Marisa starring in NBL1, would jump at another WNBL chance

Featured image: Travis Anderson | @andmediaphoto

Makenna Marisa might not have had the chance to show what she could in the WNBL but is now putting that on full show in the NBL1 West with the Perry Lakes Hawks after quite the ride in two years already since finishing up at Penn State.

Marisa is now starring with the Hawks in her first NBL1 season putting up a mighty impressive 29.3 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.4 assists having already playing in Hungary, Germany and the WNBL with the Southside Melbourne Flyers over the past two years.

Following her four-year college career with Penn State where she sits third on the all-time games started list and continued her family's remarkable history there dating back to her grandfather, it's been quite the two years for Marisa.

She's always played with the ball in her hands largely as a combo guard throughout her high school career at Peters Township and then at Penn State where she showed she could score, shoot and pass the basketball.

But coming out of college and it's been an interesting ride with the roles she's been put in firstly in Hungary at David Kornel she did well with 18.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.6 assists but then while thankful for the WNBL opportunity at the Southside Melbourne Flyers, being a spot up shooter wasn’t necessarily playing to her strengths.  

>> WEST WRAP | WOMEN'S ROUND 16

>> THREE-TIME CHAMP PROUD TO REACH 200 AT FLAMES

>> WEST SPOTLIGHT | HAWKS COMPLETE STUNNING FINISH IN ALBANY

>> FATE STEPS IN AS JJAY REACHES 300 V REDBACKS

Following that, Marisa was straight to Germany to play with Keltern where she got a bit more playing time up 22 minutes a game for 8.1 rebounds and 3.5 rebounds before arriving at Perry Lakes and now thriving so far nine games into her time in the NBL1 West.

That has included a 41-point, 10-rebound, eight-assist showing in a win over the Willetton Tigers and three more games of 30-plus points including last Saturday night in Kalgoorlie just seven days after she got to see the south of Western Australia in Albany.

Playoffs are going to be tough from here for the Hawks having lost their past two games with the absence of Bridgette Rettstatt hurting up against Teige Morrell and Delaynie Byrne, but it's not out of the question with wins over the last two weeks against the Cockburn Cougars and Mandurah Magic.

Marisa certainly won't be giving up hope and couldn’t be happier with the Hawks team she has joined mid-season.

"Obviously just entering this team late, this is just such a great group of girls and the spirits are high," Marisa told The Hoop Hour on 91.3 SportFM.

"Everyone's confidence seems to be up and everyone's keeping that positive attitude always which is something that was really cool when I got here to see even though we're down or losing or whatever it is.

"The spirits have always seemed to be pretty high and obviously it's our goal to get in the top eight and we have a pretty positive outlook on it and hopefully we can still make that happen."

Being a leader on a young team

Even though Perry Lakes does have some experience in the form of captain Mia Bailey, 312-game veteran Jess Jakens and fellow recruits for 2026 Bridgette Rettstatt and Mila Wawszkowicz, Marisa wasn’t quite sure she'd be joining a team with so much youth.

That even includes first-year coach Marcus Embury with the majority of Marisa's teammates either heading off to college still or around that age where they could.

But whether it's the veteran of the group like Jakens or an 18-year-old like Emilie Beggs, Marisa couldn’t be happier with the connection the entire group at Perry Lakes have created in their short time together.

"That was very interesting for me coming into the team and I didn’t realise how many young girls there were going to be and multiple girls on my team are planning on heading to college, and was like oh my goodness," Marisa said.

"There's multiple 18, 19 and 20 year olds, and I forget that I'm 25 now sometimes and I feel like a bit of an old head even if everyone tries to tell me I'm still young.

"I think everyone on the team is just very respectful of each other in general with how the young girls are towards the older ones, and then how the older ones are towards the younger girls.

"That's something that's really cool about the team but coming in I never really felt weird or anything.

"I just always felt welcomed and I felt like everyone on the team wants to win, and shares the same goal so that's why we share that mutual respect for one another because we're all wanting the same thing."

Having a veteran teammate

One teammate that has an infectious personality who Marisa couldn’t speak more highly of for the leadership she's providing a youthful group including to two new imports like her and Rettstatt is Jakens who celebrated her 300th game in style earlier this season.

