Left: Steph Cumming in action against the Hobart Chargers on
By Jarrod Potter
STEPH Cumming is off to Queensland this week to play for the Australian Opals basketball team in a three-match tour against China.
This caps off a busy couple of weeks for Cumming, 20, of Endeavour Hills, who returned from a Uni Games camp in Canberra last week and an Opals tour of China in June.
“I just got back from a uni games camp in Canberra, where we played two games,” Cumming said.
“A week before that I spent two weeks in China with the Opals. We played two tournaments against New Zealand, Brazil and China, and we came second.
“I thought I did all right. It was my first Opals gig and I was pretty nervous, but I got some good feedback … and it can only improve from here.”
Cumming’s next challenge after the series against China is the Uni Games, which start on 7 August, when she represents Victoria University through her studies of education.
“This is my first year studying teaching. I started when I was in Canberra playing with the AIS at ACU (Australian Catholic University), but deferred and later moved back to Victoria,” she said.
“I reapplied with VU, because my brother goes there and he said they do things quite well with athletes and sport.
“They had a good program and a course I really thought I’d enjoy.”
Cumming’s basketball roots started like many other children: following her brother around and emulating whatever he did.
“I’ve been playing basketball since I was a little kid, must have been about six or seven,” Cumming said.
”My brother played, and as little sisters do, I wanted to be like my brother. I did everything he did; played with trucks and copied him completely.
“He played in a basketball team, so when some of my friends from school started a team, I started playing with them and loved it.”
Cumming has been a permanent fixture at the Dandenong Basketball Stadium, having played there for more than a decade before moving to Canberra to play with the AIS in 2008.
When given the opportunity to play college basketball in the United States, Cumming turned down repeated offers to stay at home.
“When I was younger, it never really appealed to me,” Cumming said.
“I was offered to go play for colleges, but I didn’t think it would be my thing.”
Her time in Canberra was shortlived, as a few years was enough time spent away from her family.
“I’m glad I stayed, because I like how I’ve set everything up. I enjoy living with my family, because I went and lived in Canberra for nearly three years without my parents when I was younger. Then coming back it was great to have my family around again.”
With a new-look team heading into the WNBL season, Cumming believes the steady development the Rangers have gone through over the past couple of years will hopefully pay dividends.
“We’ve got a whole new team coming in,” she said.
“Besides myself, the players who’ve stayed are Kath (Kathleen MacLeod) and Jenna (O’Hea) has come over from Bulleen. Then there’s Tegan Cunningham, who’s signed as well. We made finals last year and were kicked out in the elimination final and that was the end of our season.
“That was better than the year before, when we didn’t make finals, so we’re definitely improving and trying to get up there.”
The 2011-12 WNBL season starts in October.
