EAGLES ABROAD : TURNER READY TO TURN IT UP

When you see Carly Turner practicing on the Basketball court, the work ethic and deliberate intent to get better is not only vividly clear, but the steely-eyed determined expression on her face creates an air of intensity in the building that only the greats can manufacture. You can almost see and feel the fire burning inside of her.

Get her away the court, sitting at a table opposite you, and she presents as impressive a person as she is a player on the hardwood – well-considered, thoughtful, intelligent and with a clear and refreshing sense of self. It’s clear that the stadium on Civic Drive holds dear to her. A safe haven. A place where blood, sweat and tears have been shed to get her to where she is today.

Carly is back home from Moraga, California, albeit for a short stay – before she boards a flight to return for her Junior year with the St Marys College Gaels.

This will be Carly’s 3rd season on the other side of the globe, showcasing the knowledge and skill she grew at Diamond Valley as a member of the Eltham North Jets and Eagles Junior Championship programs.

In her Sophomore year in 2015/16, Turner averaged 6.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game, coming off the bench to add versatility and spark.

‘After coming back from my Freshman year where I was able to put together some good games, my Sophomore year started kind of up and down as I tried to find some consistency – and when I did I finished the second half of the season really strong’, Turner recalls.

The Gaels too had a somewhat rocky start to season 2015/16, winning 4 in a row to begin, scraping over the line in overtime for win number 5 against rivals, Fresno State, then dropping the next 2 games. The following contest was a gutsy 64-63 win against California, Berkley on Cal’s home floor – a win that was a game changer for their season. ‘That buzzer beater win was huge ! California are a very good team and were Nationally ranked’.

Here’s where Turner’s maturity and the Diamond Valley value of being ‘team-first’ comes to the fore. ‘I only played 2 minutes in that game, but one thing I’ve learnt over time is that, as a player, you need to take a back seat at times and be happy for the team and what’s going on.’

‘It’s a learning curve. Work your butt off when you get your minutes and then be genuinely supportive and happy for the team. It’s never about you. It’s always about the team. I was so pumped that we got that win at Cal.’

This kind of maturity earned Turner more trust and opportunity later in the season, as she began averaging around 25 minutes per game playing a key role off the bench, as the Gaels finished with a 29-6 record and 15-3 in the West Coast Conference.

The injury bug hit late in the season and sidelined a number of players for the Gaels as they limped into the post season.

Unfortunately for Turner and her teammates, they were only able to progress to the Conference Semi Finals in post season play – losing a 2 point heartbreaker to San Francisco, with Turner contributing 6 points, 3 assists and 10 rebounds in trying to will St Mary’s over the line. The Gaels only suited up 8 healthy bodies in the contest. Coincidentally, San Francisco went on to win the West Coast Conference Tournament.

‘We dealt with heaps of injuries to our team at that time and just got on with the job. The hardest part was that that loss cost us our chance to make the NCAA National Tournament and I felt like we could’ve done really well had we have been invited to go. This was the year where we had grown as a team to where everything felt like it clicked for us. San Francisco played great and were a bit of a Cinderella team – they were playing very good Basketball at the right time and went on to win the whole thing. It’s tough to digest, but if you lose, you’d always rather lose to the team that goes on to win it – cos it means it took the best team in that tournament to beat you.’

Instead, Turner and the Gaels were invited to the NIT Tournament, the tourney that is a tier below the prestigious 64-team NCAA National Tournament they agonizingly missed out on.

Still injury riddled and potentially deflated from the loss to San Francisco, the Gaels were ripe for the picking and a chippy Eastern Michigan team pulled off an upset 1 point win against them, bundling them out of the NIT tournament in game 1. Turner had 7 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists in the clash, the last in her Sophomore chapter.

‘Unlike last offseason, where I probably went a bit overboard and didn’t give myself a break, I took some time to regroup and step away from the court and focus on my study at Summer school.’

‘I was still in the gym regularly and running and whatnot, but I didn’t touch a Basketball right away and I think it refreshed me. When I returned to playing open gym games in June I was having so much fun – it was just what I needed.’

At College, Turner is completing a Bachelor of Global Business degree and the Student-Athlete is required to attend classes and complete homework like any other enrolled student, despite having a near full time job as part of the Basketball program.

