Feature image via: Dan Cowley
While being a WNBA draft pick is a dream come true, Isobel Borlase says her number-one priority is always going to be playing for the Opals.
Borlase grew up in a sporting family, with her mother Jenny representing Australia in netball and her father Darryl playing 246 games for Port Adelaide in the AFL.
While Isobel’s brother, James, followed in his father's footsteps – playing for the Adelaide Crows, the basketball star ruled out any possibility of making a code switch to the AFLW.
Borlase became solely invested in basketball around the age of 16, after being offered a spot at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS).
“I always loved sport, definitely with my older brother, I just followed him around,” she said on the NBL1 Central Unleashed podcast.
“All three of us [siblings] are competitive.”
From there she made a name for herself with the NBL1’s Centre of Excellence, putting up massive numbers against some of the best teams in the NBL1 West during the 2022 season.
Isobel Borlase had a quarter ?
— NBL1 (@NBL1) July 28, 2022
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Following her NBL1 success, she signed with the Adelaide Lightning – winning both the Sixth Woman of the Year and the Breakout Player of the Year in the same season. She’s also represented the Gems and now Opals on multiple occasions, winning silver in 2021 at the FIBA U19 Women’s World Cup.
After another dominant season in the WNBL, and with a 2023-2024 WNBL First Team selection under her belt, Borlase was drafted by the Atlanta Dream with the 20th overall pick.
While grateful for the experience, and to be drafted alongside international superstar Caitlin Clark and Australia's own Nyadiew Puoch, Borlase’s current goal is to make the Opals squad for the upcoming Olympics.
“If I’m being completely honest, the WNBA is probably quite a recent dream of mine,” she said.
“Representing the Opals has always been the top of my goals.”
She flagged with WNBA teams interested in her that Paris was her number-one priority, which may have led to her slipping down to the 20th pick.
“There were 19 girls picked before me, it’s motivation to try and get better and keep trying to prove myself,” she said.
Coming off an Opals tour in Brazil, China, and being selected for next week’s tour in Japan, Borlase is spending her time between Opals duties back home in South Australia with the Forestville Eagles.
Returning to her junior club, Borlase explained that being able to play with the friends she grew up with is something the NBL1 can only offer.
“I love playing back with Forestville… lots of these girls I’ve played with since under 10s,” she said.
“Jess Simons, Maddy Freer, we’ve been friends for so long, so I like the fact I can come back and (have it as) an easy place to be.”
She wants to ensure that the Eagles qualify for Finals in her limited time between tours, so if she isn’t selected, she can return to the yellow and blue and go for a title run.
Forestville have a double-header weekend, taking on the Southern Tigers on Saturday and Central Districts Lions in the NBL1 Central Game of the Week.
Make sure to tune in live and free on Saturday via NBL1.com.au or the NBL1 app and on Sunday, via Kayo Freebies.
