Katie-Rae Ebzery

Katie-Rae Ebzery (born 8 January 1990) is an Australian former professional basketball player who played 15 seasons in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL). She was a three-time All-WNBL First Team member and a two-time Olympian with the Australian Opals.

Katie-Rae Ebzery
Personal information
Born (1990-01-08) 8 January 1990
Waratah, New South Wales
NationalityAustralian
Listed height178 cm (5 ft 10 in)
Listed weight70 kg (154 lb)
Career information
High schoolSt Mary's
(Newcastle, New South Wales)
Playing career2005–2021
PositionShooting guard / small forward
Career history
2005–2008Australian Institute of Sport
2008–2012Newcastle Hunters
2008–2009Dandenong Rangers
2010–2016Sydney Uni Flames
2014Hornsby Spiders
2015BA Centre of Excellence
2016Newcastle Hunters
2016–2017Dynamo Moscow
2017–2018Sydney Uni Flames
2018–2020Perth Lynx
2021Newcastle Hunters
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Representing  Australia
Women's basketball
FIBA World Cup
Silver medal – second place2018 SpainTeam
FIBA Asia Cup
Silver medal – second place2017 BangaloreTeam
Bronze medal – third place 2019 BangaloreTeam
FIBA Oceania Championships
Gold medal – first place2015 Australia / New ZealandTeam
Commonwealth Games
Gold medal – first place2018 Gold CoastTeam
Summer Universiade
Bronze medal – third place2011 ShenzhenTeam
Bronze medal – third place2013 KazanTeam
3x3 basketball
FIBA 3x3 World Championships
Bronze medal – third place2012 AthensTeam

Early life

Ebzery was born in Waratah, New South Wales.[1] From a young age, she would watch her mum and cousins play basketball. She started playing socially at the age of five, and by the age of nine she was playing representative basketball for the Newcastle Hunters.[2][3] She attended St Mary's High School in Newcastle.[2]

Professional career

Ebzery debuted in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) in 2005 with the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS).[3] The talented guard left the AIS after three seasons with 65 WNBL games to her name at just 18 years of age.[3] After playing for the Dandenong Rangers in the 2008–09 season, she stepped away from the WNBL for the 2009–10 season.[3]

In 2010, Ebzery joined the Sydney Uni Flames.[3] In 2014–15, she passed 200 WNBL games and was named the Flames Club MVP after averaging 16.8 points per game, the sixth highest average in the league.[4] She played her sixth season for the Flames in 2015–16[4] and was named to the WNBL All-Star Five.[5]

For the 2016–17 season, Ebzery moved to Russia to play for Dynamo Moscow.[6]

Ebzery returned to the WNBL and the Sydney Uni Flames for the 2017–18 season.[7]

In June 2018, Ebzery signed a two-year contract with the Perth Lynx.[8] In the 2019–20 season, she was named to the WNBL All-Star First Team.[9]

In June 2020, Ebzery re-signed with the Lynx.[10] In the 2020 WNBL Hub season in Queensland, she was named to the All-WNBL First Team.[11] She finished the regular season fourth (18.0) in scoring and ninth (3.6) in assists.[12]

In October 2021, Ebzery retired from the WNBL after 15 seasons and 304 games.[13][14][15]

Off-season stints

Between 2008 and 2012, Ebzery played for the Newcastle Hunters in the Waratah League.[16][17][18][19] In 2014, she played for the Hornsby Spiders and helped them win the Waratah League championship with a grand final MVP performance.[20] In 2015, she played for the BA Centre of Excellence in the SEABL.[21] In 2016, she had a short stint with the Hunters.[22] In 2021, she played four games for the Hunters,[23] who were crowned champions following the season's cancellation due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[24]

National team career

In 2007, Ebzery represented Australia at the FIBA Under-19 World Championship in Slovakia.[3]

In 2011 and 2013, Ebzery won bronze with the Australian University Team at the World University Games.[3] She also won bronze with the Australian 3x3 team at the inaugural FIBA 3x3 World Championships in 2012.[3]

Ebzery made her Australian Opals debut at the 2015 FIBA Oceania Championship, where the Opals claimed gold.[14] In 2016, she played for the Opals at the Olympic Test Event in Rio de Janeiro,[25] and later in the Rio Olympics.[26]

In 2017, Ebzery played for the Opals at the FIBA Women's Asia Cup, where she helped them win silver in Division A.[27][28]

In 2018, Ebzery helped the Opals win gold at the Commonwealth Games and silver at the FIBA World Cup.[14]

In 2019, Ebzery helped the Opals win bronze at the FIBA Asia Cup. She later played in the FIBA Olympic pre-qualifying tournament and the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament.[29]

At the Tokyo Olympics in July and August 2021, Ebzery averaged 6.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists in four games.[29][30]

