Jo followed the path way set out for junior basketball players in Australia, with four years of South Australian State representation, a three-year stint at the AIS and a spot on the 1989 Junior World Championship Team that won a bronze medal, the first medal won by an Australian team at any major championship.
It was in 1990 that Jo started playing for the Tigers, but 1991 proved to be her “career” year. A season where she took the WNBL and VBA by storm, winning MVP awards in both leagues, leading scorer in both leagues as well as making the All Star 5 in both leagues.
At senior international level Jo played in the 1990 World Championship and followed that up with being named to the Opals team for the 1992 Olympic campaign.
Over two separate stints Jo played eight years at the Melbourne Tigers under another Hall of Famer, Ray Tomlinson. At the end of her career she left the Tigers playing the second most Tiger WNBL games (147), leading scorer (2202 points) and most rebounds (986). It was only fitting that Jo should be inducted into the WNBL Hall of Fame in 1998 / 99 and named in the WNBL Top 25 Players for the first 25 Years of the NBL.
Post her playing career Jo continued with the Tigers in a coaching role with the Junior girls.
Congratulations Jo on a fantastic career and being an inaugural inductee of the Melbourne Tigers Hall of Fame.
Melbourne Tigers
Number: 12
Played: 1990 – 1995 & 1998 – 2000
WNBL Games: 147 (2nd on Tigers list)
Coached:
Head Coach Junior Girls
State
Played:
1983 & 1984 – South Australian Under 16
1985 & 1986 – South Australian Under 18
Australia
Played:
Pre Olympic Tournament – 1992 Spain
Women’s Olympic Team: 1 (1992)
Junior Women’s World Championships: 1 (1989) (Bronze Medal)
Senior Women’s World Championships: 1 (1990)
Awards
WNBL MVP (1991)
WNBL Leading Scorer (1991) (479 pts &21.8 ppg)
WNBL All Star 5 (1991)
Inducted into WNBL Hall of Fame (1998 / 1999)
Named in WNBL Top 25 Players for first 25 Years of WNBL
VBA MVP (1991)
VBA Leading Scorer (1991)
VBA All Star 5 (1991)
Captain Melbourne Tigers WNBL Team
Tigers WNBL Leading Scorer (2202 Pts)
Tigers WNBL Leading Rebounder (986)
Attended AIS 1985 to 1987
