Milestone Melbourne: Jade set to play 100th game

She's already achieved so much in her young career, and now UC Capitals star Jade Melbourne will bring up another one on Friday night.

The 23-year-old guard, who helped the Australian Opals win a bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, will chalk up her 100th WNBL game when her Caps host the Southside Melbourne Flyers at the AIS Arena.

"To be honest, I can't believe I've racked up a hundred games," Melbourne said.

"I feel like I've only just started, but I think the coolest thing for me is that it's all been with the Caps.

"The journey hasn't been easy, but it's been something that's been super fun and rewarding.

"Running out tonight for a team that means so much to me and helped shape me into the player I am is very cool, and it's great to share this moment and celebrate with Sarah for her 300th."

Born in East Melbourne, Melbourne grew up playing her junior basketball for the Traralgon Thunderbirds and Victoria Country representative teams.

This led to junior Australian honours, including the Australian Sapphires at both the 2017 FIBA U16 Asian Championships (winning gold) and 2018 FIBA Under 17 World Cup (winning bronze) and Australian Gems at the 2021 FIBA Under 19 World Cup (winning silver and being named in the tournament’s All Star Five).

During this time, Melbourne attended the Centre of Excellence in Canberra.

Soon after, Melbourne signed with the Capitals ahead of the 2020 Hub WNBL season in North Queensland.

This proved to be Melbourne's first of six seasons in the WNBL, where she's established herself as one of the country's brightest young stars.

As such, she made her Opals debut at the 2021 FIBA Women's Asia Cup and played a key role in Australian success at the Paris Games, being named the tournament's Rising Star.

Among all this, Melbourne was selected with the 33rd pick of the 2022 WNBA Draft by the Seattle Storm, with whom she played one season before being traded to the Washington Mystics (with whom she's played two campaigns).

"Reflecting back on the journey, I can still remember my first bucket in the WNBL, and now I'm playing 100 games, it's been a really cool and unique ride," Melbourne said.

"I first walked into a team with Kelsey Griffin and Marianna Tolo, and I've learnt from players like Kelly Wilson, Brittany Sykes and Britt Smart.

"Then all of a sudden, I jumped into a leadership role at a pretty young age.

"It's been a whirlwind of opportunities, and this club has presented so much to me and helped me grow and shape me into who I am.

"Now to be playing 100 games for someone that's poured so much into me, it's pretty exciting, and I can't wait to hit the floor."

During her six seasons in the Nation's Capital, Melbourne admits there have been plenty of memorable moments.

"Honestly, there's just so many [favourite moments]," she said.

"I distinctly remember in my third year, we went on an 0-11 start to the season, and then we beat Bendigo at the Canberra Convention Centre on January 11. That was a real highlight because it had been a grind, and we didn't know if we were going to get one win, so that game definitely sticks out to me.

"Another highlight was the opportunity to play at home in Traralgon. We lost to the Boomers, but the opportunity to go home and play in front of my family and friends was really cool.

"Then last year, we beat Bendigo, who went on to win the Championship. To celebrate a year with a bunch of girls that I really enjoyed playing with and had grown so close to was special.

"We only just missed out on finals, so to cap off the year that way was a real highlight."

Looking ahead to the game itself, Melbourne, who is averaging 12.8 points, 5.1 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game, outlined the keys to victory.

"It's stopping their three-headed monster, in Maddy Rocci, Cayla George and Issie Bourne," she said.

"If they get going, you're in for a long night as a group, so we need to limit their opportunities and touches.

"If we shut down their offence, especially on the break as they like to push the pace, it will go a long way to slowing their momentum and giving us the best chance to win."

Tickets to Friday's game, which will be broadcast live on ESPN and 9Now, are still available here.