T H E B AROS S A MAG | 57
Above all, standing tall
WORDS BY HEIDI HELBIG
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOHN KRÜGER
Chelsea Brook stands out in
a crowd, and not just because
she’s 188 centimetres tall.
The 19-year-old professional
basketballer embodies maturity,
humility and an understated
determination, characteristics
that have cemented her place in
Adelaide Lightning’s side.
“In some ways it hasn’t sunk in.
It’s such a humbling thing,” Chelsea
says of her team’s success.
“It’s something you dream about,
but you never think it’s going
to happen.”
While stepping onto the court
in the number eight jersey is the
realisation of a childhood dream
– Chelsea was 10 when she first
saw Adelaide Lightning play – her
call-up to the Women’s National
Basketball League (WBNL) from
coach Chris Lucas came as a
complete curve ball.
“Three years ago I was 17, a baby,”
Chelsea says.
“Chris came out to my Premier
League game when I was playing
for Norwood but I never really
expected to get a contract – I still
had three months of Year 12 to go.”
The youngest signed player in
the squad, the forward centre
found herself swapping her school
books and family life in Truro for
a new “home away from home”
at Titanium Stadium in Adelaide.
In a period of restructure for the
club, Chelsea took the opportunity
to stake her claim.
“That first year was very different,
low-budget,” she says.
“Lightning had been on the
decline and they decided to strip
everything back and rebuild – six
of us were rookies who hadn’t
played WNBL before.
“That was almost one of my
favourite years; we weren’t winning
many games but it was fun. Chris
understood that and wanted us
to do the best we could while
we gained experience.”