With each progressing year, the Aussies are taking over the WNBA draft. In the last two decades, a major chunk of Australian athletes have become a part of the WNBA. This year, three Australian athletes, namely, Nyadiew Puoch, Isobel Borlase, and Jaz Shelley have been drafted into the WNBA as the 12th, 20th, and 29th overall picks by the Atlanta Dream and the Phoenix Mercury. “We’re super excited to be able to add these young talented players. We like what we’ve seen them do at such a young age and we expect them to grow their game into the future. We are excited to be able to infuse this young talent into our group,” said Atlanta Dream’s head coach, Tanisha Wright who selected Puoch and Borlase to the Dream’s roster.

All of these players carry, with them, their interesting stories, however, we are here to stick to the 12th draft pick, Nyadiew Puoch’s journey, leading the 19-year-old to the WNBA. Let’s analyze Puoch’s emergence as a young basketball athlete.

Who is Nyadiew Puoch?

One of the 7 children of a South Sudanese single mother, Nyadiew Puoch was born in Tasmania and was raised in Melbourne’s Cranbourne East suburb in Victoria. The 6-foot-3 forward/ center’s journey started at a young age with her representing the Dandenong Rangers from under-12 level to under-18. Thereafter, playing in the Australian Junior Championships, Puoch represented the fsVictorian Metro. Her championship runs in 2019 and 2021 earned her 2 gold medals, 1 in each championship. Similarly, she won a silver medal in the 2022 Australian Junior Championship. These medals led her to the MVP honors in all three seasons.

Puoch received the 2023 NBL1 South Youth Player of the Year honors after playing for the Dandenong Rangers for two consecutive seasons. In the 21 games she played for the club, she averaged 21.6 points and 8.6 rebounds.

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In 2022, Puoch signed with the WNBL team, the Southside Flyers to play in the 2022-23 regular season. She concluded the season by earning the nomination for awards like the WNBL’s Sixth Woman of the Year and Breakout Player of the Year. Again Puoch signed with the team a one-year contract to play with them in the 2023-24 season, where she led the Flyers to the 2024 WNBL championship, averaging 6.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, and an assist per game.

Puoch garnering so accolades in such little time raises the question – where did she attain this expertise?

As it turns out, Puoch shaped her game with the blessed hands of her mentors and icons of the Australian Basketball realm, Lauren Jackson and Leilani Mitchell. Jackson was the 1st overall draft pick in the 2001 WNBA draft and was selected by the Seattle Storm. the 2x WNBA champion played with the team for 11 seasons from 2001 to 2012 and is currently playing for the Australian team, the Albury Wodonga Bandits. On the other hand, Mitchell was the 25th overall draft pick in the second round of the 2008 WNBA draft, selected by the Phoenix Mercury. The 4x WNBL champion played with the New York Liberty from 2008 to 2013 and spent 3 seasons with the Phoenix Mercury in 2015 and from 2017 to 2019.

Befitting in their mentoring kicks, the two stuck by Puoch’s side, spent countless hours, refining her skills by imparting their seasoned knowledge and on-court finesse. “Playing with Lauren Jackson and Leilani Mitchell has helped me grow so much. They push me to be my best and have taught me so much about the game,” says Puoch, crediting Jackson and Mitchell for teaching her the intricacies of the game.

As a result of gaining powerful insights from her seasoned mentors, Puoch worked on shaping her athleticism and built herself as a threat on both ends of the court. Thus, not only does Puoch excel in assists but also beats the board with destined buckets. “It’s cool, I’m excited to experience everything over the next couple of days. Getting picked up and driven around, this doesn’t happen every day especially when you’re from Australia so I’m taking it all in,” Pouch told ESPN, relishing every moment that led her to this level.

But Puoch’s celebration doubled when the news of her friend and former teammate, Isobel Borlase being drafted by the Dream Team reached her.

Atlanta Dream uniting friends

Over the moon with the news, a surprised Puoch said, “Are you serious, oh my god, that’s amazing,” and added, “Me and Izzy are like best friends,” Feeling happy with the knowledge that she is going to play with her friend.

Their friendship goes way back to the time when they were developing their game at the Basketball Australia Centre of Excellence. Together, they played at the 2021 and 2023 under-19 World Cups. However, the duo faced separation when they entered the WNBL, with Puoch playing with the Southside Flyers and Borlase dribbling for the Adelaide Lightening.

Now, that they have united once again, they are set to embark on a journey of a lifetime as they play in the WNBA, representing the Atlanta Dream.