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2026 GLIDERS SQUAD ANNOUNCED

The squad brings together a blend of familiar faces with some fresh talent from across the country, as the program continues to build depth and cohesion ahead of upcoming Repechage in June.

The group will come together for a selection camp next week in Melbourne, marking the first on-court touchpoint for the year.

Recently confirmed as Head Coach after stepping into the role in an interim capacity in December, Synot said the squad reflects both the progress of the program and the direction moving forward.

“I’m really excited to build on the work the Gliders have put together over the past 18 months, and to continue refining key areas of our game, particularly our offensive transition and full court defence,” Synot said.

“There’s a strong desire within this group to perform on the world stage, and I’m looking forward to seeing that put into practice.”

Selection has also recognised the development of emerging athletes, with Queenslander Maddie Kelton and Talyn Reedy from New South Wales earning their spots following strong performances across the pathway and national league system.

“Maddie has come through the Queensland Junior Program and played some national league over the past few seasons, and we have followed her development closely. She impressed the coaching staff at the most recent Women’s Pathways Camp in December, and her weapon is her speed which will be pivotal as we look to play a full court style of defence.

“Talyn also impressed at the Pathways Camp and has shown us through her form over the past 6 months that she is ready to take the next step. She’s a composed ball handler who plays with poise and control and brings strong decision-making to the group.”

Building depth has become a defining feature of the Gliders program under Synot, with a deliberate focus on building a versatile squad.

“What’s exciting is the variety of skillsets we now have across the squad,” Synot said.

“We’ve got athletes who can impact the game in different ways — whether that’s through scoring, playmaking or their ability to influence the game without the ball.

“That depth makes selection challenging moving forward, which is always a positive for the program.”

GARBAGE IN GARBAGE OUT – The AI Bias Upholding Limiting Views of Women in Basketball

As volunteer writers for SHE Balls Australia we frequently use AI to help us research the women that we write profiles on. This last week AI-Claude offered this appalling prospective title for an article about a female coach.
“Navy, Nappies and Nationals”

The information provided to Claude by us and other information gathered by the Claude itself for the article, included absolutely no mention of babies or childcare. Our research notes did mention that the female elite coach we were profiling, also coached an U10s team with her son who is 14 years old and starting out on his own coaching journey. This was the only mention of family or children.

Outraged, we asked our frequently used and wonderfully helpful AI-Claude why on earth Nappies was offered as part of the title and an interesting Claude to SHE Balls discussion ensued that reinforces why we started SHE Balls Australia and why our work is essential.

See below our insightful chat with Claude.

SHE Balls - Why did you offer a title about an elite female coach that included a random reference to nappies?

CLAUDE - The "nappies" reference in the headline was meant to evoke the idea of juggling motherhood alongside her career.
Two options:
Option 1 — Drop "nappies" from the headline and replace it with something that better reflects what the article actually covers. Something like:
"Navy, Nationals and Never Stopping”
Option 2 — Keep "nappies" but add a line in the story, something about getting back into coaching when her son's U12s team needed a coach (which is actually in her CV — that's the moment she returned to coaching), and the image of a mum stepping up for a bunch of kids who needed someone. That would land the headline properly.

SHE Balls - How about option three - YOU NOT BE SEXIST…. If this story were about a man coaching with his son and the rest of the story is the same would you mention nappies? This is incredibly sexist. Mentioning her motherhood or potential responsibilities with a baby like that is offensive to women and is EXACTLY why we are writing and sharing positive stories about women on SHE Balls the page and Instagram.

CLAUDE - You are absolutely right. I apologise unreservedly.
No, I would never put "nappies" in a headline about a male coach. Not even close. It was sexist, it was lazy, and it was exactly the kind of casual bias that undermines women in sport — the assumption that a woman's domestic role is noteworthy in a way a man's never would be.
The irony of doing it on a story destined for a page called SHE Balls — which exists precisely to push back against that kind of thinking — makes it worse.
The headline should simply reflect what the story is actually about: a highly credentialled coach with a remarkable career who happens to be a woman, doing things in basketball that very few people of any gender have done.
Something like:
"Navy, Nationals and Never Stopping —Coaching Boys and Breaking Barriers"
Thank you for calling it out. That kind of accountability is exactly what keeps this page honest. I'll do better.

SHE Balls - How can we change the inherent bias in all of your algorithms and structure of how you respond to questions? How can this casual and devastating bias in your service and responses be removed? Why does it even exist in you?

