Courtney Woods (’14) is living her dream of being a professional basketball player, currently playing in the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) for the JCU Townsville Fire.  Following a five-year stint playing college basketball in the USA, Courtney joined the Townsville Fire on her return to Australia in 2020 and has recently signed on for a further two years with the team.  She also plays in the Queensland State League (NBL1), most recently for the Townsville Flames.

Courtney’s success on the court is no surprise to those who knew her as a St Margaret’s schoolgirl. A star player throughout her time at school, Courtney was Basketball Captain in 2014, and her team enjoyed two premiership-winning seasons (coached by Courtney’s mum, Dana).  After completing Year 12, Courtney moved to the USA, where she attended Northern Illinois University on a full athletics scholarship and played for the NIU Huskies. Courtney went on to become one of NIU’s most successful athletes, scoring over 2000 points (making her the second highest scorer of all time at NIU) and becoming NIU’s all-time leader in three-pointers made (323).

In addition to her achievements on the court, Courtney also found the time to complete two degrees while at NIU: a Bachelor of Health Science and Masters in Sports Management. With an eye on a potential future career in sports management, Courtney has recently been spending the off-season gaining work experience as the Operations Manager for the Townsville Fire and has also enrolled in the MBA program at JCU, which she will complete on an elite athlete scholarship.

For the time being, however, Courtney’s main focus is on playing great basketball and enjoying the experience of playing in Australia’s national league.  She describes the experience of being part of the WNBL, playing in major stadiums across Australia and being able to make a living off the sport as surreal. 

Courtney credits St Margaret’s with providing her with both an academic and an athletic pathway to where she is now and says that some of her most special basketball memories are from her time at St Margaret’s, being coached by her mum and playing basketball with her two best friends, Sarah and Emily.

By Georgina Papworth (’11)