‘It’s very challenging to stay on top of your study. You have to be very, very organized because sometimes you’re on the road and need to hand things in before you leave. Teachers will always help when you ask – but if you aren’t proactive and asking for help when it’s needed then you’re on your own, they’re there to teach you and not chase you up for things that are your own responsibility.’

‘Our coaches always emphasize to us that we’d better not be caught skipping class – our academics come first and that’s why they say we’re student-athletes … not athlete-students’.

Turner returned to her hometown of Melbourne and quickly found her way back to Diamond Valley, being visible around the place helping give back to young athletes at our Northern Basketball Camps, training with the Big V State Championship Women to help elevate their level and getting lots of individual workouts in.

Further proof of the elite mindset that Carly has grown, her workouts never include mindless shooting or time spent on court simply to say you’d spent time on court.

‘I’ve been getting skills sessions in with Al (McAughtry) 3 times a week. When I came home he asked me what I wanted to work on. I want all my indies to be purposeful – and I’m known as a shooter, so I wanted to open up my game more and be prepared with the tools I need to be able to drive to the basket and finish in different ways. Ball handling and finishing are my 2 areas I’m looking to improve this offseason.’

St Mary’s runs a team offense that involves lots of pick and roll actions. On her own, Carly recognized that she would stunt her own growth as a player if all she did was stand opposite those pick and rolls, then catch and shoot the ball if it came to her. SHE wanted to be the one using pick and rolls and being creative within that setting – ‘It’s really easy to get stuck doing one thing. I can stand and shoot 3s while other people use the pick and rolls for our team, but it limits me. Other coaches will say that I’m just a shooter and that’s all I can do. I want to expand my game so that I can do a bit of everything and can contribute more.’

Seeking further improvement, Turner began training with our Big V State Championship Women’s team, helping add a high level, competitive player to their training environment. ‘It was good to have a run with the Champ Women, especially Belinda Snell – I tried to go 1 on 1 with her as much as I could to learn from her. She has this incredible ability to get open all the time and find space for her shot. I had to adjust and defend her more physically, pressure her when she catches the ball – it was a good test for me’, Turner says with a competitive grin.

When asked how Diamond Valley has changed in the time she’s been away, Turner’s eyes light up as she almost interrupts to energetically answer – ‘It’s really changed so much – I remember coming down during the week for workouts in the mornings with Dad and Grant (Carly’s brother, member of our Big V Victorian Youth Championship Men’s team) and the place was bare. Now, it’s absolutely full ! You can’t find a free basket ! It’s so inspiring that there’s so many more people interested in getting better’, Turner explains, sitting up in her chair with glowing energy.

‘I went and watched our U12 1s play last week and I’m a big fan of Olivia Perillo – she’s a gun ! She’s so feisty, she goes for it and has a never say die attitude and won’t back down. Apparently she had the flu during that game, but didn’t use it as an excuse, she found a way to get out there and help her team and that really resonated with me – that was me once upon a time.’

As proud as Carly is to call Diamond Valley home, we are equally as proud of how she carries herself on and off the court and what she’s achieved in the sport.

She gave us some insight into what she’s learnt from her time at the Valley that is still in the front of her thinking today, and her philosophy on life at this stage of her career – ‘I used to always be so competitive and care so much that I would get hung up on errors, missed shots or just bad things that happen. Now I hear Al’s voice in my head telling me to let it go and move on to the next play.  My personal reset button is to look at the shot clock. That’s my trigger to let go of the negativity and then get on with it. I’m trying to teach Grant to do that too !’.

‘Another thing from Diamond Valley that became part of who I am, and it’s true of all Australians I think, is that we’re all gritty and hardworking all of the time. In the States, you never come across an Aussie without a work ethic – I think I’d be more offended as a player if someone said I had a poor work ethic than if they said they thought I was a bad Basketball player.’

As she embarks upon her Junior year in college, where many of her teammates’ faces will change, a renewed optimism and peace seems to wash over her, ‘I’m excited for the coming season, we have some talented players coming in. I’m mainly excited for all the experiences – I’ve come to realize you’re more than just a Basketballer. There’s so much more to life to experience and grow from. Basketball has been the gift that has earned me this and I’m just making a point of enjoying every day and having a positive mental wellbeing. It’s important to understand that, as a person, every day you create your own happiness.’

 




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