Tall Fern, Olympian, Australian WNBL professional, a stint in Europe and now Tall Ferns manager — it is an impressive list.
But tomorrow she will add something new to that.
The 1.83m forward will line-up for the Otago Gold Rush at the National Basketball League’s 3x3 tournament in Invercargill.
Having moved to Dunedin at the end of last year, the Gold Rush uniform would be a new one for her. But more significantly, the 3x3 format was completely new to her as well.
"I’ve never played before, so it’s all new to me," Wallbutton (34) said.
"We’ve been scrimmaging a lot and we’ve had some guys in that we’ve been training against.
"So we’ve done a lot of gameplay and some drills specific to 3x3.
"It’s quite different to five on five tactically and there’s a lot to learn, so it’s been good."
Wallbutton, who works in falls and fracture prevention for WellSouth, joins Tall Ferns forward Zoe Richards and guards Tara Clement and Aleisha Ruske in the team.
Initially it had looked as though the team would not have her in an on-court capacity.
Having not played since 2016, Wallbutton had originally planned to be the Gold Rush’s manager.
It is a role she filled in her last few years in Perth, as well as for the Tall Ferns more recently.
However, being from Auckland originally, she did not know anyone in Dunedin aside from her parents, sister and nephew — that family being what had lured her to the city.
So she linked with the South Pac Magic club to meet new people, returning to the court in the process.
As the year progressed she found she was enjoying it.
She also found she had people in her ear about playing for the Gold Rush.
In the end she decided it might be fun.
It adds a very experienced piece to the team’s front court for the NBL later this month and while a 3x3 rookie, her class will no doubt translate.
Having spent the past 11 years in Australia, she played for various teams in the WNBL — one of the world’s top leagues — alongside a year in Belgium.
She has also played more than 100 games for the Tall Ferns.
Notable among those was the Beijing Olympics in 2008, where she averaged 10 points and five rebounds per game.
It was all experience she hoped to be able to pass on to the younger players.
The Gold Rush begins its campaign tomorrow night against the Harbour Breeze at 9.20pm.
Matches against the Waikato Wizards, Capital Swish and Taranaki Thunder follow on Friday, before Saturday’s playoffs.
Games last for 10 minutes, or first to 21 points.
All matches will be televised and will run alongside the men’s competition.
