By Jamison Page
Despite only being 17, Jessie-May Hall has made a huge impact on the NBL1 women’s league.
NBL1 East league observers believe Hall could be the MVP of the 2025 season or be named Defensive Player of the Year.
Journalists have also discussed the possibility of her being scouted for the WNBA in the near future.
Either way, her efforts in each game throughout her career have not gone unnoticed, and everyone is excited to see Hall’s bright future unfold.
Going into her second year with the Hornsby Ku-ring-Gai Spiders, she is averaging 23.3 points per game and 6.3 steals, more than most veterans in the league.
Last season, Nicole Munger from the Newcastle Falcons won the Most Valuable Player award and is Hall’s biggest rival.
Hall has competed on multiple NSW State teams but also at the national level in the 2022 FIBA Under-15 Women’s Oceania Championship and the 2023 FIBA Under-16 Women’s Asian Championship Division A.
Her Barker College coach, Jared Scoines, highlighted Hall’s competitive spirit.
“She has that contagious persona,” said Scoines. “On the court and off, she’s the type of person people just want to be around.”
Hall was named the Junior Indigenous Sports Person of the Year in 2023.
She was originally invited to the Under-19 FIBA World Cup training camp this month but after an injury during an NBL1 East game against the Sydney Comets was removed from the squad.
Even though Hall didn’t make the World Cup team, she had the Hornsby Spiders to go back to for the season.
The star returned from injury in Round 5 against the Canberra Nationals, but the Spiders are yet to rekindle their winning streak after a devastating loss against the Maitland Mustangs, 91-71.
Coincidentally, it was their first game of the season without their star young gun.
The Hornsby Spiders are hoping to regain their momentum in their match against the Sutherland Sharks on Saturday May 24.
Featured image: Exciting young Hornsby Spiders basketballer Jessie-May Hall. Photos: Jamison Page