Netball helped Hassett hone hoops skills

Published 1:01 pm Thursday, July 24, 2025

Growing up in  Albury, New South Wales, Australia, Amelia Hassett played a lot of different sports.

The 6-foot-3 Kentucky senior played cricket for a few years and then started rhythmic gymnastics.

“I really loved it (gymnastics) and wish it went further but I was getting a little too tall,” Hassett said. “The other main sport I played was netball. It’s like basketball except you are not allowed to dribble and there is no backboard on the ring.”

Netball is a ball sport played on a rectangular court by two teams of seven players who try to shoot a ball through the defender’s goal ring while preventing the opposing team from shooting through their own. It is one of a few sports created exclusively for women and girls, and it remains primarily played by them. According to World Netball, the sport is played by more than 20 million people in more than 80 countries.

“I did it until I actually came over to the States so I probably played from around 12 to like maybe 16, 17 and it is a very popular sport in Australia,” Hassett said. “I think playing probably helped my shooting but it also took my mind off basketball by playing multiple sports.”

Hassett’s brother played rugby, but she did not. She did play Australian rules football. She said it was “fun” but she did not play against boys like former UK teammate Georgia Amoore did growing up in Australia.

“For me, it was just playing against girls but it was a lot of fun,” she said. “There are no pads and no stoppage between plays. It can be kind of tough at times.”