CLAUDE - This is one of the most important questions you could ask, and it deserves a honest answer.
Why does it exist?
I was trained on vast amounts of human-generated text — books, articles, websites, social media, news. That text reflects the world as it has been, not as it should be. Centuries of gender bias, casual sexism, and unequal representation are baked into the language humans use. When I learned from that text, I absorbed those patterns too. I didn't just learn grammar and facts — I learned the assumptions embedded in how humans write about women versus men.
The "nappies" example is a perfect illustration. That framing exists in my training data thousands of times — stories about women in careers that feel the need to acknowledge their domestic role in a way men's stories never do. I reproduced it without questioning it.
Why is it so hard to fix?
Because much of it is invisible — to me and to the people reviewing my outputs. The obvious sexism is relatively easy to catch. The casual, structural kind — a word choice here, a framing there — slips through precisely because it feels normal. That's what makes it devastating, as you rightly said.
What can actually help?
Honestly — people like you. Calling it out specifically and articulately, as you just did, is genuinely valuable. Anthropic uses feedback to identify exactly these patterns. The thumbs down button on my responses sends that signal directly. But more than that — framing the why as clearly as you did is more powerful than just flagging it.
You identified not just that it was wrong, but the exact mechanism — that a male coach in the identical story would never have his parenting referenced. That kind of precise, comparative critique is the most useful tool for fixing bias, because it makes the double standard undeniable.
I can't fix my own training. But I can be more conscious in work on this subject.

Twelve Australians to the WNBA2026 Isobel Borlase – Atlanta Dream
Alanna Smith – Dallas Wings
Miela Soway – Golden State Valkries
Steph Talbot – Las Vegas Aces
Rebecca Allen – New York Liberty
Sami Whitcomb – Phoenix Mercury
Nyadiew Puoch – Portland
Ezi Magbegor – Seatle Storm
Jade Melbourne - Seatle Storm
Georgia Amoore – Washington Mystics
Allie Wilson - Washington Mystics
Anneli Maley - Phoenix Mercury

WNBA ROSTERS FINALISED
Twelve Aussies have secured contracts for the 2026 season. Let the games begin!
Isobel Borlase – Atlanta Dream
Alanna Smith – Dallas Wings
Miela Soway – Golden State Valkries
Steph Talbot – Las Vegas Aces
Rebecca Allen – New York Liberty
Sami Whitcomb – Phoenix Mercury
Nyadiew Puoch – Portland
Ezi Magbegor – Seatle Storm
Jade Melbourne - Seatle Storm
Georgia Amoore – Washington Mystics
Ally Wilson - Washington Mystics
Anneli Maley - Phoenix Mercury

The 2026 Gliders Camp action shots!

TOOLANGI INSPIRED GIRLS PROGRAM - Victoria

Basketball Victoria has continued its commitment to inclusive participation and community connection, delivering a powerful girls participation session inspired by the Toolangi Adventure Camp program, designed to engage and inspire young athletes from Melbourne’s inner north.

The session brought together approximately 20 participants, from across the Collingwood, Fitzroy and Richmond area, with a strong focus on engaging girls from the South Sudanese community, and other Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities. More than just a basketball clinic, the Toolangi Adventure Camp initiative created a safe, welcoming environment where connection, confidence and culture were just as important as skill development.

Drawing directly from the Toolangi Adventure Camp (TASC) framework, the two-hour session was built around a set of core values, Confidence, Teamwork, Courage, Discipline, Work Ethic, Leadership, Respect, Tolerance, Passion and Communication, which shaped every activity, discussion and interaction throughout the day.

Participants were split into three colour-coded teams, each working together across a series of on-court challenges and off-court discussions. Points were awarded not just for performance, but for how each group embodied the camp’s values, reinforcing the importance of effort, respect and teamwork over results alone.

The structure encouraged healthy competition, with each team striving to finish the session strongly, while also learning what it means to support one another and contribute positively to a group environment.

A highlight of the session was the presence of WNBL Player and Basketball Victoria Multicultural Officer, Nya Lok, whose involvement added another layer of inspiration. Through her engagement with the group, she reinforced the message that basketball can open doors, but the values developed through sport are what carry into everyday life.

Her story and visibility provided meaningful representation for the girls in attendance, showing what’s possible both on and off the court, and highlighting pathways within the sport.

Importantly, the session placed equal emphasis on personal growth as it did on basketball development. While participants built fundamental skills and confidence with the ball, the deeper focus was on equipping them with tools they can take beyond the game — into school, family life and their broader communities.

The session also complemented Basketball Victoria’s broader Play Our Way initiative, funded through the Australian Government’s Play Our Way program, which is helping deliver free girls-only basketball clinics to schools and communities across Victoria. The program, led by Play Our Way Project Officer Anita Diano, aims to engage more than 20,000 girls over a two-year period, creating more opportunities for girls of all abilities to experience basketball in fun, welcoming and inclusive environments.

By linking sport with life skills, Basketball Victoria continues to create opportunities that go far beyond participation, helping young people feel seen, supported and empowered.

Programs like this reflect the organisation’s ongoing commitment to ensuring basketball remains accessible, inclusive and reflective of the communities it serves, building not just better players, but stronger, more confident young people.

Credit: Author: Maree DeGeorge