WNBA Los Angeles Sparks Rookie Amy Atwell
This week I had the chance to talk to our first ever Perth woman to be drafted into the WNBA! Amy Atwell was recently selected by the Los Angeles Sparks at pick number 27 in the WNBA draft, and has played some amazing basketball already since joining the squad. It's a huge milestone Amy has achieved that will now and forever inspire the younger generation of female basketball players in Western Australia. In the past six years Amy has been part of the University of Hawaii basketball program, an era where she had great success on the court but not without having to overcome injury and the challenges of a pandemic. Amy did an amazing job of overcoming multiple knee injuries and surgeries, to go on to be awarded the Big West Conference Player of the Year, win the Big West Championship, break the colleges all time three point record and many more amazing achievements! So exciting to now be able to follow Amy's continual growth and enjoyment while she helps her LA Sparks in the 2022 WNBA season ahead. Enjoy the short Q&A below!
First Western Australian in history to be drafted into the WNBA. Wow, that is massive, not just for you but for every single young girl in Perth who now knows that their dream can become a reality if they do what it takes! Tell us about how it felt to hear your name called out on draft night and to be picked 27th by the Los Angeles Sparks?
"It was an awesome feeling that’s for sure! It was very surreal and in the moment I was kind of just in shock. To have all of my childhood dreams and everything I had been working hard for over the last few years pay off in that moment was an unbelievable feeling. I just hope I can be a great role model to young girls and pave the way for them, starting by showing them that crazy dreams can come true."
You are also now just the second woman to be drafted into the WNBA out of University of Hawaii, you are the first there to be crowned Big West Conference player of the year, you are the programs three point record holder and the list goes on. What does it mean to you to now represent your school and how does it feel to have created so much history there for the legacy of their women's basketball program?
"It means so much to me to be able to continue to represent Hawaii. I was lucky enough to wear Hawaii across my chest for the past 6 years and it’s been an honour, something you can only truly understand if you have the privilege to do so. I've spent a good chunk of my life in Hawaii, so the people there are like my second family. I know I still have the whole island and state behind me, and I just hope I can represent the University and state well and make them proud."
Do you have a goal to represent the green and gold and play for the Australian Opals and if so, what would it mean to you to represent your country on the international stage?