It seems like a distant age ago that Isabella Stratford was running up and down the court in her Mount Gambier Lakers uniform, little did she know at the time of her first trial it would be the start of something special.

Her time as a Laker is full of fond memories for Bella, ‘I remember being selected for the Lakers in U12s, it was sent in the mail and I remember opening it. It was the first team I had tried out for.’

Bella spent some time playing in the Adelaide Premier League and playing well enough to earn the opportunity as a development player for the Bendigo Spirit in the WNBL. The opportunity to train with and play against some of the best players in the world has been a tremendous opportunity that Bella is truly grateful for, ‘It was great to see how true professionals operate within the team and what extra work they put in. Tracy York has really played a massive role in my development through giving key opportunities even as much as actual playing time in the WNBL which I didn’t expect as a 17 year old.’

The next phase of Bella’s Basketball Journey will be in the US with the California State University Fullerton, located 15 minutes away from Disneyland!

The opportunity came from the assistant coach, Jodi Page, at California State being an Australian that follows the Aussie talent closely and had her eye on Bella from a young age. Through this connection and the coaches liking what they saw from Bella she was offered a full scholarship. After a visit to the College in October last year Bella decided to commit. ‘The recruitment process was fun but it was a relief when I accepted the offer!’

Like a lot of things in our world the process of getting over to the US was delayed due to COVID-19, the previous season was cancelled and no one was allowed on campus due to the restrictions.

The time has finally come and Bella has made her way over to the US to begin her life as a college athlete. A dream that Bella has had for a long time, ‘I have had plans to go to college since I was in year 6. So it’s been a pretty long time coming!’

Bella’s father Dan Stratford a long time Mount Gambier Lakers junior Coach and well known member of the sports community in Mount Gambier has been a positive influence on his daughters basketball pathway, ‘I have been going to America with Dad who started the US trips at Tenison Woods College since I was 4 so I learnt about American basketball and college pathways through those experiences. I’m so grateful for my Dad and all his help through the recruiting journey too.’

No doubt the whole Mount Gambier community is behind Bella wishing her all the best on her US College Basketball experience.