Melissa Sinfield (née McClure; born 23 March 1977) is an Australian former professional basketball player. She played 13 seasons in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL), including 11 with the Perth Breakers/Lynx. She also played in the State Basketball League (SBL), where she won five championships with the Perry Lakes Hawks.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 23 March 1977 Horsham, Victoria, Australia |
| Listed height | 183 cm (6 ft 0 in) |
| Career information | |
| Playing career | 1994–2007 |
| Position | Forward |
| Coaching career | 2008–2008 |
| Career history | |
| As player: | |
| 1994–1995 | Australian Institute of Sport |
| 1996–2006 | Perth Breakers/Lynx |
| 1996–2003; 2007 | Perry Lakes Hawks |
| As coach: | |
| 2008 | Perry Lakes Hawks (assistant) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
As player:
As coach:
| |
Early life
editSinfield was born in Horsham, Victoria,[1] where she played basketball as a youth but often in boys teams due to the lack of girls competition.[2] She represented Victoria Country in under-16s and under-18s.[3]
Basketball career
editWNBL
editIn 1994 and 1995, Sinfield attended the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in Canberra and played for the AIS in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL).[4][5]
In 1996, Sinfield joined the Perth Breakers.[2] She helped the Breakers reach the WNBL Grand Final in 1999, where they lost to the AIS.[3] Following the departure of Tully Bevilaqua in 2000, Sinfield became captain of the Breakers.[3] She was captain of the Breakers in 2001 when the owners handed back the licence and the team almost folded.[6] Basketball WA took over the licence and renamed the team the Perth Lynx,[7] but the organisation lacked money to pay players. Sinfield retired in 2006 having played in only 15 wins from her last 105 games, all without being paid.[6]
Sinfield was a defensive-minded player, and led the league for steals in the 2001–02 season. She was often given the task of guarding the opposing team's most dangerous shooter.[3]
In 191 WNBL games, Sinfield finished with totals of 1,652 points, 1,043 rebounds, 436 assists, 281 steals and 133 blocks. As of 2019, she was the club leader for rebounds and blocks, second for steals, third for points, and fourth for assists.[8] Her number 13 jersey was retired by the Lynx in 2016.[3][6][9]
SBL
editBetween 1996 and 2003, Sinfield played for the Perry Lakes Hawks in the State Basketball League (SBL) and won SBL championships in 1998, 2001, 2002 and 2003. She returned for a final season in 2007 and won a fifth championship.[10][11] She was named SBL Most Valuable Player in 1999[12] and SBL Grand Final MVP in 2003.[13] In 189 games, she averaged 15.2 points, 8.7 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 3.7 steals per game.[14]
In 2008, Sinfield was a member of the Hawks' championship-winning team as an assistant coach.[10]
Accolades
editIn September 2013, Sinfield was named in the 25 Year WSBL All Star team.[15]
In August 2019, Sinfield was included in a 'Culture of Champions' mural at Horsham Basketball Stadium, a permanent display featuring 14 Horsham players who had national and international success.[16] She was Horsham's first national female basketballer.[9]
In August 2021, Sinfield was inducted into the Basketball WA Hall of Fame.[17]
In 2023, Sinfield was inducted into the Perry Lakes Hawks Hall of Fame.[10]
Personal life
editSinfield has two brothers.[9]
Sinfield's husband, Peter Sinfield, also played in the SBL for the Perry Lakes Hawks.[9][18] The couple have three children.[3][9] As of 2021, she spent her time balancing a nursing career with coaching her son's basketball team and serving on the NBL1 West commission.[9]
References
edit- ^ "Perth Lynx 2003/04". WNBL.com.au. Archived from the original on 27 November 2003. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ a b "MELISSA SINFIELD - BWA Hall of Fame Inductee 2021". YouTube. Basketball WA. 29 November 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f Wales, Sean (29 May 2018). "WNBL Perth Lynx icon Melissa Sinfield had a remarkable career | Legends of Yesterday". The Wimmera Mail-Times. Archived from the original on 10 July 2018. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ "Past Athletes". ausport.gov.au. Archived from the original on 12 February 2014.
- ^ "2018/19 Chemist Warehouse WNBL Championship Media Guide" (PDF). wnbl.basketball. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ a b c O'Donoghue, Craig (4 April 2022). "WNBL Grand Final: Melissa Sinfield proud of teams that played for free to set Perth Lynx up for success". The West Australian. Archived from the original on 30 August 2024.
- ^ "Perth Wildcats purchase WNBL license". NBL.com.au. 16 April 2015. Archived from the original on 16 April 2015. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
- ^ "2019/20 Chemist Warehouse WNBL Championship Media Guide – Perth Lynx" (PDF). wnbl.basketball. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f "Melissa Sinfield inducted in basketball hall of fame". The Weekly Advertiser. 18 August 2021. Archived from the original on 30 August 2024.
- ^ a b c "Melissa Sinfield Hall of Fame". hawksbasketball.com.au. Archived from the original on 30 August 2024.
- ^ "Melissa McClure". australiabasket.com. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ "Awards History". SBL.asn.au. Archived from the original on 30 August 2024.
- ^ Annual Report 2003. Western Australian Basketball Federation (Inc.). 2003. p. 38.
- ^ "WSBL All-Time Starting Five". WA State Basketball League. 1 May 2015. Archived from the original on 30 August 2024.
- ^ "25 Year WSBL All Star team revealed". WA State Basketball League. 9 September 2013. Archived from the original on 30 August 2024.
- ^ "Basketball mural celebrates Wimmera sporting talent". The Weekly Advertiser. 28 August 2019. Archived from the original on 30 August 2024.
- ^ O'Donoghue, Craig (13 August 2021). "Basketball WA's Hall of Fame to induct 11 people including Luc Longley, Andrew Vlahov and Mike Ellis". The West Australian. Archived from the original on 30 August 2024.
- ^ Pekin, Lyndsay (2009). "Time-out for Perry Lakes Stadium". Perry Lakes Hawks. Archived from the original on 30 August 2024.