NBL1 perfect return platform for Jewels captain

Image credit: Michael Farnell (Sports Imagery)

Returning to basketball as a mother was the most humbling thing Darcee Garbin has done but was glad to do it in NBL1 West at Cockburn Cougars as she now focuses on captaining the Tasmania Jewels into inaugural WNBL season.

Garbin and husband Nic Cody, himself a renowned Western Australian basketball product out of the Willetton Tigers, welcomed their first child to the world just last December with the arrival of their daughter Rose.

Leading into that, Garbin wasn’t sure what a basketball future might look like as a mother, but it didn’t take long until her hunger and motivation was right up there. By HoopsFest in Perth in January, she knew she wanted to be back.

She locked in a WNBL return with the upstart Jewels as soon as Claudia Brassard was appointed coach on the back of the championship success they enjoyed together previously at the Townsville Fire.

But Garbin's first return had to come at NBL1 level and there was no more convenient team to join than the one right around the corner from home, the Cockburn Cougars.

They just happened to be the reigning NBL1 West champions too and Garbin worked her way back nicely to be a key member of a front court alongside former WNBL import Daniel Raber and NBL1 West MVP Jessie Edwards to lead the Cougars to a fourth straight Grand Final appearance.

It didn’t quite lead to a championship for Garbin and the Cougars before she made the move to Hobart to start preparing for the WNBL season, but she couldn’t have found a better NBL1 home to make her return as a mother.

"It made it so easy and just literally the stadium is about four minutes around the corner," Garbin said.

"Rose didn't come to too many games but a lot of the times when we had training, I could put her to bed and head out so it did make it very easy that they are just around the corner.

"The community and everyone at Cockburn embraced me and embraced Rose so much, and it's just been so nice to have that.

"There's a lot of talk about the new stadium they are going to get and that's probably where Rose is going to grow up and play basketball if that's the sport she chooses to play so I'm really happy that I decided to play there, and if that's going to be her junior basketball club."

Returning to play as a mother

Garbin was in the middle of playing some strongly consistent basketball in Hungary at UNI Gyor prior to her pregnancy and following the 2024/25 season, she didn’t play again leading into the birth of Rose.

That made her return this past NBL1 season at the Cougars and while her final numbers look good with 15.9 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists with 29 minutes a game, coming back to play was the hardest thing she's had to do.

"It was the hardest, most humbling experience of my life and definitely those first couple of months coming back I was really impatient and thought the process would be a little bit quicker," Garbin said.

"But I had to be held back a bit and wait to get on court and it was probably a bit over a year in the end of not playing in the end.

"Maybe I was a little bit naïve thinking I would bounce back and start playing NBL1 at the start of the season, but I just had to wait it out. Every day is a challenge and every day has a different challenge."

Being appointed captain of Jewels

Garbin was a natural fit to be appointed to the captain of the Jewels given she is already a two-time WNBL championship winner, captained her home town Perth Lynx previously, and added huge experience at NBL1 level along with playing in Europe and the Australian Opals.

At the same time, fellow members of the leadership group Keely Froling and Steph Reid would have been fine choices as captain too. Garbin is more than happy to take on the role ahead of Thursday's historic occasion with a first ever Jewels game when they host the Geelong Venom.

"I'm extremely proud and maybe a little bit overwhelmed but it's a great honour and I'm super excited to not only represent the Jewels and this organisation, but the whole of Tassie," Garbin said.

"Obviously with that honour comes great responsibility and I think it's also an exciting chance that we get to be the first leadership group to set the culture for the club.

"I think it's definitely up there and I've won championship and represented my country, but I think this is such an honour that it's definitely probably top five.

"We've been doing a lot of work and it hasn’t just happened in the last couple of weeks. Steph, Keely and I along with Claudia and our assistant coach Jack (Fleming) have been meeting since about May or June this year working on what we want the culture to look like, and how we want to be as leaders."

Being in perfect place for family

While Garbin and Rose are currently in Hobart with their husband and dad back in Perth due to his work commitments, she does know that a big part of her comfort in signing at the Jewels was the support she would receive in life on top of what it provided in a basketball sense.

"I've got my daughter who is only eight months and I've left my husband back in Perth, but having confidence that I know the club is going to be flexible with things around childcare and all of that was a big part of it," Garbin said.

"Kayla (Steindl) has been amazing as well and both her and Claudia are mothers so they understand, and then just a little bit of knowing what I'm walking into whilst this is a new club, and knowing what Claudia is about and stands for, is really important."

Bond with coach made it obvious

Garbin and Brassard first connected at the Townsville Fire when Darcee was a young star from WA on the rise and Claudia was assistant coach and they enjoyed championship success together.

There was then another championship with Brassard as head coach and Garbin a star player in 2018. Darcee has no trouble admitting she would have continued playing in Townsville had Claudia remained head coach.

So once Brassard was named coach of the Jewels as they joined the WNBL, she never had to think twice about knowing that is where she wanted to be playing to return to the league for the first time since playing at the Lynx in 2022.

"I'm probably a little biased and I've played for Claudia in Townsville and known her for probably 10 years now, and we have a really great relationship," Garbin said.

"I just love what she does as a coach so as soon as she got the job to coach here my decision was kinda locked in.

"I can't wait to play for again and I was set to play for her in Townsville back in the day, but she had other job opportunities so I think it's amazing now that she can be a full-time coach and get to do this."

Creating own unique culture

The Jewels are in a unique position by being part of the same organisation as the JackJumpers making them the only NBL and WNBL clubs that operate under the same banner.

And given how successful the JackJumpers have been on the court including winning the NBL24 championship and in capturing the imagination of all of Tasmania and being admired nationally, it's only natural to learn from what they have done.

At the same time, Garbin is keen for the Jewels to also create their own identity.

"Everyone talks about Defending the Island that's massive and I think we both fall under that banner," Garbin said.

"I think it's about finding a good balance between both where we want to emulate what the boys have done but write our own story at the same time.

"I guess non-negotiables for the culture would be making sure we're in here getting better every day. We want to not only be the best team on the court, but off the court as well so I think there's a lot of responsibility on us as individuals to make sure we're doing the right thing.

"Then also making sure we hold our teammates accountable to those standards that we're gonna set."

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