Garbin's fairytale, emotional return to Kalgoorlie

The highlights just keep coming in the flourishing career of Darcee Garbin and she got to live out a dream and get a fairytale win on Saturday night as she inspired the Goldfields Giants to a win in the NBL1 West.

Garbin was born in Kalgoorlie and grew up nearby in Kambalda dreaming of representing the region at the highest level possible in basketball, but also realising that might be not overly realistic with the Giants not having a team in the then SBL competition. 

As a result, Garbin played the first 98 games of her career in the WA state league with the Rockingham Flames which also included playing in three championships and which helped get her ready for a career that has seen her star in the WNBL, in Europe and with the Australian Opals.

Over the past 18 months alone and Garbin has captained the Perth Lynx into a WNBL grand final back in the 2021/22 season, was then part of the Opals team that won bronze in remarkable fashion at the home World Cup and has just completed her first season in Hungary at DVTK-Hun-Therm.

However, Garbin has recently returned home to Perth ahead of the Opals playing at the Asia Cup starting Monday June 26 which she would have to be a strong chance to be part of the final squad of 12.

So when the Giants reached out to her to play for them given their horror run with injuries of late and to bring her home to live out a dream of playing for a Kalgoorlie based team at NBL1 level, well she didn’t need much convincing.

Experience of playing in Kalgoorlie

Not only did Garbin line-up for the Giants on Saturday night against the Perry Lakes Hawks, she got to do so alongside former teammates Talisia Bourne and Ash Sidebottom, and led Goldfields to a drought breaking win.

She produced 34 points, 14 rebounds and six assists in a spectacular performance to help the Giants snap a three-game losing run.

Looking back, it was an experience that meant the world to Garbin.

"Without sounding too dramatic, I was very emotional when I went to shootaround on Saturday morning," Garbin said.

"I flew in Saturday morning and went to shootaround, and as I was walking into the stadium it was a very overwhelming emotional experience for me. 

"I got a little bit teary which might sound a little bit silly or dramatic, but for me to play in that stadium on that showcourt representing a team from Kalgoorlie, it's something I never thought I would do at the professional level. To have been able to do that is just really, really special."

Garbin shouldn’t feel like it's silly that it was an emotional experience. After all, she grew up dreaming of playing on that court at a high level, but it just wasn’t possible when she was growing up and that's why she had to go to Perth to enhance her basketball career.

Then even when the Giants came into the competition, Garbin didn’t think things would line up given her commitments to either playing in the WNBL or overseas, with the Opals and even last season she played in the NBL1 South at the Frankston Blues.

So for everything to fall into place for her to now be able to give back and play for Goldfields in the NBL1 West is something that means an enormous amount to her.

"That pathway wasn’t there when I came through the junior basketball in the area which was something that was sort of spoken about but never came to fruition," she said. 

"Now that there is that pathway for young girls to come through the Giants program is great. Then since they did put an NBL1 team there, it was always kind of in the back of my mind that towards the back end of my career I'd love to play there. 

"I never thought it would happen at this time but I'm really happy with the way it's worked out."

Playing alongside some familiar faces

Helping to make the experience of playing with the Giants all the more special for Garbin was the fact she is getting to do it alongside two familiar faces – Talisia Bourne and Ash Sidebottom.

The trio all grew up playing their junior basketball in the Kalgoorlie-Boulder region and then at SBL/NBL1 West level were teammates at the Rockingham Flames.

Garbin and Bourne also shared championships together in 2014 and 2015, and for Garbin, as special as it is to play in Kalgoorlie and to help the next generation, reconnecting with two old friendly faces is equally as meaningful.

"I was saying to Talisia and Sidey after the game that before I go we need to get a photo of the three of us together on that court because we have played junior basketball against each other in Kalgoorlie and then played together at Rockingham, and now we're back to where it all started," Garbin said.

"So I was like, it doesn’t have to be this week but before I leave we are standing on that court in our uniform getting a photo because it's something that is really, really special to me. 

"I think it's just amazing for those younger girls to see the different pathways that we've been on and now we can come back and play together still."

Giving back to the next generation in Kalgoorlie

Going back a couple of weeks before the Giants were able to add Garbin and Bourne to bring their championship experience on board, it was an increasingly shorthanded and young team following the loss of Amanda Wayment, Olivia Berry and Rachel Kehoe.

Youngsters like Regan Turnour-McCarty, Kiriana Hawaikirangi and the college bound Lawrin Tipene were among the next generation battling hard, but they just needed some help.

While Garbin doesn’t necessarily feel like she is in that veteran stage yet, to come on board and to be teammate to some of these teenagers who have big dreams is another reason why her joining the Giants is so important.

"I don’t know if I would say it's exciting, it does make me feel as old as I am but it is really cool to see those younger girls getting the chance to play NBL1 for their home team," Garbin said.

"We came out and ran an all girls clinic in Kalgoorlie back in about 2020 or 2021 with BWA, and some of the younger girls in the team now were actually in that junior clinic. 

"To now think that they are my teammates and I get to mentor them a little bit throughout these new six games or however long I'm going to play, it is a really special experience. 

"It's all part of the game, people did that for me as I came through the pathways whether that was at an SBL level, domestic or even now at the international level. It's a big part of the game and why people love it so much because you do have that giving back element. 

"The girls have had an up and down season and while we want to win and especially to play well on our home court, it is about that improvement and what we can learn from this experience."

Challenge now to hand Cougars first loss

Not only did Garbin star for the Giants on Saturday night, she also lifted them to a supremely impressive win over a Perry Lakes team who had won five straight, and featured her former Lynx WNBL teammates Emma Clarke, Ash Isenbarger and Mia Satie.

Now the challenge for Goldfields is the undefeated Cockburn Cougars back at Niels Hansen Basketball Stadium this Saturday night.

"Last week really was a bit of a fairytale moment to come home and beat a team who were fourth on the ladder and are a really good team," she said.

"It was a really big win for us and it kind of just added to the excitement of it all. We're looking forward to Cockburn now. It's a long drive up there to Kalgoorlie so it will be interesting to see how the game is going to turn out.

"They are a talented side and they've still got another import to add, but as much as we want to win, we will just focus on our individual scout and those moment by moment things. Then hopefully if we do everything right we can be in a position to win the game."

Experience playing in Hungary

Garbin has returned home fresh off her first season playing in Hungary where she averaged 10.1 rebounds and 4.4 rebounds a game, and had such a good time that she's leaning towards heading back to Europe over a WNBL return at this stage.

"I absolutely loved the experience. It was such a cool experience and I hope to head back to Europe again for the next season, at least that's the plan at this stage," Garbin said.

"I've played nearly WNBL games now over 12 or 13 seasons so I just wanted a bit of a change up, and it definitely provided that for me. I think it's helped me develop in different areas of my game and it just opened my eyes to a whole new experience."

Looking forward to Asia Cup with Opals

Garbin will also go into Opals camp later this month in preparations for the Asia Cup which gets underway on June 26 and will be held in Sydney.

After being part of the bronze medal winning team in Sydney as well last year at the World Cup, Garbin can't wait to continue her Opals journey.

"I'm so excited for that too. Any time we get to get together as an Opals group and put on the green and gold, it's always so exciting," Garbin said. 

"We have such a great thing going with our culture and connection now, especially rolling off that medal with the World Cup last year. It's always an exciting time and I can't wait to get into camp, and hopefully into some games from there."