Charlotte Whittaker - C3 x Adelaide Lightning 25/26 Season

[Music] Charlotte Whittaker, welcome to the Lay Lightning Coatside Coffee Catch-Up Collaboration. Thank you so much. I'm excited to be here. I'm so excited to talk to you. It's so nice to have you here in Adelaide. This is only your third week, is that right? Yeah, going into my third week. Yeah. How are you finding it? I'm really enjoying it. I think, you know, even to get the opportunity in the first place, super grateful. I was just such an amazing coach and I think to be able to come in here and be welcomed so heavily to by not only the team but the staff and everything as well. And so they've really looked after me and so it's been really good. Obviously, great league to be in, so it's slowly adjusting to that. But yeah, I'm enjoying it and learning lots along the way. So yeah. Was the WNBL a goal for you? Yeah, so definitely think it was, I think, eventually after college. I was looking to continue my basketball and kind of take opportunities as they were kind of presented to me. But WNBL, I think, was definitely a goal of mine, I think, moving forward within my professional career. Yeah. So it was a little bit of a surprise because you are an injury replacement. You had just finished your season in the Toll Healy in mainland Polk. Yeah. I think that was a really special season for you. You went back to your home for the first time in how many years? About seven years, yeah. So being able to play at home for the first time in seven years was amazing. I think just to be very welcomed by the community that I've gone up playing basketball in and how much it had also changed over the years and how well it was doing and to even have the Toll Healy back home where we didn't have that option with me going off to college. It was amazing to be able to have that at home and continue to open up opportunities for locals and for New Zealand players who want to play at a professional level. Yeah. And is that something you would like to go back and do again? I think I would. I really enjoyed the league. I love the way the trajectory in which it's going. I think there's a lot of people that want to continue to buy into the league and contribute to it. I think from multiple standpoints, I guess, you know, players asking me, you know, how can I get into the league? You know, how you've got businesses and everything. How can I now sponsor and get involved just with, in the team aspect of it? So it's really exciting and, you know, I'm glad this is now a thing and it's moving in such a great direction. So, yeah. Yeah, amazing. Did you play in the rapidly as well? I did. Yeah. I did. I did. I in the rapidly. I love that. Yeah. Yeah, it was fun. So was that it's fun as well to be part of something completely different and new? Yeah, no. It was very interesting, I think, going into the season. It's never kind of been a thing with me playing professionally last couple of years, and so it was very excited to come in and contribute to that part of the team as well as, you know, the main game, as well. So, yeah, very excited to be able to play with those girls that, when rapid, it's such a huge care, I guess, for developing, you know, locals and then New Zealand and Australians within that league, and it gives everybody an opportunity to have minutes and to continue to grow their game. And so I was very, yeah, excited to be a part of both for sure. Did it act as a, I mean, because you played big minutes in the, in the Toa He League as well, was it a good warm-up or like, I mean, yeah, you had to use this one and you know, you were able to kind of have a little bit of a break before the main game, but yeah, I think it was a really good warm-up for me and had to use it as that and yeah. So for those nother-cross the New Zealand buskable landscape, rapid league is, is how many minutes? 16 minutes. 16 minute game, four minute quarters, and so it's very fast pace. You're pretty much just running up and down a lot of the time. Yeah, very good for, you know, skill development, especially the younger ones or the DPs that not necessarily get a lot of minutes in the main game, it gives them an opportunity to put into the game what we've been going over and practice and to kind of, I guess, earn the minutes also within the main game. Yeah, it's such a cool concept. I don't, yeah. And it acts as the curtain razor to the main game as well. Yeah, yeah, yeah. We go way back. Yeah. We go way back. So I was so fortunate to meet you and and Sean 2018, the inaugural Stephen Adams High School Invitational. You were one of 20 of the top high school girls and there was boys there that were talking about you guys. Was that a really special time for you? It was the end of your high school that that was a pretty crazy year, right? Yeah, very crazy year. I think it was, yeah, it was a very great camp. I think it was the first camp that we've ever done with Stephen Adams and for him to even help set that up and you know, the help of, you know, coaches and everything around New Zealand as well, just to give an opportunity for high school players such as myself to be able to kind of go to a camping compete and to get better. I think that was huge and, yeah, really exciting. It was kind of last year high school going into looking to go over to college. So yeah, it was kind of a really good year in the aspect of basketball. So yeah. And you, at that point when you came to camp, well, you already said it sort of looking at colleges and did it help you with that recruitment phase or were you sort of already at the point where you knew where you were going? I think at the time, I think I remember like, correctly, yeah. Yeah, I think I'd narrowed it down to a few. I think I'd started my recruiting process at least two years earlier. So yeah. And yeah, just going through different teams and where I wanted to go. But I think the Steven Adams camp was right before I took my trip over to the states to visit the four schools to really narrow it down and then to be able to make a decision from that. So yeah. One of the coaches and mentors that was at the Steven Adams camp was Pinin the Davidson. And you then went on to be selected as a tall firm and play alongside Pinin. Is that right? Yeah. Is that another crazy, like full circle moment? So crazy. I think just to be able to think about that and also how long that Pinin has been in the tall firms and contributed to, you know, the tall firms and the amazing culture and everything that has been sustained throughout the years and she's an exceptional player and so to even meet her by being coached by her, you know, took a lot in. I think at that age as well in high school and then to be able to play beside her for the tall firms was definitely full circle moment and forever grateful for that because she's just such a great mentor. I think across the board for a lot of us that have come through, you know, high school and then New Zealand age groups throughout the years. Yeah. Yeah. It was crazy. I don't know if you would remember this. So she actually ended up signing with Adelaide. So after that year, she signed and played here in Adelaide and I came home to Adelaide and we were here in the same place after meeting. Oh, perfect. And now you guys are here, like it's all very crazy. Yeah. So in the on the course like