Odette Seabourne

Ivor Burge Basketball Coach

It’s more about teaching people how to interact with others, about good sportsmanship, and about how to be a decent person in life.

It’s hard to overstate the impact that Odette Seabourne has had on Tasmania’s basketball community over the last few decades.

As coach for both the Somerset Basketball Association and the Ivor Burge Men’s Team - a Tasmanian State team for players with intellectual disabilities - Odette dedicates most of her evenings, weekends and holidays to supporting her players. Whether she’s providing strategic direction from the sidelines, fundraising, helping out in the club canteen, or organising trips to interstate tournaments, she is a constant presence for both of her teams.

“Some of the people who are new to the club are quite surprised when they see me courtside,” Odette laughs with a glint in her eye. “They just know me as the lady who sells them a hotdog, but then they’re like, ‘Oh look, the canteen lady can coach as well!’ It gives the kids a bit of a buzz when they realise I might actually know a thing or two about basketball.”

Odette describes the teams she coaches as being like family–a fitting description, as it was her own mother’s passion for basketball that first inspired her to get involved in the sport as a child.

“My mum was both a player and a coach, and she was a huge influence on me,” Odette explains. “She encouraged me to start playing basketball when I was about seven. Later, she brought me along to coaching events, suggesting it was something I could do as well. She was a bit biased of course, telling me I was a good people person, but her influence is one of the main reasons I’ve stuck with it for so long.”

Odette’s coaching roles, both with Somerset and with Ivor Burge, bring her immense satisfaction – and not just when the scoreboard is in her favour. She’s a firm believer in the value of team sports for wider benefits they bring and describes team building as ‘life building’.

“I don’t really care if players want to go on and play in top leagues, or if they just enjoy playing with their friends,” she says. “It’s more about teaching people how to interact with others, about good sportsmanship, and about how to be a decent person in life.”

Odette says one of the most rewarding aspects of her role is witnessing the growth in players, especially the Ivor Burge Team members – who range in age from young boys to adult men. As they are welcomed to the team, many begin to develop both confidence and new skills.

The reason I’ve been doing this for 20 years is that the players give me so much more than I give them.

“Some of the players have never been away from home or left their parents before,” says Odette. “They might never have never made a bed, helped make sandwiches or done the washing up. I try to incorporate those important life skills and independence building into our trips as well.”

Coaching players that span a large age bracket, some of whom find social situations difficult, can be a challenge, but Odette’s approach to coaching the Ivor Burge team is no different to any other team.

“I don’t patronise them,” she says. “The players really hate it if someone says ‘good job’ when they haven’t actually done a good job. They’ll turn to me and say, ‘Odette, we played horribly,’ and I’ll say, ‘Yes, you did.’  Just like any other players, they’re competitive and want to do their best.”

This honest but inclusive approach was pioneered by Odette’s mother, who coached the team before Odette came onboard. It seems to be paying off; the Ivor Burge team has built a reputation so strong that even local players who don’t fit the formal eligibility requirements often come to train with the team, simply because they enjoy the welcoming atmosphere.

The team has consistently outperformed expectations, winning nine bronze medals and several MVP award wins. Some former players have even gone on to compete for the Australian national side at tournaments in Japan, France, and Turkey.

Odette is rightly very proud of these achievements, but despite the team’s impressive record she believes they have the potential to do even more. She would love to see a Tasmanian women’s side competing in the Ivor Burge competition, and is eager to see broader participation in the existing men’s team.

“We’re not that well known, even in Tasmania,” she says. “A lot of the time we just recruit through word of mouth, and I’m starting to run out of people that I know! When a new person joins, they usually bond very quickly with the team. They’re a very caring, non-judgemental group, so they look out for new players until they feel comfortable.”

Although basketball fills nearly every moment of Odette’s life outside of work – to a degree that would exhaust most people – she remains humble, often brushing off praise and focusing instead on the honour of carrying on her mother’s legacy.

“The reason I’ve been doing this for 20 years is that the players give me so much more than I give them,” she says. “That joy you get from watching the kids achieve both on and off the court. That’s my mum’s legacy too.  We were very close, and the fact we shared a passion like this makes me feel quite emotional. After mum passed away, it hit the boys hard, but they have really helped keep her memory alive for me.”