Tracy Village Jets captain Kylie Duggan: Family has been a big reason behind my Darwin Basketball League premierships
INDIGENOUS SPORT MONTH: If Kylie Duggan is on a basketball court or footy field, her parents Kay and Frank usually aren’t too far away. And she developed her game in fierce backyard battles against older brother Matthew. She says this family environment was a massive reason behind her sustained success over the years.
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JETS champion Kylie Duggan is fast evolving into a well-respected coach, and she believes she has a highly talented team which can do some damage at the Australian Under-16 Basketball Championships in Perth from July 4-11.
Duggan – a week-in, week-out inspiration during Tracy Village’s remarkable run of 13 consecutive DBA titles – will take the same selfless attitude she has as a player to her role as the Northern Territory girls’ mentor.
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“I’m pretty proud and honoured to have this role,” she said. “I’ve played a lot at that level coming through the junior age groups.
“I haven’t coached at that level before, but I’ll have some great support.
“(Former Jets teammate) Frances Fatnowna will be a great assistant, and she has plenty of basketball experience.
“I’ve coached the Darwin Cyclones under-14 girls and that group was competitive, so this group can do the same thing. We know every game will be tough, but I believe these girls are up to the challenge.” Duggan is thrilled with the squad she will take away to the tournament.
“Jayla Thorne is a great starting point guard. Her and my daughter Kaylani bring Premier League experience with the Jets to this team,” Duggan said.
“Vanessa Stanfield from Alice Springs will give us plenty of height, and Sierra McQueen and Kayla Tuluauau are great players.”
Duggan also took her Damabila girls’ team to the final of the Indigenous Community Basketball League tournament in March, with Chantelle Lee’s Gakkinga winning the final 63-41.
“That was a great experience. And it was great that this tournament could offer opportunities to remote kids and give them another pathway,” Duggan said.
“It was great to see these talented young kids play against other young Indigenous kids in a fun and safe environment.”
Jayla and Kaylani were among the standouts for Damabila.
Both have started their Darwin Basketball League careers in fine fashion, despite both being 14. Kaylani and Jayla scored 15 and seven points respectively on their League debuts in Tracy Village’s 60-56 win over Lightning in round 1.
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KYLIE Duggan developed her fierce competitive rivalry on the basketball court in games against her older brother Matthew every day.
That was the strong foundation for her to go on and excel playing for Coburg in Melbourne and Woodville in Adelaide, before creating history after arriving back in Darwin.
She then helped Tracy Village Jets to a staggering 13-straight Darwin Basketball League senior women’s premierships.
“Me and my brother Matthew would compete in the backyard every night until we couldn’t see the ball,” Duggan said.
“I didn’t start playing football (with Darwin Buffettes) until I moved back to Darwin.
“So there were plenty of competitive basketball games while growing up.
“They were great days which I’ll cherish for the rest of my life.”
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IF Kylie Duggan is playing or training on a basketball court or footy field, her parents Kay and Frank usually aren’t too far away.
Duggan’s heritage is Nyikina (father’s side) and Thursday Islander (mother’s side).
“We all moved to Adelaide as a family when me and (older brother) Matthew wanted to pursue our (respective) basketball and football careers,” said Duggan, who played state-level basketball for both Woodville in Adelaide and Coburg in Melbourne.
“My parents have been my rock – they’ve guided me through everything I’ve done in life. I would be nothing without them, and they are very special to me. As a family we all moved to Adelaide, and then Melbourne together.
“And then my parents moved back up to Darwin with me. We’re a very tight-knit family. Mum always comes and watches my basketball games, and Dad will come and watch my big basketball games.
“He’ll always come and watch me play footy. I can’t thank them enough for everything they’ve done for me.
“I was also very lucky to have grown up with great role models around me, two really important strong women being my nannas, Dorothy Duggan (nee Fraser) and Edna Wilson (nee Irlandas) – both no longer with us.
“They set the foundation for me and I hope to pass that on to my own children.”
With this background, it is no surprise why Duggan is so passionate about her role as a program co-ordinator with the Stars Foundation at Casuarina Senior College.
“I want to be known as someone who can help and inspire kids when they need it,” she said. “Sport and education are great ways for kids to stay on the right track.”
“I’m so happy my kids, Kaylani and Jovi, are involved in sport and growing up just like the way I did in the sporting community.
“Sport is the saviour for a lot of kids in Darwin, and the Future Stars and Clontarf programs help them stay on track.
“And if they fall down we’ll be there to pick them back up again.”
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TRACY Village captain Kylie Duggan cares deeply about every young player coming through at her club.
“I think a big reason why we’ve been successful over the years is because of the way our young players are coached and brought through,” she said.
“We can see their competitive nature from a young age, and it’s great to see.”
Duggan and Sam Rioli were crucial experienced players during the Jets’ run of 13 consecutive Darwin Basketball League titles, which ended in 2018. Duggan says playing with the ever-positive Rioli at Coburg in the Big V before she returned to the Jets in 2012 had a massive influence on her career as a player and person.
It is one of the reasons why she now takes her basketball and life mentor roles so seriously.
“I was still young at Woodville and Coburg, so coming off the bench was a great experience playing against some very talented players,” Duggan said.
“I went to Coburg because Sam was there. She really helped me get through it and get better. Then I had kids and came back to Darwin.”
Duggan brought a fierce desire for a challenge from her time in Adelaide and Melbourne back up to Darwin.
But she also wanted to show young Jets players the importance of playing hard and having fun.
“Every game is so competitive down there, so I wanted to bring that experience I gained back up to Darwin,” she said.
“(Current Basketball NT high performance manager) Rod Tremlett was coaching at the time. He’s a great coach and we went on our title-winning streak.
“I felt at home straight away back at the Jets.
“I just loved the family environment, I was having fun and I really found my love of basketball again.”
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