If there’s an athlete who has a bulletproof case to be the face of Australian 3x3 basketball. It’s Marena Whittle.
Her resume in the 3x3 game supports that case, and at the recent Women’s Series stop in Singapore, Whittle became the first-ever to reach 200 games for the Australian Gangurrus.
The significance of the achievement wasn’t lost on her.
“It's actually so crazy. I think it's amazing, like what a privilege. And like also to be playing still at such a high level,” says Whittle.
“I'm just super proud that I keep getting selected and I'm able to play this game. It's the biggest privilege to represent Australia.”
Over the last decade, 3x3 basketball has emerged from a place of relative obscurity in Australia.
The early foundations were built by teams featuring the likes of Sara Blicavs, Tess Madgen, Todd Blanchfield and Davo Hickey. As always, Australia punched above their weight against nations with dedicated 3x3 programs and players.
It took time for a unique 3x3 identity to materialise and Whittle has been front and centre for it.
“Yeah, it’s been amazing to watch it develop. I'm really happy that Australia is starting to get on board and understand that it is such a difficult sport to play consistently well. As good as we are, we’ve still got more to give,” says Whittle
“I'm not an Opals player, I haven't been an Opals player. I'm just really obsessed with the Gangurrus culture and obsessed with what we've been able to achieve,”
“Playing for Damon (Lowery) and the style of 3x3 basketball, it suits my game down to a tee so I'm just super proud that I've been able to get to 200. How freaking sick,” added Whittle.
Another central figure in the rise of the 3x3 Gangurrus identity is enigmatic Women’s Head Coach, Damon Lowery.
The former NBL Champion from Michigan has been embraced by Australian basketball and he’s coined a mythical, yet strangely accurate title for what it means to be a 200-game player.
According to Lowery, Marena Whittle is now a vampire.
“Okay. The vampire, I coined this,” he says.
“I said, 'cause I liked the vampire movies. I think Twilight is a beautiful movie. I love vampires, they're strong, they're fast, you can't kill them, they're already dead, they're undead,” said Lowery.
“So, in 2022 we went and played the Asia Cup with four new girls. Our team had played 10 total games. We played China, the second ranked team in the world. And they got two girls that have played over 250 games,”
“They were out there going a level above. They were like the Harlem Globetrotters. Making us look silly,”
“I said, girls, ‘they're vampires, we don’t even have a vampire yet,’
Around this time, the basketball vampire was born.
“I’m looking at the other teams. Latvia has a dude that's played 930 games. He's unreal. And the Serbians, they got maybe nine vampires,”
“So, before the World Cup in 2025 we got to see it firsthand. We trained and watched those dudes. Me and Pri (HP Manager – 3x3), we talked about it,”
“I said, how many games do you need to be a vampire? And we all said. It has to be 200,” added Lowery.
It’s hard to argue with Lowery’s logic. The Twilight-inspired symbolism for veterans of the 3x3 game checks out.
He also couldn’t be prouder of the development and role that Whittle has played for the 3x3 Gangurrus women.
“She’s been great the whole time but over the last year she took it to another level,” he says.
“It’s all led by Marena because she’s a social butterfly. She has been the glue for the teams coming together. She’s the old original gangster,” says Lowery.
“When went into the World Cup this year. I looked at Marena and went, ‘not only are you playing with three new people, but you now have to facilitate and score,’
“We started that tournament slow and then Marena just took it to another level. I said to her, ‘your leadership now, you’ve got levels to go with this.”
The success of Whittle has shown that there’s a different path for a different type of athlete emerging in the basketball ecosystem. The Victorian and Dakota State alumna has been a consistent weapon in the 3x3 format and like many of her Gangurrus teammates, it’s translated to success across formats.
“She’s worked for her success. A girl that’s never been to an Opals camp. And Australia hasn’t seen much of her in the WNBL, because she’s been playing in Europe. But she’s also very accomplished five on five player,”
“Six foot, but strong, can score at every level. I feel that her career opened up to international leagues as her game evolved in 3x3.”
As Whittle’s game evolved, so has an impressive list of firsts.
She has been part of an Asia Cup three-peat. There was Australia’s highest finish at a World Cup with a silver earlier this year.
Then a first-ever Commonwealth Games gold for Gang Gang in Glasgow last month.
Amongst all the glorious moments so far. The run of the Gangurrus into the Paris 2024 Olympics alongside Ally Wilson, Lauren Mansfield and Anneli Maley stands.
“I don't know what it was, but it was so obvious that there was something special going on,” she says.
“We had different types of relationships within the team. We all played together in different ways and we all knew Damon and he was just so supportive of us as a team,”
“He had this whole new mentality which no one had experienced before. We all instinctively trusted one another. It's like we were driving in a car with no lights and we just trusted that we were going to get there together,” added Whittle.
“And I felt that trust in every tricky situation. We had to be perfect to qualify for the Olympics (They were ranked 16 of 16). And even when we lost that first game of the qualifiers, we just found a way. We just consistently found a way,” added Whittle.
There may be a sense of melancholy emerging from the reflective nature of this article, but with Whittle at 32 years of age and at the peak of her powers, there is more glory ahead.
The Gangurrus are headed to Bangkok this weekend for the 3x3 Women’s Series. And it will be alongside an old friend, with Olympics teammate Ally Wilson set to plug in for the Gangurrus
“Ain't that cool?,” she says.
"It was so sick to have her at training. It was a bit different for her. The style that we're playing now is with bigger bodies. Playing with true bigs is something we've never done before,” she added.
“And it was fun for her to be back. We did like a couple of movements together and I was like, Oh. Miss you. Yeah, right. Come back from the Opals and the WNBA more often.”
Whittle, Wilson and the 3x3 Gangurrus will travel to Thailand for the 3x3 Women’s Series from 20–23 August.
And for the first time in history, Australia is taking a vampire.
|
3x3 Gangurrus | Total Games |
||
|
1 |
Marena Whittle |
200 |
|
2 |
Anneli Maley |
148 |
|
3 |
Rebecca Cole |
88 |
|
4 |
Maddie Garrick |
79 |
|
5 |
Alex Wilson |
76 |
|
6 |
Keely Froling |
75 |
|
7 |
Lauren Mansfield |
68 |
|
8 |
Alice Kunek |
58 |
|
9 |
Emma Clarke |
51 |
|
10 |
Miela Sowah |
45 |
