Evie Lovell Searching for Success in UBL

Author: Dion Lobotesis

Passion, determination and family pride have been the cornerstones of Evie Lovell’s success so far in both her studies and basketball. 

For the twenty-four-year-old guard, a love of basketball goes back a generation to when her parents met playing together at Uni Games. Evie insists there was no duress, and that her love of basketball grew organically as she rose through the junior and senior leagues.

Despite a plethora of basketball, scientific or business idols to choose from, Evie was quick to name her dad as one of her biggest supporters and role models. At sixty-two “he’s still running fast breaks”, and she fondly described his lessons about the “importance of elite sport... and its role in life and happiness”.

As a player, fellow athletes describe Evie as a fast runner with an attacking focus - using her speed to contest the ball and get in front of opposing players. Her offensive traits are backed by a mindset which she described as “pretty competitive”, admitting that important losses can be on her mind for days after.

When describing her journey through the sport, Evie recalled a mix of memories - everything from the glorious to the embarrassing. In what remains as one of her “best games”, Evie’s friends jumped at the chance to describe how she took out the AU Basketball Club’s Duck Award by forgetting to take a sports bra to one match. Despite the “pain of ankle tape” in its place, she managed an 18+ point game with “eighty percent breathing capacity”.

In a change of tone, Evie also described the more serious barriers for women entering both amateur and professional sports. Particularly, Evie noted the “many layers” of the problem. The perception of being athletic as “not necessarily feminine”, combined with a general lack of opportunity still seem to present themselves as major hurdles for women in sport. In one instance, Evie was unable to play in a mixed social team due to a lack of women, and frustrated by the restrictions placed on men when defending opposing women, she got approval to join a men’s team – only to be asked to stop playing.

Despite setbacks, Evie’s strong desire for success on the court has translated to her academic career, as she has made her way through a bachelor’s degree, honours year and is now undertaking her PhD at the University. After graduating from Biomedical Science, Evie now researches how the immune system in early pregnancy can predispose women to pregnancy complications and how this may lead to long-term cardiovascular dysfunction for both the mother and child.

Initially unsure about her ability to commit to the UBL because of her university workload, Evie was grateful to find support with her supervisor and fellow student colleagues, who have enabled her to participate in the competition. Looking ahead for the season, Evie believes that her “love for basketball will balance it all out”.

Eventually, once finishing her PhD she hopes to spend time living in Canada as a post-doc student, while still “finding a way” to keep basketball as a part of her life and maintaining a “balance of sport and study”. When she’s not in the lab or on the court, Evie spends her off-time like most university students – with friends and family. One ‘family member’ she described with particular affection is her brown labrador, Coco, who she lovingly summarised as being “chaotic”.

Evie’s authentic love of the game is evident, and her strong leadership and passion for the sport provides strong leadership for the women’s Waatu side.