A young referee from Geelong has big dreams and is achieving them.
Shannon Jennings began her career when she was only 12 years old and reached her goal of refereeing SEABL (now NBL1South) four years earlier than her plan, at age 21. Fast forward to 2022 and Jennings has achieved her next goal of refereeing the WNBL in season 2023.
Jennings’ mother, Dy Tattersall Jennings, thought it would be a good idea to try refereeing to help build her confidence and resilience, and as Jennings attests, it certainly has. She moved through the ranks quickly and was refereeing her first Big V game at 18! After many tournaments and national champs, she received a phone call from Peter Carey - Manager of Technical Officials for SEABL (now NBL1South) to referee her first SEABL game, which was an absolute highlight for her.
Jo Chu, General Manager - Technical Officials for Basketball Victoria says, “Shannon is extremely deserving of this opportunity, she is well respected amongst her peers and continues to give back to her country roots. As an officiating community, nothing makes us happier than witnessing someone set an intention, work hard to achieve it and then be given the opportunity to succeed at it. I have no doubt that this important step will help Shannon achieve her ultimate goal of obtaining a FIBA License. The future is very bright for her.”
Although her early years of refereeing provided some challenges, she didn’t give up, her confidence grew with experience, and she hasn’t looked back. Jennings is now on her way to achieving her next big dream of getting her FIBA accreditation, which will allow her to referee all over the world.
Jennings’ advice to young referees? “It’s all worth it! The highs and lows, it will all be worth it in the long run.”
