Almost 20 years on from a crucial missed shot in the final minute of the 1999 World Cup final in Christchurch, Donna Wilkins (nee) Loffhagen still faces constant reminders of the moment.
“Oh people still go on about it,” said Wilkins.
“It was all my fault and I should have got it in, but nobody looks to what happened in the semi-final and if I hadn’t of shot so well we wouldn’t have been in the final, but unfortunately when you lose in netball it’s usually on the shooters shoulders and it’s about dealing with those moments and being able to pick yourself up and go out there the next week and do the same thing.”
Defining Wilkins’ career in one moment is far too unfair though. Wilkins wasn’t just a 56-cap Silver Fern, she also played close to 100 games for the Tall Ferns and came agonisingly close to becoming just the second Kiwi to crack the WNBA.
Growing up in Woodend Wilkins began basketball and netball from a young age. While at Rangiora High School she made the Canterbury women’s basketball side at just 14. She was also still a teenager when she made Canterbury’s NPC netball side. At 17 she made the Fall Ferns and a year later was in the Silver Ferns. Starting her international career at such a young age it’s easy to forget she was just 21 at the 1999 World Cup.
After three campaigns with Canterbury Wilkins made a move to Southland in 1998 which would prove successful. From 1998 until their final season in 2007 before merging with the Otago Rebels they played in 10 straight finals and won seven national championships.
Bernice Mene was playing for the Southland team so I came down and played with her. It was just for three months . . . one year turned into two, three, four and then I was here for 10 years. Now I’m still here,” said Wilkins.
“It was a pretty surreal experience. I don’t think many sporting teams have achieved what we achieved . . . it was a great environment to be a part of. I think we only had 43 players that played over that period.”
Wilkins went onto play for the Southern Steel in the trans-tasman league before later stints with the Mainland Tactix and Central Pulse.
At international level Wilkins won silver medals at both the 1998 Kuala Lumper and 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games – being narrowly pipped by Australia on both occasions. She also won a basketball silver medal at the 2006 Melbourne
Commonwealth Games with the Tall Ferns.
However, arguably Wilkins finest moment for the Tall Ferns came at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.
“That was probably the highlight. I had a pretty good tournament and we beat China to get through to the top eight which was unheard of for New Zealand,” said Wilkins.
At the 2004 games Wilkins was the tournament’s top rebounder, averaging 10.6 rebounds per game.
“I always liked to get in there and give it a go with those tall timbers,” she said.
Her displays in Athens no doubt played a part in her coming within a whisker of playing in the WNBA.
In 2006 Wilkins was given a trial which lasted six weeks with the Connecticut Sun. She came close to making their final roster for the season. At the time the Sun were regarded as one of the top teams in the league after making the WNBA finals in 2005.
“Every day they’re cutting players. If you get cut early you can usually go to another team and trial there. They kept me right up until the day before the first game and then but me which meant I couldn’t trial with another team,” she said.
“That was pretty devastating because I believe if I had of gone to another team I could have been playing and who knows how your life shapes if that had of been the case.”
She had success playing in the Australian women’s basketball league with Canberra and was a key part of the team which won the 2006/2007 championship. The following season Wilkins played for the Christchurch Sirens who spent one year in the league before folding due to being financially unviable.
These days Wilkins lives of a farm near Balfour 35 minutes north-west of Gore with husband Mike Wilkins and their three children. She coaches a school netball and basketball team. She also coaches the Southland men’s netball team. The team won the B grade section at the New Zealand men’s national tournament in Wellington.
“We’re pretty much in the middle of nowhere. It’s a nice little community. There’s like 100 kids at the local school,” she said.
“I spend every other moment driving in the car taking my three kids to whatever sporting engagement they have every day.”
Wilkins will be in Christchurch this weekend to watch the Silver Ferns match against Australia.
