Mia Parkin: PACWEST Women’s Basketball Rookie of the Year

Congratulations on being named the PACWEST Women’s Basketball Rookie of the Year! How did it feel to receive that honour in your first season?

Thank you so much! It was such an honour to receive the Rookie of the Year award this year. A player on the team last year was also able to win the award, so following in her footsteps and doing the same this year was so special for me and our college. I felt so supported this year by coaching and my team and it was such an honour to be recognised for all the work I put in this season.

Can you take us back to where your basketball journey began? When did you first fall in love with the game?

I first began to play basketball because of another Pembroke old scholar, Adele Cooper. She asked me to join Norwood Basketball Club when I was eight, for fun. I didn’t begin to take basketball seriously until I was about 13, where I found a new love for the game and began putting in work outside of team training times. This improved my basketball dramatically, and I loved pushing myself to play at the highest level possible.

Pembroke Basketball was something I was involved in from when I started in Year 8. Pembroke gave me the opportunity to play with players much older and more experienced than me, which was something I had never done before. This allowed me to become inspired and want to work to be as good as them, and it made me realise that there was so much more to still accomplish in basketball.

Besides basketball, were there any other sports, activities, or subjects at Pembroke that you were passionate about?

At Pembroke, I LOVED Outdoor Education. I have always loved being outdoors and exercising which was exactly what this class was. Ms Jones was my teacher in Years 11 and 12 for Outdoor Education and her teaching allowed me to learn how to navigate and trust in a large group so our camps could go smoothly.

Another standout memory at Pembroke would have to be the House sports activities, whether that was House basketball, netball or soccer, I always loved to participate and play against all my classmates. An extension of this would be the Students vs Teachers Basketball games that took place in Year 12. It was so fun to see our teachers outside of their normal teaching environment and on the court.

How did Pembroke help prepare you for life as a college basketball player—both on and off the court?

Pembroke was a key part to my preparation for life as a college player as it allowed me to understand the importance of managing my time effectively. In Year 12 especially, I had to manage my basketball schedule, playing semi-pro, and my studies. Learning this skill has allowed me to manage my training times and studies here in Canada. I had so many teachers at Pembroke that pushed me to stay on top of my work and help me navigate my life on and off the court.

A huge standout for me during my time at Pembroke was Donna O’Connor, who was such a key part to my above 90 ATAR and keeping my sanity throughout Year 12. She held me accountable to my schoolwork and constantly made sure I was doing okay and balancing everything in my life. Whether that was schoolwork, social life, working and basketball, she was always someone I could go to and someone that would help me out. I could not have had this opportunity without her.

Walk us through a typical day as a student-athlete at Capilano—how do you balance training, games, and your studies?

A typical in-season day for me starts with me arriving at school at 7am for an hour of shooting before our on-court training that runs from 8am – 10am. We then go from our on-court training to the gym for a lift from 10 – 11.30am. After that I will go home before work from 1 – 3pm and then typically head straight back to school for classes and study before getting home at around 8pm and going to bed! Having such full days was definitely a shock to my system at first as I found it hard to balance everything, however, learning to delegate your time and giving myself time to study at school allowed me to maintain my busy schedule and stay on top of my studies.

What has been the most challenging aspect of transitioning to college basketball, and what has been the most rewarding?

The most challenging aspect to the transition of college basketball has most certainly been being away from home. Whenever challenges arose at home, I have always had my parents, sisters and friends around to support me. Finding only myself as a support system to begin the season was really challenging and I found myself navigating most issues by myself. This also is now one of the most rewarding parts of my college transition. I have found a new independence in myself and am able to live and work for myself. I have lots of support around me here but have also learnt to live and support myself.

Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently during your time at Pembroke to prepare for this next step?

If I had my time again at Pembroke, I would have signed up for the High Performance Athlete Development Program. It would have given me access to brilliant coaching and more skill time to improve my basketball and further prepare me for college.

Balancing my time at Pembroke was not always easy, particularly in Year 12 where I had such a big workload. I would find time to sit in the library with my friends and complete my work. Basketball would often mean I had lots of late nights, so getting my homework done before training was the best option for me to succeed. Donna O’Connor also helped me find time to balance both my schoolwork and basketball so I could be successful in the classroom and on the court.

What are your goals for the rest of your college career—both in basketball and academically?

For the rest of my college career, I hope to finish my psychology degree and continue to perform on the court. I hope to one day get MVP of the league or play for a bigger school in other parts of Canada. This will allow me to continue to travel and meet new people. Mainly, I hope to continue to love it and enjoy playing the game and having fun with my teammates.

At the moment, when I come home for the summer (Australian winter), I am playing in the semi-pro NBL1 Norwood team. I would love to play pro when I finish my college career in another four years, however, it is not something I am completely set on. I would love to continue to travel the world and use my basketball to do so. I would love to play in Europe, or in Japan in their leagues there.

If you could give one piece of advice to current Pembroke students who want to play sport at a high level, what would it be?

My advice to any Pembroke student would be to continue to play the sport because you love it. Everyone joined sport at some point because it is fun. Continue to play for that reason. It can be difficult balancing so many different parts of your life, especially in the last years of school so when it becomes tough. Try and find the enjoyable parts of your sport again and play for that reason. There were many times where I had to miss hanging out with friends or parties for basketball, so focusing on the reason I play made it all worth it in the end.

The biggest lesson I have learnt from moving across the world is how important it is to travel. I have met so many amazing people and seen so many new places, which has just made me want to travel more. There are so many cultures and people all over the world I am yet to meet, and I am so excited to be able to continue to travel and see the world.