Conti aiming to be role model in 13th season with Melbourne Tigers

Written by Julia Montesano  

There are not many that are more loyal to the Melbourne Tigers than star point guard Monique Conti.

Conti, 21, has been at the club since she was eight years old and is now one of the more experienced players on their NBL1 Women’s roster for the 2021 NBL1 South season.

Not only is she one of the more experienced players but she is also one of the key role models for the younger boys and girls coming through the ranks.

Some basketball players are driven by scoring the most points, grabbing the most boards, or winning a championship.

But for Conti, it’s being a leader that drives her to succeed in every game.

“Now that we’ve got the pathway, young girls can see us playing in the NBL1 and they can strive to be like us,” she says.

“That’s something that keeps me going every week.

“Hopefully I can continue to be a good role model for the girls coming through.”

Having balanced both basketball and Aussie Rules at the elite level for the past three years, Conti has made her mark as one of the most impressive sportspeople in the country.

This honour was exemplified in 2020 when Conti won her first WNBL championship with her new team, the Southside Flyers.

“It was a highlight of my personal career,” she says.

“To be away from family for so long and still get a win was something really special.

“The fact that Steph (Blicavs) was up there with her baby, Arlo, was amazing and it showed how great women are.

“It was just a bit of an eye-opener about how tough it was for some people.”

Conti will be coming up against many of her Southside Flyers teammates in the upcoming NBL1 South season, with Saraid Taylor and Taylah Giliam at Frankston, Aimie Clydesdale and Steph Blicavs at Geelong, Rachel Jarry and Amy O’Neill at Sandringham, and Bec Pizzey at Eltham.

But one player that she will have on her team is WNBL rival Zitina Aokuso, who had a breakout season for the Townsville Fire in 2020.

“I always prefer having Zitina on my team than against my team,” Conti says.

“She’s a big unit and she’s so strong inside.

“As you can tell from her WNBL season, she’s so dominant and she’s improved so much.

“She’s ready to dominate the next couple of years.

“This season will provide her with a chance to continue to work on her game and I can help her with that by feeding her the ball plenty of times.

“I can’t wait to see how successful we can be with her there.”

As far as personal goals go, Conti is simply focused on having fun and getting back out there for the Tigers after a difficult year that was affected by COVID-19.

“Coming from AFLW and not doing too much basketball for a while, I just want to get my touch back,” she says.

“I obviously need to manage my load and maintain that.

“At the same time, I want to focus on those little goals I set myself that week.

“Hopefully, I can see my game improving from there.

“As a point guard, I want to be able to help those around me and provide leadership on the court.

“I want to help everyone around me get better.

“I want to keep that scorer’s mentality that I normally maintain during the season, but I also want to have that balance of feeding my teammates and also scoring myself.”

Although 2020 was a challenging one for not only Conti, but everyone, she says the experiences she took away from it will hold her in good stead for the upcoming NBL1 South season and beyond.

“Obviously, when the things you love doing get taken away from you, it’s pretty tough, and I’m sure that goes for everyone in the country,” she says.

“When I got the chance to go into the WNBL hub, it was a really cool opportunity and really different experience that I was really happy I took.

“I got to play with a really good team and got to play alongside some really talented athletes.

“The challenge was trying to juggle a bit of footy while I was in the hub and so some extra running sessions and get my hands on the footy when I could.

“When I went back to footy, I had to juggle COVID-19 all over again and get my pre-season squashed into a month before the season started.

“It was really challenging but also a great opportunity for me to grab with two hands.”

Another opportunity that Conti will be grabbing with two hands is opening the NBL1 season with a bang for the Melbourne Tigers on Saturday night.

They will face the Sandringham Sabres at MSAC, with tip-off at 4pm.