coffee cas, we talk a lot about connections. Yeah. Great people doing great things and how it's not a coincidence that great people come together and a lot of the time has centered around this game that we love. Yeah. So I think I've always liked to highlight those cool connections. Yeah. So you after high school, you decided so you had four colleges and you narrowed it down and you went to University of Colorado Boulder. And you were you were for six years, is that right? Five and a half years. Yeah. Amazing. And you had a pretty bumpy ride. Yeah. Yeah. I wouldn't say it was a smoothness. I think expectations going into it was, you know, I'll be there four years playing my four years and kind of be in and out of the college scene. Yeah. And then I'm pursuing professional basketball. But yeah, it was a lot of bounce along the way, I think. But yeah, I wouldn't I wouldn't change it for the world, honestly. Learned a lot was supported in so many different ways from so many different people. And so just to have those connections and friendships that I made over the year and still talk to and I supported by to the stairs hugely. I'm hugely grateful for that. It has been talked about within the WNBL Circle. Yeah. But I wanted to ask you about your your hip surgery. Yeah. And the fact that it was so serious that there was a possibility that you weren't going to play basketball again, something that your your whole life really at that point revolved around. Yeah. Can you touch on that a little bit? Yeah. So I think my sophomore year was started to get a lot of pain playing specifically in my hips. Throughout the year, I got a lot of different MRI scans, X-rays and then got officially diagnosed with hip dyslosure, which is a degenerative genetic disorder of the hips and pretty much the hips don't grow or form properly as you kind of grow older. And so yeah, diagnosed with that, I got offered three different options, I think moving forward with at least two of them being, you know, go retire and then possibility of double hip replacement by 25 to 30. And then the other option, which is the one that I chose was five hip reconstructive surgeries over the course of about two years. And then with their possibility of only a 10 to 15% chance of being able to play basketball again. So yeah, I guess it was a super hard decision, I think in itself, but it kind of was a huge awakening for me as well and understanding that as much as I loved this sport and it was a huge part of my life It was not all of it. And so I think moving forward It was definitely being mature enough to understand that the decision also had to come with Okay, what's best for me in the future and moving forward and not necessarily just you know playing basketball and so Yeah, it was hugely in heavily supported throughout that whole process as well. I mean from coaches to medical staff and teammates and Backing me with whatever decision I decided and but yeah, I'm very happy that I decided to get the reconstructive surgeries and just Work through that and rehab and it wasn't easy at all and it was a lot of hard work in real-ending how to walk again twice and all that but yeah, and away from home. Yeah away from home. Yeah, so Over those two years it was kind of within the midst of COVID as well So our family can come over see me. I couldn't go home. So I probably didn't see them for about two two and a half years At that point. Yeah, so yeah, and there's a long journey, but yeah, don't regret it at all and yeah Lucky I'm out. Yeah, yeah And you were still quite young. Yeah to be making those decisions around not just basketball but quality of life And yeah, and all those sorts of things. Yeah, so That's a pretty mature Decision to make. Were you already quite mature? Do you think or do you think that process sort of grew you a lot as a person as well as a basketball player? Yeah, I mean, I think I was I'd like to think I was quite mature I think already at that age, but of course there's still a lot to learn and a lot of life experiences to be had and I think from what I've already been through I think within the end of high school and then moving into college I think I didn't have a choice but to mature I think in some aspects But then yeah moving forward and making that decision and then being Determined and kind of disciplined enough to continue throughout that kind of process with all my surgeries and everything I think that also grew me a lot as a person and And yeah matured me a lot more We only have a short period of time today I'm gonna put you in the spot and ask you a cheeky question Would you if you have time? Like to come and talk to me on a full-court side coffee catch up so we can talk about all the things. Oh Yeah, I'd love to be there There's so many more things. I was scared about the question No, no, no, no, no, no I just think that you we are so lucky to have you here in Adelaide You are such an amazing person and role model and I want to be able to share more of your story Especially to young people coming through and yeah, there's a lot more to talk about there But to finish up you you're here in Adelaide. Yeah, it's been three weeks. Yeah What what is it like how has your experience been with the lighting and what's special or what do you yeah? What have you experienced so far with this group? Yeah, I've really loved it as you said it's only a moment. You go into my third week and so it was a really quick turnaround I think joining the team and the support for me to be able to kind of Integrate myself and let all the players. I mean I played a game two days after I arrived So it was quite all hands-on, but yeah really enjoyed it. The girls have been absolutely great I mean even taking me to different spots already around Adelaide and showing me around and so what is your early favorite spot? I would say I think it's Sunshine Cafe. I think Mr. Sunshine. I think that's what it's called. It's a little cafe And they're very lovely and they're really good for the great coffee, which is always good Yeah, so just really been enjoying it honestly and trying to soak it all in and you know, it's not too much longer to the end of the season And so China definitely make the most of it and I know the last couple of games have necessarily gone our way but You know, I love this group and I think you know, even though we are quite much on the younger side I think we're very talented and hold a lot of talent within our team and I'm just excited I guess for the next seven games and what we can continue to show that we can do and hopefully finish off the season strong So yeah, absolutely Personally, you I feel like do you feel like you're getting better every game like you're finding your feet and an able to contribute more? Yeah, I think so I think you know where we're getting there and Yeah, but again, I think it's just the amount of kind of trust I've gotten from you know The coaches and the coaching staff and as well as my teammates to be able to come on and kind of play my game and help me out and talk We throw a lot of the stuff, but yeah, it is really thanks to them to just allow me to come on and play my game and enjoy it as well So yeah, well, I'm very lucky to have you all the best of the rest of the season and I'm looking forward to our extended catch up amazing Thank you so much (upbeat music)