How Timmy Duggan honed freakish skills in Darwin backyard, now he needs NT Government funding for Hoops 4 Health to continue helping youth develop

DON Bradman famously had a stump, golf ball and water tank at his family home in Bowral, which we know helped the late legend go on to average an incredible 99.94 runs per innings for Australia in 52 Tests.And Territory basketball icon Timmy Duggan had a netball hoop attached to a piece of wood in his Darwin backyard.Like the best batsman the world has ever seen, Duggan’s simple method worked a treat.Now a respected community mentor, Duggan is calling for NT Government assistance so his popular Hoops 4 Health program can continue well into the future.

Territory basketball icon Timmy Duggan is calling for NT Government assistance so his Hoops 4 Health program can continue providing positive outcomes for indigenous youth. Picture: CHE CHORLEY

DON Bradman famously had a stump, golf ball and water tank at his family home in Bowral, which we know helped the late legend go on to average an incredible 99.94 runs per innings for Australia in 52 Tests.

And Territory basketball icon Timmy Duggan had a netball hoop attached to a piece of wood in his Darwin backyard.

Like the best batsman the world has ever seen, Duggan’s simple method worked a treat.

He went on to become the first person from the NT to play in the NBL when he debuted for the Gold Coast Rollers in 1996.

He then represented Cairns Taipans from 1999 to 2001, playing 42 games at the elite level.

The now 43-year-old was the only indigenous player in the NBL while the competition was booming during the 1990s.

Duggan also won three Queensland titles with Cairns Marlins in the period from 1997 to 2001, and was the Australian Basketball Association’s leading three-point shooter in 1997.

How did he hone those freakish skills?

By continuously shooting into a netball hoop which his father Don Duggan built in his backyard while growing up in the Top End.

“With the netball hoop being smaller than a basketball hoop it really helped me with my shooting,” Duggan told the NT News.

“So when I’d go to the Darwin Basketball Stadium the hoops down there always seemed bigger and easier for me.”

It is not just Duggan’s playing career which is impressive.

The 2019 DBA Championship-winning coach with Razzle has also achieved plenty as a game and life mentor.

He is the founder of the Hoops 4 Health program, established in 2002, which uses basketball as a vehicle to inspire aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youths to make the right life choices.

Thousands have benefited from the initiative.

Helping young Territorians grow and develop on and off the court is something he is genuinely passionate about.

Duggan’s strong foundations as a player, coach and community role model go back to the way his father raised him.

“I used to outwork myself, and I was always internally motivated,” he said.

“Growing up around my dad and watching him instilled a big work ethic in me.

“He was always a hard worker, and he’s still out mowing lawns now in his 60s.

“He’s always been a handyman, and when I was growing up he handmade four basketball hoops in our backyard.

“One was a smaller netball hoop.”

With this kind of supportive upbringing, it is no wonder Duggan has devoted countless hours towards helping the Territory’s next generation of indigenous basketball players through his Hoops 4 Health program.

And – like his practice sessions in the backyard – that initiative also had a humble beginning.

But it was one which also blossomed due to Duggan’s steely vision.

“In 2001, I wrote down some ideas and decided to give Hoops 4 Health a crack,” he said.

“At the time I had no funding for it. I just put a lot of time and effort into it.

“And it’s gone on to bring people together and impact peoples’ lives positively.”

Just last month, Uni Rebels superstar Ambah Kowcun was a guest at Duggan’s clinic at Malak, adding her expertise the day after flying back to the Top End from Adelaide – that is how highly Kowcun thinks of the program.

The South Australian capital is where she plays for Forestville Eagles in the NBL1 Central Competition, winning the title in 2019, adding local Darwin credibility to the coaching program.

But the future of Duggan’s Hoops 4 Health program is now under a cloud, with the initiative now reliant on continued NT Government funding in order for it continue.

“It’s been going for 20 years, but the funding for it has fizzled out,” Duggan said.

“But it’d be great for this to continue so we can keep delivering positive outcomes for young people.

“It is all local coaches, too – Desiree Weetra, Jaala Alley and my cousin (Tracy Village Jets women’s captain) Kylie Duggan are all involved.”

A regular academy of willing young participants is Duggan’s vision for the program’s future.

And – if you consider his own razor-sharp determination over the course of his career – the best days may still be ahead for the Hoops 4 Health initiative, despite the hurdle it must now overcome.

“If we get funding to expand it we’ll be able to start up a Hoops 4 Health Academy and it’ll only go from strength to strength,” Duggan said.

“It’ll continue to provide our kids with a positive learning environment, give them something to look forward to every week and give them access to good local coaching.”