Georgia emerges to embrace every Magic moment

Featured image: @hyperfocusimages | Michael Bailey

Georgia Adams went through hell the last two years including a total hip replacement so she treasures every moment in NBL1 West at Mandurah Magic and whether it's hitting game winners or cheering on her firing teammates, she doesn’t take anything for granted.

Adams grew up in Kalgoorlie and then after moving to Mandurah, made her SBL debut as a 15-year-old back in 2016 and by 2018 was getting more opportunities on a team that would end up making the Grand Final.

She spent a couple of seasons from there at the Kalamunda Eastern Suns before turning to Mandurah and then embarking on her college journey at Southern Nazarene University and she was feeling on top of the world after a junior season delivering 14.5 points and 5.1 rebounds in 32 minutes a game.

Then just as she was excited for her senior season in 2023/24, disaster struck and the road back for the now 25-year-old has been horrific but to just be back playing again is a remarkable feat and it's making her treasure every experience now out on the floor with this Magic team of 2026.

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What Adams has been through the past two years is something she wouldn’t wish on her worst enemy and for someone still in her early 20s to have to undergo a total hip replacement highlights just how significant the injuries she suffered were.

It also meant there was more than the odd occasion where playing basketball at any level again was a far away dream when just walking once again was a significant achievement, but she was determined to come through it and now has successfully done.

That makes her appreciate the highlights now more than anybody and there have been plenty of them this season with the Magic as they now gear up for their assault on the finals currently sitting in fifth position before finishing the regular season away to the Joondalup Wolves on Friday.

Early in the season and despite not having played for basically two years, Adams was needed to play a big role at Mandurah and she showed what she's fully capable in the remarkable come from behind win against the Rockingham Flames.

She finished with a career-best 25 points and eight rebounds including hitting the game winner on the back of a pin-point pass from Mikayla Pivec who had a triple double on debut with Mandurah without Claire Jacobs, Mia Jacobs and with Jordana Reisma yet to arrive.

"Hitting the game winner was pretty cool, they’re the moments everyone wants to have in basketball. I think it being against Rockingham, who is a top four side and a local rival, also made it even more enjoyable," Adams said.

"It definitely hasn’t been the easiest start to the season, coming off an injury, but after everything I’d been through with that, just getting the opportunity to get back on court at all was amazing, and I was just super grateful to be playing again and contributing however I could."

A relief to be playing again

After those dark times of the physical pain of the injury she went through and the gruelling rehabilitation, and then the mental and emotional problems that go through all of that, Adams is so relieved to be back in her happy place on a basketball court.

While having a totally destroyed hip, Adams never knew if she would walk normally ever again let alone be able to run and certainly not play basketball let alone at an NBL1 level.

But she was going to give it the very best shot to make it back and to not only have now done that, but to be doing it back in Mandurah with the Magic means the world to her.

"It really is (a relief)," Adams said.

"After going through quite a serious injury, I don’t think I’ll ever take playing basketball for granted again.

"Those felt like the longest two years and my focus kind of had to shift from how I could improve my game, to more just trying everything possible to give my body the best chance to play again.

"There is definitely a sense of relief, but every time I get to go to practice and games and be around the team, I just genuinely appreciate it."

What she actually went through

One could be excused if Adams didn’t want to talk about what she has been through and would rather put it behind her and look forward, but at the same time, now that she has successful got back to playing NBL1 level basketball, she deserves to be proud of what she's overcome.

Adams deserved to be excited by what her senior season at SNU was going to look like but then as so often is the case, some of the worst injury occur when you are doing a scrimmage at practice.

That was exactly the case with her and a partial hip dislocation turned into multiple breaks in her hip and all of a sudden the only cure was a total hip replacement.

"I’m happy to talk about it. Right before my senior year started at college, I suffered a pretty serious hip injury in a scrimmage," Adams said.

"I partially dislocated my hip, which caused multiple breaks in my hip and a torn labrum, resulting in me having a total hip replacement. It ended up keeping me out of basketball for about two years, with a few setbacks along the way.

"It was tough because it happened right before my senior year started, and after coming off a solid junior year, it was incredibly hard knowing I couldn’t finish my college career the way I had hoped.

"The past 2 years have been really difficult, physically and mentally, and at the start of my recovery I didn’t realise how significant the injury really was and how hard it was going to be to get through that."

Dealing mentally just as tough as physically

The physical side of it was obviously painful, uncomfortable and debilitating for Adams for a long time, but dealing with what she was going through mentally might have been even tougher.

But that's what only serves now as a great source of pride with how she's been able to come out the other side of it.

"There were definitely some difficult days and I had a lot of people tell me I wouldn’t be able to play again, and naturally there were moments where I doubted myself," Adams said.

