She Hoops Scholarship Program extends reach to Palau & Fiji

She Hoops has extended its reach in elevating women and girls in basketball with its 2025 intake of scholarship holders.

Palau’s Kierra Kedengek Ketenbengage and Makaefa Savu from Fiji are the inaugural FIBA In Oceania recipients of the She Hoops Leadership and Confidence scholarships alongside 31 young Australian athletes.

Basketball Australia’s Head of Women, Lauren Jackson said the program was going from strength to strength in continuing to develop the next generation of leaders in the sport.

“We are really excited to be expanding this program in collaboration with FIBA Oceania. Providing girls with these opportunities from all around our region will create a lasting legacy of female leaders in our sport as coaches, officials and administrators,” Jackson explains.

“Our aim in this program is to empower girls in our sport to become leaders in their own communities, to give them the confidence to step up and lead the next generation.”

The five-month scholarship, which runs from February to June, focuses on skillsets in all facets of basketball and includes a three-day camp at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra, community and club coaching accreditation and an introductory official course.

Sessions with EQ Minds will cover Mindset and Resilience, Finding Focus with Mindfulness, High Performance Mindset, Confidence On and Off the Court and Leadership: Leading and Hooping in the Moment.

Program mentors include some of the country’s finest female talent and role models in Tess Madgen, Zitina Aokuso, Abby Cubillo, Cayla George, Ally Wilson and Kristy Wallace.

The She Hoops Leadership and Confidence scholarship program is supported by the Federal Government, EQ Minds, Williams and iAthletic.