Western Australia has watched Caitlin Bassett grow up before their eyes; from a young-gun teen player for the Perth Orioles to her pivotal roles in the success of the West Coast Fever and Australian Diamonds teams in recent years, Caitlin has been a celebrity in her own right across the Australian sporting arena.
Caitlin Bassett was a late bloomer when it came to netball, in fact, she did not play her first game until she was eleven years old. Not that her childhood wasn’t athletic – she was animal- (particularly pony) -crazy and has always enjoyed sports of any type. Bassett was selected to join the Perth Orioles aged sixteen, and in 2008 was selected to play to the West Coast Fever team. Bassett was also chosen to debut in the Australian Diamonds team, although – at the time – she didn’t expect to play on court. Hence her surprise when Catherine Cox, one of the Diamond’s most experienced players, was injured and coach at the time, Norma Plummer, called Bassett in to play. On her website autobiography Bassett states:
“I had no expectations what so ever of getting on court, so I was really surprised when Norma put me on for the last quarter. I was probably the most nervous I can ever remember being in a netball game. I will also never forget it because I got to debut with Laura Geitz, and that is something we will always share together.”
In 2009, aged nineteen, Bassett was selected to play for the World Youth Cup team. She continued to reach new heights in 2011 when she played for the Australian Diamonds in their grand victory at the World Championships. In 2014 Bassett was short-listed for the Liz Ellis Diamond award and in 2015 she became the first ANZ Championship player to shoot six hundred goals in one season. In 2016 Bassett achieved the title of most-accurate big-tally shooter in the ANZ Championship after just three games. This year, as Fever’s vice-captain, the round four fixture against the Swift’s was a prominent game for Bassett as she became the first Australian (and second player in the history of the ANZ Championship) to register 4000 career goals.
Aged 28, Caitlin Bassett has an array of achievements under her belt; with her shooting accuracy, high volume of shots and as a leading shooter both domestically and internationally, Bassett continues to impress on the international stage. She is also a strong role-model for the #RethinkRoleModels campaign – a partnership between the Australian Diamonds and Samsung Electronics Australia which aims strives to portray positive role models for young Australian girls and women.