"It’s incredibly humbling when your goal for the first few months of rehab is to just walk 3kms. I’m still rehabbing it and trying to get my body back to where it was and the level I was at.

"I am just so lucky to have an amazing support network around me who kept believing in me and didn’t let me give up. Looking back now, I still can’t believe it myself that I’m actually playing again, so I’m just happy and grateful to be out there."

Looking back on overall college experience

Obviously with what happened in her senior year will always be a cloud over Adams' time in college at Southern Nazarene, but none of what happened was anything to do with the school she was at.

She was still able to stay to complete her four years despite the hip injury and she will always treasure the time she spent there and the lifetime friendships she made even with the obvious challenge of being so far from home.

"I absolutely loved my time at SNU," Adams said.

"Staying there for four years meant I got the opportunity to build lifelong friendships and really become part of the community there. It honestly became a second home for me.

"One of the best parts was the relationships I built. I’m still close with a lot of my teammates and coaches today.

"I still catch up with my coaches on FaceTime every now and then, which shows how much those relationships still mean to me.

"Obviously, I would have loved to finish my senior year on the court, but that injury doesn’t take away from everything I experienced over those four years. I grew so much as a player and person, and I’ll always be grateful for everything SNU gave me."

Remarkable experience for a WA girl

Having split her time living in Kalgoorlie and Mandurah up to that point, getting to spend four years in college on the other side of the world in Bethany, Oklahoma, is an experience she could have scarcely dreamed of getting to live out.

"It’s pretty crazy when I really sit and think about it," Adams said.

"Growing up in Kalgoorlie and later moving to Mandurah, I never imagined basketball would take me to America and give me the opportunity it did, to earn a couple of degrees while playing the sport I love.

"It was seriously such an incredible experience. I met people from all over the world, experienced a completely different lifestyle and learned so much about myself.

"Living so far from home was obviously challenging at times, but it’s an experience that’s changed me and I feel very lucky that basketball gave me that."

Thriving having bid farewell to legends

When Adams was starting her career with the Magic the likes of Casey Mihovilovich, Rachel Halleen, Bree Mullenax, Emma Klasztorny and Kelly Bailey were mainstays of the club and desperate to bring that first championship to Mandurah.

They continually were banging on the door and there would have been a fear of what life without them at the Magic would look like.

All of a sudden, that was the reality faced by coach Vlad Alava coming into 2026 with Emma Klasztorny sidelined, Halleen having moved to Karratha, and Mihovilovich, Mullenax and Bailey moving on.

There were some early growing pains, but all of a sudden the Magic loom as genuine championship threats with one game to go having won eight of the last nine games with Claire and Mia Jacobs, Pivec, Sharn Hayward and Jade Gowland among those to be firing.

Given Adams looked up to those veteran leaders when she was starting out, even she finds it strange seeing them not still out in the Magic uniform, but she couldn’t be more proud of how the team has come together with coach Alava deserving enormous credit.

"Losing players like Milo, Rach, Bree and Kelly was always going to leave a big hole," Adams said.

"They’re not only amazing basketball players, but they’re incredible people and leaders around the club.

"I’ve been lucky enough to be around them since I was about 15 and they were all there when I signed my first contract with the Magic, so they’ve had a huge influence on me throughout my own journey.

"They are all great mentors, always willing to help the younger girls, and they’ve played such a big role in building the culture of this club.

"I think Vlad has done a great job bringing in new players whilst keeping some junior magic players and we all mesh well and try to continue the culture that those former players have built."

No reason the Magic can't do something special

The Magic team of 2026 only needs to hark back to 2024 to see what their men's team did to make history in remarkable fashion to bring a first SBL/NBL1 championship to Mandurah and doing it in a remarkable Grand Final at RAC Arena.

Finishing top four might still be tough for Mandurah to pull off even with a Friday night win to close the regular season, but having a home final to start and then just needing to win three more games from there, and there's no reason they should be afraid to dream.

Adams might not be getting that far ahead just yet, but sure likes how the team has come together.

"It’s been really exciting having the team slowly come together throughout the season," Adams said.

"We have struggled with some injuries throughout, but now that most of the group is back and healthy, it’s been a lot of fun having everyone out on the floor together.

"We’ve always known we have got a talented group, but it does get difficult to build consistency when you are missing key players. Having everyone available has helped the team chemistry as well.

"I think we’re all really excited about what we can achieve over the next few weeks heading into finals."

Just being thankful

But the overall message from Adams, is that she is just thankful to be back playing so anything she now experiences is a bonus in her career and she wouldn’t want to be doing anywhere but back in Mandurah at the Magic.

"Coming back to the Magic and being able to complete my rehab here has been great," Adams said.

"So many of the people around the club have supported me throughout my journey, even when I was at college and during my injury. But being back home with my family and friends has been just as special."