Tess Madgen: Behind the leader Australian women's basketball needed

• Tess Madgen retired from basketball following the 2024 Paris Olympic Games
• She led the Opals to bronze at the 2022 FIBA World Cup and Paris Olympics
• Madgen is also now the She Hoops Lead, working with She Hoops founder Lauren Jackson

In Tess Madgen’s final act as an Australian Opal, she delivered a near-perfect fourth quarter performance against Belgium to guide the Opals to the bronze medal at last year’s Paris Olympics.

Going 2-from-2 from deep and 4-from-4 from the line, with all four free throws coming in the all-important last 15 seconds of the game, while dishing out an assist and committing zero turnovers in the concluding 10 minutes of your career on the way to captaining your country to an 85-81 win in the bronze medal game at an Olympics is the stuff of fairytales.

But the lead-up to the tournament was anything but a fairytale as Madgen had to work through two injury-riddled years after leading the Opals to bronze at the 2022 FIBA Women’s World Cup in Sydney.

Those moments under the brightest of lights where she stood tall were built off the back of an agonising build up to the tournament as injury and rehab largely prevented her from practicing. Instead, Madgen was isolated to shooting free throws and three-pointers. Those long, unseen hours paid dividends when the Opals needed her most.

Fighting back tears, Madgen recounted the journey.

“Being injured for so long and not being able to train as much as I would’ve liked, there was often trainings where all I could do at the Olympics and in the lead up was just shoot foul shots,” Madgen told basketball.com.au.

“Every time I would shoot one, I would try to replicate the pressure of needing to make the foul shot to win a gold medal and when I got to that moment in the game – although the lead up really sucked – I felt really prepared to perform under the pressure.

“Everything happens for a reason. Although I wasn't playing or able to train a lot in the lead up, my plan was really perfect to have me performing at my absolute best at the Olympics. I’m so very grateful to the performance staff to have me in that mindset and ready to go physically when it mattered most. I just focused on what I could control and that led me to shooting heaps of threes and heaps of foul shots. It definitely paid off.”

At three-quarter time with the Opals trailing by one point, Madgen was determined to turn things around, personally and collectively.

“Before the fourth quarter, I wasn't that happy with how I was playing, and I think as athletes, we're probably way too hard on ourselves, so when I think of that game, I actually think of how I was glad I was able to redeem myself in the fourth quarter, rather than how great it was," she said.

That bronze medal game had so many memorable moments. From Madgen’s heroic fourth quarter, Ezi Magbegor’s 32-point performance to stamp herself as one of the best players in the world, Steph Talbot’s block in the final 30 seconds on one healthy leg, Alanna Smith’s big double-double, Sami Whitcomb’s timely buckets and 21-year-old Jade Melbourne’s team-high seven assists.

It was a monumental win by a collective unit that simply wouldn’t be denied, led by their fearless leader. A triumph etched in history for Australian basketball fans.

The Opals could’ve so easily fell in a hole after a tough tournament-opening loss to Nigeria, but a culture built around accountability held strong.

“We really worked on having a strong culture,” she said

“We worked on how we could hold each other accountable when we weren't meeting expectations or behaviours we had talked about. By doing that over and over again, when it mattered most after that Nigeria game we were able to have really honest, open and transparent conversations as a playing group. I think that really helped moving forward because everyone was able to get everything they wanted off their chest and just move forward with no grudges, no resentment. Everyone just wanted to win, and I think that was a huge turning point in our tournament.”

Having been a part of the Opals program since she was rising young star at 20-years-old, Madgen’s dream of winning an Olympic medal was realised one day before her 34th birthday.

“Standing on the podium my whole career kind of flashed before my eyes,” she said.

“It could’ve only been better if the medal was gold, but it was amazing.”

Today, Madgen is still leading the charge for female basketballers in Australia through her work at She Hoops. Madgen’s relentless pursuit to excellence on the court has translated into her role as She Hoops Lead, helping to deliver dedicated programs aimed to break down barriers and foster a community where women and girls are seen, heard, and empowered.

“One of the things I loved most about basketball was the impact you can have on the community,” she said.

“I’m working in that space, trying to give them a positive role model, which I absolutely loved as a player. You don't realise it when you first start out, but in your playing career, it's really important to give back to the community in that way. I love working with She Hoops to be able to do that, but then to be able to show athletes and players – some of our ambassadors this year are Nyadiew Puoch, Izzy Borlase and Jade Melbourne – they're at really early stages in their careers and just showing them the impact they can have on people is amazing.

“She Hoops doesn't just work with players either. We also want to work with more coaches, referees and administrators, so you just get more women and girls involved in basketball, full stop.”

Madgen has also remained involved with the Opals program and was with the squad during the recent Trans-Tasman Throwdown series against New Zealand, and she spoke about the growth and development of Australia’s top-end talent.

“There's 10 or 11 girls over trying out in the WNBA, which is the biggest number we've had, and I feel that basketball is going from strength to strength here in Australia, but we need it to, because it also is globally,” she said.

“It's awesome to see more international games [for the Opals] and more exposure for our athletes, because it not only makes our Opals program stronger, but it gives that visibility to young girls to want to be an Opal or pick up a basketball for the first time. Ultimately, it makes the WNBL stronger as well; the stronger both the WNBL and the Opals are, the better the basketball ecosystem is going to be as a whole.”

With a new era for the WNBL as the NBL and the Wollemi Capital Group Syndicate take ownership, there is a real sense that the league is heading in the right direction. Having already ticked off a major step by agreeing to a new four-year CBA, which was previously negotiated each year, that will see pay parity with the NBL minimum wage, Madgen is excited for the league’s future.

“I think first and foremost having the equal pay parity minimum wage by the end of the CBA is something I never thought I'd see in my lifetime, so that’s incredible,” she said.

“It really shows young girls that they’re worth the same as boys and they can choose to be a professional basketballer if they want to when they grow up. I think that messaging is so important.

“The mental toll of constantly having to fight for what you're worth every year when negotiating the CBA, I don't think people really understand the mental toll that professional female athletes have to deal with. We're constantly having to fight for media attention, fight for what we need in our CBA, fight for how much we should be paid, fight for equality within the national teams – it’s just a mental toll that we shouldn't have to worry about, so having that mental load alleviated plus our worth being valued is just so important.

“I'm so thankful to Larry [Kestelman] and Robyn [Denholm] for taking it on, investing in it and seeing the vision. We've seen globally that not only basketball, but investing in women's sport is not just the right thing to do, but a smart thing to do. It's a smart investment now. I'm really glad for their vision and they're great businesspeople, they wouldn't be doing it if they didn't think it was a smart thing to do. I can't wait to see where it goes.”

There are very few people who have left a greater legacy on the Australian Opals than Tess Madgen, and that legacy is only growing as she continues to inspire basketballers across Australia.

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.