Q&A: Liz Mills, basketball head coach, 35

Sydneysider Liz Mills is the only woman in the world to coach a men’s national basketball team. How did she do it?

Determined: “in the back of my mind I know people are always looking for excuses to take women down,” says Liz Mills. Picture: Evans Dims @evansdimsphoto

You’re the only woman in the world in charge of a men’s national basketball team (Kenya). How did a Sydneysider come to break those barriers in Africa? My twin sister Vic and I fell in love with Zambia on a volunteer trip, and decided to keep coming back. In 2011 we watched a pre-season tournament for the men’s Super League and I saw this team that didn’t win but had lots of potential. I had zero intention of coaching but decided, you know what, I have eight years’ experience coaching and a sports science degree – I’m just going to go up and ask to run a session. The club president gave me an hour, and that hour turned into a head coach position for the rest of the season.

Before moving to Nairobi, you coached elite men’s teams in Zambia, Cameroon, Rwanda... how did this all fit in with your day job? In Rwanda in 2019, I was working remotely in my corporate job at a software company. I would work Sydney hours from 10pm till 6am. After that, I’d have morning practice, then breakfast and then sleep for maybe two hours and then start again. When I came to Kenya for the AfroBasket championship my corporate contract ended, which was lucky – I had to be 100 per cent dedicated to the team.

The underdog Kenyan team qualified for AfroBasket this year with a game-winning shot. How did that feel? It had been 28 years since they last qualified and I’d wanted to beat the Angolan powerhouse team since 2011. So all that hard work was accumulated in that one shot. I was so happy for them.

Did you feel extra pressure because of your gender? I did feel more pressure being the first woman to do what I was doing. Coaching is easy, but in the back of my mind I know people are always looking for excuses to take women down. I just needed us to play well and compete, regardless of the result, and my team did that.

After switching from playing netball to basketball, you started coaching in Sydney at 16. What attracted you to the role? I was about 10 when I watched the Women’s National Basketball League for the first time. There were great players like Lauren Jackson and Penny Taylor, but also high-profile female head coaches. I didn’t realise it at the time but seeing them own their role planted a seed for me. From there I knew I could own coaching as a profession.

What’s the secret to coaching success? Players aren’t going to care if you know every great offence or defence until they know that you care about them. Finding out who they are as a person off the court gives you a lot of insight on how to coach them. That should form the centre of any coaching philosophy.

What are your passions outside basketball? I love to travel; I’m an advocate for So They Can, a charity empowering African kids in poverty; I love spending time with my friends and family; and I’m a big history and politics buff… outside my job, I love talking about things that aren’t basketball-related.

What motivates you to want to break barriers? Growing up in Australia as a woman in sport and being told what you can and can’t do. I’ve always had this attitude: “You think I can’t do it? Watch me.” I like proving that women can do whatever we set out to do. That’s been a motivation for me since I was young.

So what’s next? I want to be the first woman to lead an African team at the World Cup or the Olympics. Then I’ll probably retire!