Basketball has taken Jessie Edwards around the world but she is starting to feel right at home in the South after linking up with the Southern Hoiho for the Tauihi Basketball Aotearoa season.
"I’ve really enjoyed being here because everyone that I’ve met that’s been involved with the club has been so nice," Edwards said.
"I felt really welcomed and I think that they’re running a really good programme here and it’s very player-centred, which I think is very important.
"Especially as a professional, you come across a lot of clubs that are just about the wins and this is more about the players, which I think results in wins too."
It is the centre’s first time on New Zealand soil, relishing the chance to host a recent basketball clinic with her team-mates in Queenstown.
"It’s a very beautiful place and Dunedin is really nice too. Being able to see all the old buildings and just the surrounding nature has been good fun."
Edwards, 29, adds physical presence to the Hoiho roster this season, standing at 1.93m, and has an impressive career under her belt.
Born and bred in Perth, Edwards headed to the United States after school to develop her game.
She landed at the University of Minnesota from 2015 to 2018 where she averaged 5.93 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.2 blocks and 57% shooting. She had eight blocks in a single game, and finished as the Gophers’ sixth all-time leader in blocks and ninth in offensive boards.
"It was kind of a mixed journey. It was tough.
"It was definitely tough in terms of the coaching . . . but I did learn a lot and I learned a lot of resilience. Overall, I was glad I had the experience."
She then headed to Germany for a season, but the desire to play in the WNBL lured her home to Australia, where she secured a development player spot with the Adelaide Lightning.
She then suited up for the Perth Lynx for the 2022-23 WNBL season and has been a dominant force in the NBL1 West league.
Playing for the Cockburn Cougars, Edwards is fresh from a 20-0 regular season, where they sealed their second title in three years.
She was named in the all-star five after a season, where she reached 200 appearances in the league and averaged 12.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, two assists and 1.6 blocks, shooting a nice 59% from the field.
"I love being with that team because it’s a lot of fun to play because we all have such high basketball IQ and everybody just plays hard.
"It’s a really fast-paced style of basketball, which I enjoy. I think that’s just the way that the league and basketball in general is going at the moment.
"It’s just fast-paced, back-and-forth and exciting."
After a second stint in Germany and finishing the season in Spain — "I loved it in Spain" — Edwards landed in Dunedin, under the tutelage of renowned Otago basketball coach Todd Marshall.
"He’s such a good coach," Edwards said.
"He has a really good balance of care for his players and also wanting us to succeed and holding us to those standards."
Tauihi offers something fresh for Edwards and other Australian imports spoke highly of the quality of the Kiwi league.
"I’m looking forward to challenging myself because the people that I talk to they said they have some really good centres come in.
"So I’m looking forward to a good challenge and challenging my skills against them.
"I’m also looking forward to experiencing New Zealand, because I’ve never been here before, and all it had to offer me."
That starts tonight when the Southern Hoiho are away to the Mainland Pouakai in the season opener.
