Despite being the smallest and youngest person on the floor, Storm rookie point guard Jade Melbourne darts into the teeth of the defense, fearlessly flies high for a contested layup and pinballs off two defenders before reaching the rim.
The midair collision sends her compact 5-foot-11 and 145-pound frame crashing to the court.
For a second, the Seattle Pacific University gym goes silent and everyone collectively holds their breath fearing the worst.
But the 20-year-old Australian pops up undamaged and sprints down court while pleading to unsympathetic coaches to no avail for a foul that goes uncalled.
“She’s a tough kid,” assistant coach Pokey Chatman said. “She’ll stick her nose in there and not flinch.”
Melbourne credits her uncanny durability and toughness to an unconventional childhood spent playing Australian rules football, her country’s most popular sport that features violent collisions and is played without pads on an oval grass surface nearly twice the size of an NFL field.
“I got thick skin,” she said smiling. “I’m more than happy to dive on a loose ball. I feel like I can take a bump and still finish because, at the end of the day, that’s the physicality that you play with in footy. My speed as well probably came from footy. I had to break away from tackles. I guess it all translates to basketball.”
Melbourne initially fell in love with both sports when she was 5 years old and continued playing Aussie rules football after receiving a concussion when she was 12.
“It was one of those tackles where they just slung me and my head hit the ground first,” she said. “Then the girl landed on top of my head. It was just unlucky. … My mom made me wear a helmet after that.”
About a year later, Melbourne’s mom Sharon forced her to make a choice between basketball and football because of scheduling conflicts with the two sports.
“I decided to go basketball,” Melbourne said. “I just loved the game and where it could take me. My goal was to represent Australia and I can’t do that in Aussie rules football.”
That decision put her on a path to Seattle.
Last year, the Storm used the No. 33 overall pick in the third round of the WNBA draft to select Melbourne, who remained in Australia and played professionally for the Canberra Capitals in the Women’s Basketball League (WBL).
In hindsight, it would have been beneficial for Melbourne to spend a season as a backup behind Sue Bird, the WNBA legend regarded as the greatest point guard in league history who retired last year.
However, at the time the cash-strapped Storm didn’t have room for Melbourne on a veteran roster contending for a championship.
If she eventually wins the starting point-guard job, then her four-year $268,767 nonguaranteed rookie contract that includes a team option in 2026 becomes an extremely favorable deal considering Storm star Jewell Loyd makes $234,936 this season, according to Her Hoops Stats.
“It speaks to the organization’s long view,” Chatman said. “Jade was a draft and stash on purpose. It was also because her potential and she’s been a pro for a little bit. I think those things came into play that are a little bit unique. Similar to when they drafted Ezi (Magbegor) when she was a baby.”
After winning the 2018 WNBA championship, the Storm used the last pick in the first round of the 2019 draft on Magbegor, an unheralded 19-year-old Australian forward who stayed home for a year and joined them in 2020.
“I get flashbacks looking at Jade,” Magbegor said. “She got drafted, took a year and didn’t come straight away. Kind of did what I did. … I definitely see myself in Jade.
“I try to take her under my wing a little bit and kind of just show her the way.”
Magbegor, who is expected to replace former Storm star Breanna Stewart at forward, displayed tantalizing potential as a backup her first two seasons before a breakout year in 2022.
“I know what it’s like being the youngest on the team,” said the 23-year-old Magbegor. “Coming from Australia, you kind of feel — not like you’re out of place — but far away from everything familiar. So, I’m just telling her Seattle drafted her for a reason.”
When watching Melbourne, it’s important to understand that she could be prepping for her junior year with Arizona State rather than battling with newcomers Yvonne Turner and Sami Whitcomb for minutes at point guard with the Storm.
In November 2020, Melbourne signed with ASU, but never played for the Sun Devils due in part to the coronavirus pandemic.
That year, she began playing for Canberra and in February, Melbourne finished her third year with Capitals while averaging 13.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.5 assists and starting all 17 games.
“Here, the pace of the game is at a whole ‘nother level,” Melbourne said. “You’re playing against the best of the best athletes. Everyone is in really good shape and there’s that physicality aspect as well, which has been a huge step up for me.”
So far, the transition has been seamless for Melbourne who has impressed courtside onlookers with her quickness and pinpoint passing.
“The beauty of Jade — and it’s true everywhere I’ve played with her — is she rises to the level of the competition,” said Whitcomb, captain of the Australian women’s national team that included Melbourne and captured the bronze medal at the FIBA Women’s World Cup last October.
“When she comes to the WNBA, you think she’s going to stand out as the young one and the one who doesn’t have the experience, but she doesn’t. She rises to the occasion. She fits in with the way she plays and the reads she makes. She has a high IQ. Basketball is basketball when Jade plays and you don’t notice anything else. She makes those passes at every level. She makes plays at every level. It doesn’t matter if the athleticism increases or the defense is better, she’s able to do it.”
Still, history says Melbourne faces steep odds at finding long-term WNBA success considering her humble origins.
Among the 1,041 players who played in the league, only 25 third-round draft picks have appeared in at least 100 games.
“You don’t have the benefit of politics or anything helping you along the way when you’re a third-rounder,” said Storm forward Theresa Plaisance, who has logged 218 games during a 10-year career after being taken 27th overall in the third round by Tulsa in 2014. “You’re there for yourself and you’re there to make the team better.
“Jade is doing a great job of complementing the vets on this team and getting the ball where it needs to go.”
If Melbourne sticks with the Storm, she’ll be the 13th Australian to play in Seattle and join a long list that includes Lauren Jackson, Abby Bishop, Jenna O’Hea and Stephanie Talbot.
“I’m super curious but also excited for the challenge,” Melbourne said when asked about making her WNBA debut during Monday’s 7 p.m. preseason opener against the Phoenix Mercury at Climate Pledge Arena. “Like I said, it’s the best of the best. This is what you dream of as a kid. You want to play against the best competition. I’m excited.
“I know my teammates have got my back and I got theirs. We’re just going to go out there and enjoy playing basketball. I think everything else will take care of itself. We’re a good team and ready to go.”
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