Wyndham Basketball Association’s (WBA) Stephanie Fitzgerald made a real slam dunk of 2025, taking home the Aussie Hoops Coach of the Year Award.
Ms Fitzgerald was selected for her dedication to instilling enthusiasm in young basketball players and helping them build their skills.
The Aussie Hoops program serves as an introduction to basketball for children aged five to 10 years and is delivered through Basketball Australia.
Basketball Victoria participation officer Linda Woods said what stood out most was Fitzgerald’s commitment to making basketball pleasant for everyone she coached.
“We were particularly impressed by Stephanie’s coaching skill set and her commitment to providing a welcoming, inclusive and fun program that installs a love of the game and ongoing participation,” Woods said.
“Delivering excellent programs across diverse groups and receiving praise and recognition from participants, parents and their respective coaching teams were noted too.”
WBA participation coordinator James Welsh commended the winning coach’s approach to grassroots sport.
“Steph started with us in 2020 and came in relatively fresh to basketball. She played a couple of seasons of social basketball but had never considered coaching at all,” Welsh said.
“She always brings a lot of excitement and connects really well with all participants. In particular, she’s been incredible with the girls and making them feel supported and welcome.
“Some of the participants experience a lot of anxiety around coming into big stadiums like we have here at Eagle Stadium and she creates a real comfortable environment for them to feel like they can be themselves and take that step through their basketball journey.”
