23 July 2025
The ADF men’s basketball team won gold and the women took silver on a tour to Western Australia this month.
ADF teams competed in the Edith Cowan University Western Invitational from July 2-4 against WA student, fire service and police teams, with the men claiming victory against Curtin University and the women runners-up to Murdoch University.
ADF national teams are selected from the best players during the annual Combined Services Championships, where teams compete in states for the national title.
Leading Seaman James Gunson, an avionics technician in HMAS Canberra, completed his first tour away with the team this year.
After growing up playing basketball in Batemans Bay, NSW, Leading Seaman Gunson said his first tour was a fantastic experience, with the camaraderie a highlight.
“Being a part of the Defence basketball community provides a whole new set of friendships and mateships you just can’t get outside of Defence sport,” Leading Seaman Gunson said.
“Both teams that came away were amazing, everyone was so supportive of each other on and off the court, it made coming together as a team so much easier.”
The men’s team won a hard-fought final with several lead changes, taking the win 44-41 over Curtin University.
Leading Seaman Gunson iced it at the line with two free throws to put the game out of reach.
“I really enjoyed the tournament, it was a lot of fun playing against the different teams, and building our skills,” he said.
“Taking out the gold medal was a massive bonus for us, we gelled really well as a team.”
'Bonding with new teammates, creating lasting friendships, sharing laughs and those moments on court when everything clicked will always mean the most to me.'
The women’s team finished with a close 43-35 loss against Murdoch University in their final, making it a successful tournament for the ADF.
Corporal Tiffany Hill-Donovan was awarded tournament Most Valuable Player and Leading Aircraftman Nathan Blows was tournament Top Point Scorer.
It was the third tour for Corporal Hill-Donovan, a detention instructor at the Defence Force School of Policing in NSW, who grew up playing basketball for the Nunawading Spectres in Melbourne.
She said it was great to be able to continue participating in competitive team sport after joining Defence.
“The highlight of the trip for me was playing alongside my teammates,” Corporal Hill-Donovan said.
“Bonding with new teammates, creating lasting friendships, sharing laughs and those moments on court when everything clicked will always mean the most to me.
“I really enjoyed the competition this year, although physically demanding with some back-to-back games, the camaraderie between ADF members and other participants is beyond any other.”
Corporal Hill-Donovan said it was a surprise to hear her name called as Most Valuable Player, but she was very proud of the achievement.
“I felt a sense of gratitude to be awarded the Most Valuable Player,” she said.
“I was motivated to keep improving, not only as an individual but also as a team. I was always hustling but also trying to display good sportsmanship towards the opponents.”
Leading Aircraftman Blows, of Air Force Security at RAAF Base Pearce, WA, completed his second tour with the ADF National Team this year.
'The competition was really strong this year and we had some really close games, so to come away with the gold medal is a huge achievement for us.'
Growing up playing basketball in Perth, Leading Aircraftman Blows said participation in Defence basketball had been a highlight of each year, and representing the ADF was particularly special.
“It’s a privilege to be able to represent Defence in basketball; everyone was so proud and excited to be selected,” Leading Aircraftman Blows said.
“The community aspect is such an enjoyable part of the sport. The connection between both men’s and women’s teams is so strong, it’s a proper sense of community.”
As tournament Top Point Scorer, Leading Aircraftman Blows had a strong sense of achievement in the men's victory.
“We played some incredible team basketball, we pushed hard to make sure we made up for last year’s third-place finish with the win,” he said.
“The competition was really strong this year and we had some really close games, so to come away with the gold medal is a huge achievement for us.”
The ADF Basketball Association runs competitions in every state and territory with a national competition held around November each year.
Search ‘ADFBA’ online to find out how to participate.
