Following an impressive start to life in elite basketball, Sienna Harvey has earned a scholarship to the Basketball Australia Centre of Excellence.
The Wodonga star has been selected to move to Centre of Excellence, based at Canberra’s Australian Institute of Sport, to be part of program which has helped shaped Olympians, WNBA and NBA stars across its storied history. The likes of Liz Cambage, Penny Taylor and Matthew Dellavedova and more recently superstars such as Jade Melbourne, Jaz Shelley, Dyson Daniels, and Josh Giddey are just a handful of the Centre’s elite alumni list
While she was selected in 2020 and 2021 for Victoria Country’s Under-16 Women’s team, lockdown restrictions and state border closures prevented Harvey from representing her state at those two Australian Junior Championships. Despite those setbacks, Harvey is keen to make an immediate impression in Canberra.
“I am so excited and honoured to receive a Basketball Australia Centre of Excellence Scholarship,” Harvey said. “A COE scholarship has been my goal for many years.
“The thing I am most looking forward to is being part of the daily training environment at the COE and getting to train with some of the best girls in Australia.”
As a Country representative at a number of tournaments, including Australian Country Junior Basketball Cup and the Southern Cross Challenge, Harvey has relished every second in the Country High Performance pathway.
“I’ve really loved playing for Vic Country,” Harvey said. Having the opportunity to represent them is something I am very proud of.
“The BV High Performance pathway has extremely helped my game, developed by programs such as VNPP and SDP.
“I’m so grateful for the guidance and help I’ve received from all of my amazing coaches.”
The challenges of the last 18 months haven’t deterred Harvey from aiming at the top of our sport as she wants to take her basketball to the best leagues and teams across the globe.
“It has always been my dream to play at the highest level possible whether that is the WNBL, WNBA, college or representing my country,” Harvey said. “I am really focused on developing my game to new levels by training and working as hard as I can.”
Basketball Victoria’s High Performance Head Coach - Country Women Zoe Carr said Harvey was an incredible program member across her time in SDP and VNPP and she’s set to excel at the COE and beyond.
“Sienna has been an exceptional athlete across her time in Basketball Victoria’s High Performance Programs,” Carr said. “She takes every opportunity with both hands and continues to impress all of the coaches with her work-rate and talent no matter what is asked of her.
“We can’t wait to see where basketball will take her as Sienna has the attitude and the character to make her ambitions happen.”
Harvey will join New South Wales tandem Saffron Shiels and Opal Bird as well as Queensland’s Summah Hanson as new Women’s scholarship holders at the Centre of Excellence.
