Still motivated and passionate - Wilson to play 450th WNBL game

She's now 40 having reached the milestone birthday on January 1 this year and still relishes the chance to compete in Australia's top women's competition - the WNBL.

The tenacious point guard still loves the grind of what it takes on and off the court to carve out a career as long as she has, but these days playing in the WNBL presents a challenge that up until two years ago she hadn't experienced previously - the time it takes away from spending with her son, Ted.

These days every time the Bendigo Spirit's Wilson steps on to the court she is setting a new benchmark for most games played in the WNBL.

On Thursday night in Canberra against the Capitals Wilson will become the first player in WNBL history to reach 450 games.

It's a remarkable credit to Wilson's longevity in the game that not only is she now in her 21st season in the competition, but remains a key cog in the Spirit line-up having started in 12 of Bendigo's 18 games.

"I've done it for so long now... the motivation has always been there, but the hard part now for me at this stage of my life is being away from home," Wilson said this week ahead of her 450^th game.

"It's the road trips that challenge me the most being away from home. I've got a young son now and that's the stress for me being away, whereas the actual training, games and effort required to stay in shape for playing is almost the easy part now.

"I've always enjoyed doing the hard work off the court and thrive in that environment and I've always had that motivation to do the work and still do.

"These days I'm a bit different in that I'm still very competitive, but maybe not as competitive as I once was and there's a lot of perspective that comes with that.

"It would be silly of me not to think that motherhood hasn't changed me because it really has.

"There's probably more important things in my life than winning a game of basketball, but that's not necessarily a bad change in my opinion.

"I say this all the time that I'm extremely lucky that I have a supportive husband (Michael) and family that help, but it is a lot of time away from home and family, which is the struggle for me nowadays.

"It (playing in the WNBL) is a daily commitment and that's fine because if it's the equivalent of a job you would be away from home for just as many hours.

"I do work as well (Bendigo South East College Athlete Development Program), so there is a constant juggle with that in terms of time management, but that's nothing that any other parent or person doesn't struggle with either in their life as well."

Wilson, married to husband Michael, gave birth to son Ted in February of 2021.

While pregnant Wilson missed the seven-week condensed 2020 WNBL season played in the north Queensland hub during November and December.

It's the only WNBL season Wilson has missed since her debut year in the league in 2002-03.

Originally from the Gippsland town of Leongatha, Wilson's debut WNBL season was with the Australian Institute of Sport.

She played 18 of the AIS' 21 games that season, averaging 9.0 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game - numbers that earned her the WNBL Rookie of the Year accolade.

While Wilson admits her memory is somewhat hazy when it comes to reflecting on her WNBL journey - after all, it has been more than 20 years - she does have some vivid recollections of that first season in 2002-03.

"I remember more about that first year in the WNBL then I do any of the in-between years. My memory is very vague about the middle of my career," Wilson said.

"With that first year I think I remember a bit more about it because it was such an important milestone in my career in terms of reaching the WNBL.

"More so just playing against women I had watched on TV and having that pinch yourself moment of realising that I've made it into the WNBL, which is something that I dreamed of as a kid in a small country Victorian town.

"I remember watching the likes of Lauren Jackson, Penny Taylor, Kristi Harrower, all the players of that era who were excelling for the Opals at the time, in the WNBL on the ABC on a Saturday afternoon, so then to be playing against them was very special."

Wilson's path to 450 games in the WNBL encompasses five teams - the AIS (18 games), Bendigo Spirit (243 and counting), Sydney Flames (43), Townsville Fire (103) and Canberra (42).

And she's a championship winner with three of those teams - back-to-back with the Bendigo Spirit in 2013-14 and 2014-15, with Townsville in 2017-18 and Canberra in 2018-19.

Wilson first played with the Bendigo Spirit in 2008-09, joining the club for what was its second season in the WNBL.

"When I left the AIS there was no team in country Victoria and then when the Spirit started I wanted to join to be closer to home," Wilson said.

"I still had a year on my contract at Townsville in the Spirit's first year and then came home pretty quickly to Victoria after that.

"It was very convenient for me that my best friend from the AIS, Gabe Richards, was living in Bendigo (playing with the Spirit) and my sister had just started uni here."

Wilson's career with the Spirit takes in three stints, firstly from 2008-09 to 2015-16; and one season in 2019-20 before returning in 2022-2023.

As far as club records go, Wilson's 243 games for the Spirit is second to only good mate Gabe Richards' 251.

And as for how many more games she's got in her at the top level and just how high she is going to set the WNBL games benchmark, as it has been for several years now for Wilson, she will get through this season first and then worry about her playing future later.

"My immediate future in terms of any basketball decisions I have to make is whether I want to play Bendigo Braves in the NBL1 this year; I haven't given any thought to WNBL beyond this season," Wilson said.

"It's quite hard, especially at my age, when you're in the middle of a season to be thinking about the next one.

"When you're younger you might sign multi-year deals, but for me I literally just take it one season at a time and see how I'm feeling at the end of it."

The Spirit, sitting fifth on the ladder, head to Canberra on Thursday night with a 9-9 record and on a three-game winning streak as they continue to fight to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Thursday night's game tips off at 7pm.