'Fuller Throttle': How Hilary is embracing her pivotal new role

• Every Australian in NCAAM basketball in 2025-26
• Every Australian in NCAAW basketball in 2025-26
• Latest News: Australia's most comprehensive college basketball coverage

Australian sophomore forward Hilary Fuller was ready for her moment this season.

After a freshman year at Belmont that saw her play sparingly, she knew her role was going to grow dramatically in year two with the Bruins.

To say she’s delivered is an understatement. The former Queensland junior has taken it all in her stride and has grown into one of the most consistent scorers in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) as a focal point of Belmont’s offence, averaging 14 points per game.

She admits the transition from barely playing – she averaged five minutes per game last season – to now playing more than 20 minutes per game and being a leader of the Bruins wasn’t easy.

“I can't lie, it's been pretty tough,” Fuller told basketball.com.au.

“I was and still am a bit overwhelmed. Mentally, I found it pretty tough at the beginning of the season because it was like, ‘whoa, this is a lot’.

“Even in practice last year I wasn't on the court as much, whereas now I'm needed at all times, and it was a really big step up. I think I’ve gotten into the groove of things now which is really good, but honestly it was a very big jump, so it was pretty tough.”

It’s that type of honesty that has helped her unlock the next level of her game. Having now earned the trust of her coaches and teammates, Fuller is thriving in a role she had never played until this season.

“The coaching staff have been very supportive of me this year because they knew I was facing a much bigger role and they gave me time to adjust to that, get my feet settled and get things going,” she said.

“I'd never played as a true post in my whole life, even in juniors I was kind of thrown into any position they needed me and I was never a back to the basket big.

“When I came to Belmont, I didn't play much last year and I was doing anything that they needed me to do. Then we lost our bigs after last year, and I realised that I was going be a true big this year, so I had to lock in and work on post moves, and it honestly had never been my forte.

“I have a bit of an unconventional game, I can't really explain it; my go-to fadeaway is a little bit unconventional, but I use it to my advantage.”

To say she uses it to her advantage is underplaying what Fuller does on the court and the development of her game this season is a credit to the work she has put in. She has transformed her game and now owns a repertoire of post moves that no matter the situation or what the defence throws at her, she can counter.

Case in point was her career-best outing against Illinois State in early January. Fuller finished with a career-high 27 points, nine rebounds and two blocks as the Bruins recorded a 75-68 win.

Her offensive arsenal was on full display; hitting triples, fadeaways, going to work in the paint and getting to the free throw line. Most importantly, when the game was there to be won with scores tied at 65-all and under three minutes remaining, Fuller connected on two clutch buckets to lead Belmont home.

Performances like that build incredible confidence and for Fuller, it just reiterates why her coaches and teammates trust her and in turn why she should trust herself.

“It just solidifies why the players and coaches trust me,” she said.

“That's a big thing for me, I wouldn't be able to do what I do if my teammates didn't trust me and get me the ball, so it gives me a lot of confidence.”

Growing up, basketball was a massive part of Fuller’s life, and she wanted to follow in her two older sisters, Adelaide and Audrey, footsteps. Both Adelaide and Audrey played Division I basketball, for Davidson and Campbell, respectively, and Hilary says it was always a competitive household.

“It was competitive” she said with a laugh.

“It's a little bit different for me because they were closer in age and played together, and I'm here four years later, but they’re two of the biggest inspirations in my life.

“I honestly just wanted to be like them.”

As Fuller began to make her way up the junior ranks in Brisbane and represent Queensland at National Championships, it became clear to everyone watching that she was destined to take her game to the next level.

At the 2024 under-20 national championships, Fuller was the second-leading scorer in the tournament, averaging 16.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. She credits those tournaments as giving her newfound confidence that she could match it with the best players in Australia.

“Those national championship tournaments were really big for my growth, they were really important,” she said.

“Those tournaments were where I figured out, ‘hey, I'm kind of good at this’ and that really helped with my confidence.”

After dominating for Queensland, Fuller represented Australia at the 2024 FIBA Under-18 Women’s Asia Cup. Teaming up with the best players in Australia and winning gold was an unforgettable experience.

“It was amazing,” she said.

“I was just happy to be there and it was such a great experience. They were really great girls to play with and learn from.”

Many from that star-studded Australian team are now making waves in the US college system. The likes of Lara Somfai at Stanford, Bonnie Deas at Arkansas, Opal Bird at Wake Forest, Sienna Harvey at Washington, Monique Williams at Vanderbilt, plus many more.

For Fuller, she loves seeing fellow Aussies shine across the US.

“I keep up with most of them and see how they’re doing, which is pretty cool,” she said.

“I'm really good friends with Lara, just seeing how she's doing at Stanford is amazing, Bonnie is killing it at Arkansas and Monique is here in Nashville with Vanderbilt right across the road, so we catch up sometimes.

“I find it amazing that kids from Australia can come over here and just dominate, it's pretty cool.”

Having taken the MVC by storm, Fuller wants to continue on that upward trajectory and has dreams of helping Belmont (currently 10-2 in conference play) advance to the NCAA Tournament later this year.

“We want to win our conference tournament, so we can go to March Madness,” she said. “I think our non-conference schedule set us up well for that, showing that we can compete with those big teams, but the goal is getting to March Madness.

“[Going to March Madness] is one of those top tier bucket list things. It would honestly just be a dream to be able to play on that stage.”

About the Author

Hayley Wildes is passionate about all things Australian women’s basketball and loves to highlight the stories of players from all levels and competitions across the globe. From our own backyard in the WNBL, to the WNBA and the Opals, and everything in between, Hayley has you covered.