FORMER Mount Gambier sportswoman Danika Jolley is reaping rewards for her hard work and fierce desire to reach the highest possible level in basketball refereeing.
Her long-term goal is to referee SEABL then WNBL and ultimately travel overseas to represent Australia as a referee in a World Cup Tournament.
Since moving to Adelaide to pursue her tertiary studies, Jolley has made the most of the experience gained in metropolitan competitions and is quickly establishing herself as one of the leading referees in the state.
Jolley began umpiring in 2008 to help within the Mount Gambier association and town-team tournaments.
She was awarded the Easson Family Referee Encouragement Award in 2011 and gained her 1B level in 2013.
In this period she umpired SECBL games as well as Under 18 and 16 games on a regular basis.
Her first taste of refereeing Basketball SA Premier League games was over the Anzac Day weekend in 2015, while she still lived in Mount Gambier.
In 2016 Jolley had made the move to Adelaide, where she officiated in 12 games as a rookie in the league.
This was followed by her refereeing most Men’s League games in 2017.
At the Basketball Officials SA 2017 Referee Awards presentation evening, Jolley was awarded with the most improved referee in the Senior Premier League and the most dedicated referee in the Junior District Competition.
In September 2015, Jolley travelled to Perth to adjudicate in the Under 14 Australian Club Championships, followed by the Under 16 National Championships in Kilsyth in 2016.
Then, last December she attended the 2017 National Schools Championships where she was ranked number two and umpired the Men’s Bronze Medal game.
She is a regular at the annual Australian Country Junior Basketball Cup at Albury in January and in 2017 was the referee for the Under 18 Men’s Gold Medal game as the Number one referee of the cup.
Late in December Jolley also had the opportunity to officiate in the FIBA three-on-three Tournament held in Adelaide.
With a string of accomplishments so far in her refereeing career, 2018 promises to be full of further opportunities for Jolley.
She is going to Albury later this month and has been appointed as SA Country Referee for the Australian Under 18 Championships to be played in Geelong this April.
She has also been invited to join the South Australian Elite Referee Program.
This includes access to current elite officials in South Australia as well as access to officials who work in the SEABL, WNBL and NBL.
The program will give her access to elite referee coaching and online development activities to help in her career on and off the basketball court.