Personal life

Ebzery is the daughter of Helen and Robert. She has three siblings, brothers Andrew and Mathew, and sister Alison.[31] Alison made her debut in the WNBL in 2019.[31]

References
  1. "Katie Ebzery". sports-reference.com.au. Archived from the original on 15 October 2018. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  2. "Katie Rae Ebzery". Australian Olympic Committee. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  3. "Katie-Rae Ebzery". WNBL. Archived from the original on 7 October 2021.
  4. "Flames star returns". susf.com.au. 26 March 2015. Archived from the original on 7 October 2021.
  5. "2015/16 All-Star Five". wnbl.com.au. Archived from the original on 20 March 2016. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  6. "Кэти Эбзэри и Александра Бантон". wbcdynamo.ru (in Russian). 2 May 2016. Archived from the original on 6 September 2016. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  7. France, Lachy (27 September 2017). "Katie-Rae Ebzery: A Flame Reignited". pickandroll.com.au. Archived from the original on 20 September 2020.
  8. "PERTH LYNX SIGN OPALS STAR KATIE-RAE EBZERY". perthlynx.com. 15 June 2018. Archived from the original on 17 August 2018. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  9. "WNBL NAMES END OF SEASON AWARDS AND WNBL ALL-STAR FIRST & SECOND TEAMS". wnbl.basketball. 17 February 2020. Archived from the original on 17 February 2020. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  10. "STAR OPAL KATIE EBZERY STAYING IN THE WEST". wnbl.basketball/perth. 19 June 2020. Archived from the original on 21 June 2020. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  11. "STEPH TALBOT NAMED 2020 CHEMIST WAREHOUSE WNBL MVP". wnbl.basketball. 14 December 2020. Archived from the original on 14 December 2020. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  12. Garlepp, Josh (14 December 2020). "Perth Lynx's Katie Ebzery earns All-WNBL first team nod, Adelaide's Steph Talbot claims WNBL MVP". perthnow.com.au. Archived from the original on 7 October 2021. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  13. "Katie Ebzery: Beyond Proud but I wish I'd been kinder to myself". athletesvoice.com.au. 7 October 2021. Archived from the original on 7 October 2021. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  14. "Dual Olympian and WNBL veteran announces retirement". australia.basketball. 7 October 2021. Archived from the original on 7 October 2021. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  15. "A CHAMPION RETIRES. THANK YOU KATIE EBZERY". wnbl.basketball/perth. 7 October 2021. Archived from the original on 7 October 2021. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  16. "Katie-Rae Ebzery While Playing for Newcastle Hunters in 2008 Championship Women". Waratah League. Archived from the original on 7 October 2021.
  17. "Katie-Rae Ebzery While Playing for Newcastle Hunters in 2009 Championship Women". Waratah League. Archived from the original on 7 October 2021.
  18. "2009 Waratah League Award Winners". Waratah League. Archived from the original on 7 October 2021.
  19. "Katie-Rae Ebzery While Playing for Newcastle Hunters in 2010 Championship Women". Waratah League. Archived from the original on 7 October 2021.
  20. "Basketball NSW Annual Report 2014" (PDF). bnsw.com.au. p. 18 (19). Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 October 2021.
  21. "Katie-Rae Ebzery". SEABL. Archived from the original on 7 October 2021.
  22. Hughes, Mitchell (15 June 2016). "HUNTERS WOMEN CONFIDENT DESPITE EBZERY ABSENCE". wnbl.basketball/perth. Archived from the original on 7 October 2021. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  23. "Katie-Rae Ebzery". Waratah League. Archived from the original on 7 October 2021.
  24. "BASKETBALL NSW COMPETITIONS, HIGH-PERFORMANCE & COMMUNITY PROGRAMS UPDATE". bnsw.com.au. 12 August 2021. Archived from the original on 12 September 2021.
  25. Lulham, Amanda (5 January 2016). "Opal Katie-Rae Ebzery hoping to light up for Flames in WNBL ahead of Rio Olympic Test event". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
  26. "AUSTRALIAN WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM ANNOUNCED". basketball.net.au. 14 July 2016. Archived from the original on 19 July 2016.
  27. "Katie-Rae EBZERY". archive.fiba.com. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  28. Ward, Roy (30 July 2017). "Australian Opals fall to Japan in FIBA Women's Asia Cup final". smh.com.au. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  29. "Katie-Rae Ebzery". australiabasket.com. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  30. "Basketball EBZERY Katie - Tokyo 2020 Olympics". olympics.com. Archived from the original on 30 September 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  31. O'Donoghue, Craig (31 October 2019). "In The Bonus: Perth Lynx captain Katie Ebzery and younger sister Alison prepare to face off in WNBL clash on Saturday". TheWest.com.au. Retrieved 1 November 2019.
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