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n 2019, 64 campers from 18 different countries in the Asia Pacific region competed in a four-day Basketball Without Borders camp — a program meant to maximize the potential of international youth talent.
During the camp in Tokyo, Japan, players received guidance from professional players like Ashley Battle, Allison Feaster, Yolanda Moore, Kevon Looney and Robin Lopez. At the end, one of them was named MVP. Australia’s Georgia Woolley took home the honor.
Now a top-scoring threat for Syracuse, Woolley’s path to Division I basketball was unique. Instead of rising the ranks through high school and AAU like most of her teammates, Woolley had to make a name for herself through other opportunities. To earn the necessary exposure, Woolley improved her game with numerous coaches and trainers in Australia before joining Felisha Legette-Jack’s University at Buffalo program in 2021.
At the U14 level, Woolley played with the Brisbane Representative Team. Its coach, Penny Bairstow, helped spur Woolley’s development, despite only coaching her for one season.
“It all started with Penny Bairstow,” said Adam, Woolley’s father. “When she was able to get charged into that team there, from then on she had the exposure and the opportunities were there for those training with better coaches.”
Woolley was the youngest and one of the smallest on the team. But, anchored by Bairstow’s coaching, her ball-handling, shooting and finishing skills improved quickly against more developed players.
Now standing 6-feet, Woolley has the physical traits of a taller guard but the skill of a smaller one. During her first season with the Orange in 2022-23, Woolley recorded the second-most 3-pointers made (42) and steals (62) on the team.
Around the time Woolley turned 14, she started working with former National Basketball League (NBL) player Derek Rucker. Rucker was the NBL MVP in 1990 and founded Derek Rucker Basketball in 2016, where he mostly trains young Australian basketball players.
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“Initially when I saw Georgia, I thought, ‘Oh boy, this girl has a lot of potential,’” Rucker said. “She has a good feel for basketball, her movement is pretty good for how gangling and lanky she was even at a young age.”
Once Woolley turned 15, her parents allowed her to embark on an hour-long commute, mostly by train, to the city of Brisbane. She would meet Rucker there to train before school once or twice a week.
Woolley built on what she learned from Bairstow when training with Rucker. He helped Woolley improve her positioning and timing on both sides of the court.
Rucker always saw Woolley as an elite scorer. He worked with her to elevate her shooting and touch. Mechanically, the pair focused on elbow placement and basic drills from within the key.
Then, Rucker helped Woolley get comfortable from midrange, not letting her step out beyond the 3-point arch until she mastered tempo, timing and her follow-through.
“We just chipped away and chipped away,” Rucker said. “It was a very, very long and tedious process.”
Woolley trained alongside some of the other 26 Division I players Rucker has trained. This summer, Woolley spent time training with Dani Bayes (Boise State), Grace Ellis (Cleveland State), Audrey Fuller (Campbell) and Kate Deeble (Wake Forest).
Woolley’s frame enhanced as she grew older, but the level of competition she faced also amplified. After moving up to the U16 level with Brisbane, she eventually earned a spot on the U18 team, coached by Bronnie Marshall. There, Woolley learned the essentials of how to compete and how to intelligently use her body.
From the age of 16, she’s been training and competing against women bigger, stronger, more experienced than her. That’s something that really goes in an Australian’s favor when they’re looking to go to college because they haven’t only competed against girls their age, they’ve competed against women.Bronnie Marshall on Georgia Woolley
Despite her skinny frame — which was a main critique from Australian scouts — Woolley was a top-scoring threat. She constantly faced box-and-one defenses from opposing teams attempting to keep her quiet. Battling tough defenses pushed Woolley’s offensive game to the next level.
Additionally, Marshall helped Woolley with her decision-making and understanding the right moments to shoot.
“From the age of 16, she’s been training and competing against women bigger, stronger, more experienced than her,” Marshall said. “That’s something that really goes in an Australian’s favor when they’re looking to go to college because they haven’t only competed against girls their age, they’ve competed against women.”
Once Woolley began looking at schools in America to play college basketball, Legette-Jack was the reason she committed to play for the Bulls. Following Woolley’s freshman season, Legette-Jack departed Buffalo for Syracuse, leaving Woolley with an easy decision.
“Coach Jack was who I came to America at the end of the day to play for,” Woolley said. “I wanted to continue to play for coach Jack, so that’s why I made the change to Syracuse.”
Along with Woolley, three players transferred from Buffalo to Syracuse. As one of the leaders from Legette-Jack’s former squad, Woolley was SU’s second-leading scorer in 2022.
Heading into her second year at Syracuse, Woolley sees “nothing but success” for the Orange in 2023-24. But she knows that’s dependent on her development.
“Everybody’s working, so (it’s like) ‘What are you going to do that’s going to get you that step further than everybody else?’ And that’s what I try and do,” Woolley said.
Photograph by Maxine Brackbill | Photo Editor
Published on November 2, 2023 at 12:58 am
Contact Justin: [email protected] | @JustinGirshon
