Jewels lock in WNBA talent as second import

The Tasmania Jewels have secured the WNBA's 13th draft pick, Madina Okot, as the team's second import and final player for their debut season in WNBL27, pending League approval.

Okot has had a meteoric rise, having only picked up a basketball for the first time as a 16-year-old in Kenya in 2020.

Fast forward and the now 21-year-old centre is playing with the Atlanta Dream in the WNBA, with those in the know tipping she's destined for the All-Stars.

Jewels coach Claudia Brassard said Okot was the perfect final pick, standing at 6'6" with a massive 6'10" wingspan.

"We have that good balance of experience and leadership, youth and hunger, but also playmakers, sharpshooters and interior presence," Brassard said.

"Okot is the final piece of our team; we'll be very competitive.

"Her game style is physical; her height and wingspan are intimidating.

"She'll give us a big presence inside the paint, an elite rebounder who can also help us defensively.

"She's relatively new to basketball and her upside is huge; she's only just scratching the surface."

Okot said that at this early point in her career, surrounding herself with the right people to support her continued development and having a team with good culture was critical.

"After talking to Izzy (Isobel Borlase) [my teammate in Atlanta], and after having a Zoom with the coaches, they made everything so clear," Okot said.

"I like the team's culture; I like how they take good care of players, and I just can't wait to meet you all."

For Okot, learning basketball has come naturally, before having her development fast-tracked this WNBA season.

"I was just out there playing volleyball," she said.

"I don't really know if I liked it at that time, because that was the only sport that I played. I was just trying new things, and I ended up loving basketball.

"I think it was so easy to learn, and the things I was supposed to do, like learning to dribble, how to make a layup, I think it was so easy to learn, and I also think it was the person who was trying to teach me; they were so good at doing it.

"It [the WNBA] is a very good experience of learning from the greatest and competing with the greatest players in the world and I'm learning from the greatest coaches too."

Okot joins Steph Reid, Keely Froling, Darcee Garbin, Brooke Basham, Chloe Broomhall, Portia Chopping, Katie Deeble, Mia Jacobs, Gianna Kneepkens, Ava McDonald, Taylor Mole, Nikki Parker, Andie Smith, Georgia Taylor and Ella Tofaeono as players committed to Tasmania.

The Jewels' first-ever game is against Geelong on October 15 at MyState Bank Arena.