At just 13 years of age Jade Melbourne had immense confidence in her game - even more than her mum - and it's put her on a steady path to success, as a WNBL superstar and soon-to-be WNBA rookie.
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Back when Melbourne was still deciding if basketball would be her main focus, having juggled Australian Rules as well growing up, the young teen was desperate to try out for an under-16 Victoria Country team.
Her mum tried to dissuade her, afraid she'd fail and be discouraged, but Melbourne insisted, whether she made the team or not.
"She was just looking out for me but I said I really wanted to go for the experience," Melbourne told The Canberra Times.
"I ended up making it into the final 10. I don't know if I was more excited to make the team or prove mum wrong.
"Mum has always been the realist and keeps me level-headed, and dad is the competitive one that wants me to do everything, so it's a nice balanced approach."
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Melbourne, now 20, said her mother's instincts to protect her continue today, like after she announced she'd be heading over to Seattle to begin her WNBA career this season.
Or when she made the decision to re-sign for two more years with the Capitals instead of explore options with Melbourne teams to be closer to her hometown Traralgon.
"Mum was like, 'Are you sure you're ready to go to Seattle?" Melbourne joked. "She's always been the careful one. I'm her daughter so she's always going to protect me.
"Even when I'm 30 she'll be calling me making sure I'm cooking myself a good meal at night, and I love her to bits for it."
The Capitals will wrap up their 2022/23 WNBL season on Saturday night against Perth Lynx at the National Convention Centre, with their end of season awards night to follow immediately afterwards on court.
Kristen Veal's team are once again feeling the pinch of injuries, with a limited pool of players to choose from for the game.
But the coach is just wanting the Capitals to embrace their final game together with that group before players begin departing next week.
"We've got eight players and one of them is coming back from a concussion [Nicole Munger]," Veal said.
"We go into every game now not worrying about wins and losses but playing as hard as we can, trusting the process and really enjoying ourselves."
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Melanie Dinjaski
Melanie Dinjaski is an experienced sports journalist at the Canberra Times with a genuine love of all sports. She's covered every code from NRL to NFL. Melanie aims to bring Canberrans all the sports news they need to know. If you have a story worth sharing, get in touch!
Melanie Dinjaski is an experienced sports journalist at the Canberra Times with a genuine love of all sports. She's covered every code from NRL to NFL. Melanie aims to bring Canberrans all the sports news they need to know. If you have a story worth sharing, get in touch!