"She's awesome and immediately when I came in she was super welcoming and she's always such a positive energy on the team," Marisa said.

"She likes to crack jokes, she has a great energy about her and she's great. She definitely has that vet experience and knowledge, and brings that into practices and games as well so it's great having her as a teammate."

First two years as a professional

The Marisa family have quite the history at Penn State University with her grandfather, Rudy, part of the 1954 NCAA Final Four team while her mother went on to play both basketball and softball, and now both her older brothers have attended the school too.

She then went on to have her own standout career and upon graduating back in 2024, she had no idea what her future held but if professional basketball anywhere in the world was an option, she wanted to embrace that.

She's now played in Hungary, Germany and Australia since, and for all the ups and downs, it's all worth it in the long run to be playing the game she lives for a living.

"Oh man, it's been a journey so far and I'm really lucky and fortunate to get to do this for my job and get to travel the world," Marisa said.

"It's been such an incredible experience but it's also been one with a lot of highs and a lows, and a lot of learning and growth.

"That's also something that I'm super thankful for and it hasn’t been a straight path at all, but I think it's really made me a better player and person overall.

"I love Australia and I played in Melbourne as well and that was a really cool experience so I was really happy to now get to come and play on the opposite side of Australia. I'm just really thankful for this whole experience of getting to travel and play the sport that I love."

Looking back on WNBL opportunity

Following her first stop as a professional in Hungary where Marisa did play strongly in 28 games with David Kornel for 18.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists, she was excited to come to Australia for the first time to be part of WNBL26.

After all, she was getting to play on a Southside Melbourne Flyers team featuring the legend herself Cayla George along with the likes of Maddy Rocci and Issie Bourne while getting coached by Kristi Harrower.

Things didn’t quite pan out as hoped with Marisa never really used in a role usually an import is put in to utilise their strengths with her ending up playing just 15.9 minutes a game for just 95 shot attempts in total across 20 games with only 21 assists.

That shows that she was pigeonholed into a role as a knockdown shooter when she's at her best with the ball in her hands more like she's showing now with Perry Lakes, but she's still thankful for the chance and would jump at another WNBL opportunity.

"First of all, I'm incredibly thankful to the Flyers and Kristi (Harrower) for bringing me in even though the situation for me wasn’t ideally what I thought it was going to be," Marisa said.

"I still learned so much and my teammates were great, and I'm super thankful for that opportunity. I think that was the season I learned a lot about myself and also what my strengths are in my game, and I think it's really just kinda about it not being the right spot for, which is OK and that happens in the professional world a lot of times.

"In this case, now playing for Perry Lakes they brought me in and yes, I know I'm taking a tonne of shots a game and I'm well aware of that, but I strive to be a player who can do everything.

"I want to just make the right basketball read whether it's passing the ball, getting assists, scoring, whatever the team needs me to do. I also played with the ball in my hands a lot even in college and playing that point guard spot a lot and the Flyers had me as a spot up shooter.

"Which is fine and I learned a lot from that experience and I wanted to also grow my strengths in that two spot, but I think just how I've played my game my whole life has been with the ball in my hands a little bit more," she added.

"That’s why I think the transition to the Flyers was a bit hard for me and I would love to come back and play in the WNBL again, that is definitely a goal of mine and I'd love to have that opportunity again one of these days.

"But in the meantime, wherever I go I'm just trying to grow and get better and become a better overall player in whatever I'm position I'm playing."

Helping family see new parts of the world

The unplanned benefit of a player in Marisa's situation of playing in faraway countries throughout Europe in Australia is that she gets to spend time in places she might never otherwise should it not be for basketball.

But beyond that, it gives her family a chance to visit places they never otherwise would either which has been a tremendous thrill for the whole Marisa family.

"When I was in Melbourne my twin sister and my parents came to visit, which was really cool and I was a little nervous about my parents making that trip because my dad has a little bit of back problems," Marisa said.

"So I was a little nervous for him but I guess he just popped a melatonin and was knocked it for the flight and was all good, but they really enjoyed it and I really enjoyed having them in Melbourne and seeing the area I was staying in and seeing some different places.

"We also went to the Australian Open there and they loved that so that was really cool and my whole family including my brothers came to see me when in Hungary.

"They did a whole European trip so they are enjoying me playing around the world as well so they are getting to travel too."