongest player on court and used her size to score a game-high 20 points, but facing the Opals’ most famous player of all time won’t be easy.
Australian basketball royalty Jackson made her long-awaited return for the Flyers in round 1 after a ruptured achilles ruled her out for 273 days.
Jackson played 12 minutes against the Boomers and then 18 in round 2, and despite Southside’s dominant display the 42-year old star was off her game and shot just 1-9 from the field and 2-4 from the charity stripe.
Steph Reid v Maddi Rocci
Reid picked up where she left off last season with an impressive 13 points, five assists and three rebounds in game one.
The 27-year-old put her injury affected year behind her and showed no signs of struggling as she drove the attack with Whitcomb.
Rocci leads WNBL scoring (as of Friday) with 39 points in two games – buoyed by 28 against the Capitals on Wednesday night.
The Flyers guard had seven assists in both games this season and her assists per game has steadily improved in each of her six WNBL seasons (4.9 in 22/23).
ALICE KUNEK’S HOMECOMING
Written by Townsville Fire player Alice Kunek
Time flies when you’re having fun right? I can attest to that.
This is now my 15th season playing professional basketball and it feels like I started my career yesterday. Things have changed since I first started playing in the WNBL 17 years ago and I couldn’t be prouder to see how far our league has come.
That’s really showing my age, isn’t it?!
When I first came into the league I was playing with the Australian Institute of Sport and wasn’t that a humbling experience. We were young girls playing in a grown women’s league.
It was tough. My first season we won one game and it felt like Christmas. But it shaped us as players and most importantly as people, taught us resilience and that nothing was ever given.
You worked for everything and that has been the philosophy of my career.
After leaving the Institute of Sport I realised everyone was talented and if I wanted to succeed, it was simple: I had to put in the work.
My first years in the league were challenging; I worked, studied, and played basketball professionally. But I wouldn’t change those moments for anything.
Since leaving Australia basically five years ago it’s been so great to see how the league has grown. It’s what really brought me home.
Minimum wage has gone up, a larger salary cap, increased fan engagement. Hey, we even have a WNBL app now!
Sport teaches us so many incredible values and life lessons. Coming back to Australia was a chance to give back to the sport that has given me so much, I want to continue to help grow women’s sport and basketball in this country. To show the nation we’re here, and we’re not going anywhere. To keep inspiring the next generation of young girls and athletes to believe in themselves and continually push the boundaries.
This game has taken me around the world, just recently playing in the Hungarian and Polish leagues and women’s Euro League, where I was lucky enough to win two championships.
I’ve been fortunate enough to travel the world and see some incredible places. Represented my country and play with and against talented players and learn from the best. I loved my five years in Europe and the experiences I had there.
There were good days, bad days and just days in between but nothing beats coming home to Australia, and Townsville certainly feels like home, even in such a short time. The community welcomes this club with open arms and the support I’ve felt since arriving has been nothing short of remarkable.
One thing that isn’t lost on me is the opportunity we have as sports people and something Major General Scott Winter from the Australian Army has shared is our club is the only Australian organisation outside of the Army to wear the Rising Sun on our uniform.
Just writing that gives me goosebumps.
To play our first home game on Remembrance Day in front of our home crowd and to unveil the championship banner. I feel truly honoured.
To represent all those people before us that have fought for our country and allowed us to do what we do. That is what the power of sport can do; give you incredible opportunities, memories, and moments.
I’m incredibly grateful to be a part of the Fire this season and truly believe we have something special in this group. But once again nothing is given, we will have a target on our backs all season.
But one thing I know for sure is to stay true to what I know, work hard, and enjoy the memories and moments that’re presented in this life. This season feels different, it’s about playing for something bigger than myself.
Championships are always the goal but it’s the little things that mean so much to me now. The people you meet along the way, lifelong friendships, the communities you play in and the people you impact.
So, Townsville, thank you for all the support you’ve given this remarkable club, let’s keep it rolling. It all starts tonight, grand final rematch… FIRE UP!
14 QUESTIONS IN 14 SECONDS WITH MIKAELA RUEF
1. What is your favourite random fact?
A giraffe’s neck is too short to reach the ground. As a result, it has to awkwardly spread its front legs or kneel to reach the ground for a drink of water.
2. What is the strangest food combination you enjoy?
I’m pro pineapple on pizza.
3. What is your strangest irrational fear?
Heights.
4. Who would you choose if you could sit next to anyone on a plane?
My mom cuz I miss her a lot. Just to be clear, she’s alive she just lives on the other side of the world.
5. What is your go-to karaoke song?
Piano Man by Billy Joel.
6. What would your warning label say?
Warning: Good in small doses, lethal in large doses.
(cuz I’m annoying if you hang around me too long).
7. A genie grants you the ability to have infinite amounts of one item. What is it?
First class aeroplane flights, so I could visit my family more often. First class, cuz economy on long haul flights is a form of torture for a tall person.
8. What is the most ridiculous thing you believed as a child?
I had an irrational fear of witches from like Halloween movies or something, so I made up an imaginary friend called “Witchy” (super original, I know) that was like a nice witch, so that I could trick myself into liking witches. It’s not really a ridiculous thing I believed, just something that describes my weirdness as a child.
9. Do you eat or drink soup?
Eat all the solid bits out of it, and then drink the broth, so both.
10. Training preference – in the gym or on the court?
On the court, the gym is a necessary evil.
11. Do you have any pre-game rituals?
Game day nap.
12. What music do you like to listen to before playing a game?
Basic white girl genre, stuff that’s easy to sing to.
13. Do you have any advice for aspiring young basketball players who want to make it to the WNBL/NBL one day?
Take care of your body.
14. What’s been your proudest moment as a basketball player so far?
Winning the WNBL championship last season.
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