BERNIE Harrower couldn’t have summed it up any better when reflecting on the induction of his daughter, Kristi, into the Basketball Australia Hall of Fame on Friday night.
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“She has proved that by looking after her body and putting in the hard work that you can achieve anything, and it just shows the respect she has from the basketball fraternity,” a proud Bernie said.
No matter what talent you may be blessed with, you don’t represent your country in almost 300 games without putting in hard work and you don’t became an Australian Hall of Fame player without respect.
Harrower – a 162cm “shrimp” in a sport known as the land of giants – is not only Bendigo’s greatest basketballer, but she’s one of the city’s greatest sporting products.
And while her career that took her all over the world may now be over, what she achieved on the court should continue to act as an inspiration for all Bendigo juniors.
Harrower has proven that from the hardwood of basketball courts in Bendigo you can not only go on to represent your country, but win Olympic medals, World Championship gold medals and end up in the Basketball Australia Hall of Fame.
While Harrower now has the accolade of Basketball Australia Hall of Fame inductee on her stacked CV, it would seem a golden opportunity is now presenting for Bendigo to also celebrate her achievements.
What better way for Harrower to be honoured in her hometown than to have the new 4000-seat showcourt being built as part of the $22 million Bendigo Stadium redevelopment named after her.
For if Basketball Australia sees fit to induct Harrower into its Hall of Fame, surely this is an opportune time for her hometown to acknowledge her basketball career, just like Albury did back in 2011 for its hometown hoops hero when its sports stadium was renamed the Lauren Jackson Sports Centre.
