Rinaldi "really proud" to crack 300-game milestone with Ballarat

Written by Julia Montesano  

Ballarat legend Kristy Rinaldi is as loyal as they come.

After playing her first game with Ballarat as a five-year-old, the club’s games record-holder will now extend her tally to 300 on Saturday night against the Launceston Tornadoes.

She says it will be an honour to mark this milestone in the new-look NBL1 South competition.

“It’s a bit of a surreal feeling,” Rinaldi explains.

“You always take it one game at a time so it sort of just feels like another game, but at the same time, it’s a bit more special.

“I feel really proud to have played with Ballarat for 300 games in this league which has grown massively.”

Rinaldi wasn’t part of the NBL1 season in 2019, but watched closely online and around the courts as she spent time with the Hume City Broncos.

This was one of the only years she didn’t play for Ballarat, with her job as a police officer in her hometown of Melbourne being a more important career path to pursue at that point.

It paid dividends, as not only has she made a difference on-court, but also off-court in her work life.

Last year, Rinaldi, along with a host of police officers around the state of Victoria, ran a combined distance of 159.485km during the month of May.

Those numbers represent the combined registered numbers of Senior-Constable Lynette Taylor, Senior-Constable Kevin King, Constable Glen Humphris and Constable Josh Prestney, who were tragically killed in the Eastern Freeway accident last April.

Rinaldi raised just over $3,300 to honour the four fallen police officers.

Now back on the court in 2021, the former Ballarat captain is hoping to see the NBL1 continue to grow before she retires.

“The league is so strong,” Rinaldi says.

“It’s really exciting and it’s one of the big reasons why I wanted to come back to Ballarat after my stint at Hume City.

“It’s awesome to see where the competition is going and to watch all the talented players playing in the league.

“I just wanted to be a part of it and see where I was at physically.

“I want to try and play the best basketball I can while I still can.”

Rinaldi brings a wealth of high-level basketball experience to the NBL1, having played with the Dandenong Rangers in the 2007-08 season, Bendigo Spirit in the 2008-09 season and Adelaide Lightning in the 2013-14 season.

She also spent time in Brisbane as a teenager playing for NBL1 North team, Southern Districts Spartans with her sister.

Rinaldi has already made an impact in the NBL1 South season, scoring 13 points in 11 minutes for the Rush in their 93-61 win over the Albury Wodonga Bandits.

She will be hoping to have another solid performance against the Tornadoes in what is a remarkable milestone to notch up.