Have you considered how sport could balance your study life?
Getting involved in competitive or social sports while you study at uni is a great way to enrich your student experience. You can utilise sport to build up your network; enhance your skills in teamwork or leadership; keep fit or just blow off study stress. Elite sports people can even continue to compete while studying at Curtin to build a dual career pathway like the 170+ athletes supported in Curtin’s Elite Athlete Program.
The University Basketball League (UBL), a competition run by UniSport Australia, is a good case study of the opportunities available. The UBL is part of the development of university-level sports in Australia, inspired by the American college sports system, that tipped off in 2021.
The call went out last November for students to try out for squads that would represent Curtin in 2022. Basketball star Ricky Grace, NBL1 and WBBL player Jorjah Smith and Perth Wheelcat player Ben Moncrieff were hired to coach the Curtin Carnaby Men and Women’s UBL squads.
Over 10 weeks, 11 Australian universities competed against each other in the UBL in early 2022. The Carnabys faced 10 away games interstate, getting to travel to Melbourne and Adelaide just as the WA border opened up. Then a final clash with our western rivals the UWA Maali, in the first-ever UBL Western Derby held at UWA.
These selected students have had an amazing opportunity to not just compete but to be coached and trained by basketball pros, represent Curtin interstate, host home games at Curtin Stadium, network with hundreds of people involved in the UBL, and play basketball on UniSportTV, all while working on their degrees.
Highlights of the 2022 Season
Shenae Hartree (Health Sciences) was the UBL’s Women’s Stats Leader, Ella Thorthon-Elliott (Business and Law) was the leader for 3-pointers and Akim Lual (Health Sciences) came in third overall for average points.
In the Men’s league, the Curtin Carnabys v University of Sunshine Coast Spartans match was the first UBL game to go into double overtime to break the tie.
Toby Martin (Science and Engineering) came in third overall for 3-pointers for the Men’s UBL season.
In the Western Derby the Carnabys Women’s side beat UWA on their home court – 67 to 49! #carnthecarnabys
We would like to commend the Carnabys Women’s side for coming in fifth in the league and only narrowly missing a place in the 2022 finals. As well as congratulate the Carnabys Men’s side on their season, coming ninth on the ladder.
Congratulations to the winners – LaTrobe University (Women) and the University of Sydney (Men)! These students will have the opportunity to participate in a four-game tour against universities in Taiwan in December, an exciting opportunity for the UBL and the students.
If you are keen to join the UBL in 2023, calls for interest for the trials will go out later this year so keep an eye on OASIS for announcements. You also don’t even need to be sporty to get involved with sport! There are opportunities for students to support the UBL in off-court roles, including sports physio, coaching support, bench scoring, social media, photography, and more.
Whatever sport you want to play or support, there is likely a Curtin team playing at some level. Sport can provide you with an opportunity to create a sense of belonging at uni while offering many benefits to your health and opportunities to upskill.
Get involved with sport at Curtin!
- Social sports at Curtin will commence on 1 August. Sign-up is still open and registrations close Sunday 31 July. Check out the Curtin Sport and Recreation website for the list of available sports and information about joining a team.
- Think you have what it takes to compete on behalf of Curtin University? Check out the Competitive sport webpage on the Sport and Recreation website to find out how you can get involved.
- Want to dip your toe into the world of sport? You can just hire a court or field! Curtin has a range of multi-purpose sports courts and fields available to hire for a private team training session, sports competition, or a quick game after classes.
- Need to build muscle or your cardio capacity for sport? Curtin Stadium Fitness Centre on Perth Campus is a great facility with the latest in gym equipment, friendly personal trainers and a variety of fitness classes to take part in.
Studying at uni does not mean you need to stop playing sports. Get out there!
Once again, a huge congratulations to the students who represented Curtin’s inaugural season in UniSport’s University Basketball League in 2022.
Curtin Uni Carnabys UBL Squads 2022
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