Coach Garlepp comes full circle with Gems

• Renae Garlepp (nee Camino) is the head coach of the Australian Gems for the FIBA U19 Women's World Cup
• She had a long and decorated career in the WNBL, including winning two championships, Grand Final MVP and Rookie of the Year
• Garlepp is also currently the assistant coach of the Sydney Flames and head coach of the Norths Bears in the NBL1 East

Almost 20 years after representing Australia the FIBA Under-19 Women’s World Championships, Renae Garlepp will lead the Australian Gems as head coach into the same tournament — now known as the FIBA U19 Women’s World Cup — next month.

Just as she did as a player, Garlepp (nee Camino) has risen quickly up the coaching ranks since retiring from the WNBL in 2015 after a glittering career which included being crowned 2004-05 WNBL Rookie of the Year and winning two WNBL championships with the Adelaide Lightning (2007-08) and the Bendigo Spirit (2012-13). Her performance in the 2008 WNBL Grand Final was a masterclass, finishing with 32 points on her way to being named Grand Final MVP.

While she appears a natural coach, having taken to her many coaching roles like a duck to water, Garlepp wasn’t thinking about that as her playing days wound down. Instead, it was a high school coaching role that kick started it all and she hasn’t looked back since.

“It was definitely not something that was on my radar or anything I thought I'd do when I was a player,” Garlepp told basketball.com.au.

“I was simply just given an opportunity, asked if I wanted to coach a team and said ‘yes’.

“I had just finished playing WNBL and there was an opportunity to coach a high school team in Sydney. I really enjoyed it, and it just grew from there. It was pretty organic to be honest.”

To say it was organic is Garlepp downplaying her tremendous commitment and the way she has taken full advantage of the opportunities that she has worked tirelessly to earn. She is now balancing four coaching roles, entrenched in every level of basketball — from being an assistant coach with the Australian Opals and the Sydney Flames, to head coach of the Norths Bears NBL1 East women’s team and of course head coach of the Australian Gems U19 squad.

“As a player, I always had a really clear vision of what I wanted to achieve and what I wanted to do, and I think my whole coaching journey from the start to now, I've just felt that I've coached what's in front of me,” she said.

“Someone's called me up and said, would you like to coach a state team or assist a state team, and I said, ‘yes, that'd be awesome’. Then I go and do that.

“Then someone's called up and said, ‘would you like to do this?’, and I said, ‘yes’. To be honest, my whole coaching journey has been just saying yes to everything and that's kind of how I've got here.”

Garlepp credits spending the past two WNBL seasons at the Flames with Guy Molloy as having an "incredible influence" on her coaching journey, while the support of her husband, Tom Garlepp — who played 263 NBL games over 11 seasons — has been invaluable as they both forge their own coaching careers.

“He started his coaching journey a little bit before mine. Just going through it together and having the ability to bounce ideas off each other all the time has been an incredible support to me.” she said.

Garlepp has taken the Norths NBL1 women’s team to great heights since taking over as head coach in 2022. After falling a win short of a grand final berth in her first year, she reloaded with local talent and led the Bears to the 2023 NBL1 East Championship.

This year, the Bears are on top of the ladder with an impressive 11-1 record and the unity and enjoyment the team plays with is evident from the opening tip to the final buzzer.

“This is my fourth year in the role, and we tried something this season with our recruiting; every single player on the roster I've coached before and each have played with other players on the team before. We've got so many players that have come through the Youth League to now NBL1 and cracking in. They've just continued to work and now are getting great opportunities," Garlepp said.

The former Australian Institute of Sport scholarship holder has a unique viewpoint of the talent within Australian women’s basketball, working with the best of the best in her role with the Opals to seeing the best rising young stars coming through with the Gems. She is truly at the forefront of the present and future of the Opals, and doesn’t take opportunity to learn from both roles for granted.

“[The Opals role] was completely unexpected at the start, that's for sure,” she said.

“Just to learn from all the coaches on the staff every single day, and not just on the court, but to have those conversations off the court, I’m constantly learning from them.

“It's really cool to have the opportunity to do both. I went from a Gems camp, then straight into an Opals camp, and then into another Gems camp. The Opals are prepping for the Asia Cup, the Gems are prepping for a World Cup, so it was great to go into my camp, then into the Opals camp and see what they're doing and if we're on the same page.

“I'm incredibly lucky to be able to go between the two because what an incredible balance to see the future and then the current, it is really exciting.”

Speaking of exciting, the squad that will represent Australia at the 2025 FIBA U19 Women’s World Cup next month is filled with world-class talent. From those that have WNBL experience, to others who have committed to major US college programs or have a myriad of offers in front of them, there’s no shortage of reasons to be bullish about what the Gems could produce in Czech Republic.

WNBL fans will be extremely familiar with Bonnie Deas and Monique Bobongie, who both showcased their talents last season, while nearly all of the selected players are making waves in NBL1 conferences across the nation, headlined by Sitaya Fagan, who is averaging 23.8 points, 10.9 rebounds, 2.1 steals and 1.7 blocks per game for Basketball Australia’s Centre of Excellence in NBL1 East.

“I'm really excited for the group we've got,” she said.

“I can't fault the girls. The two camps we've had - while it hasn't been a lot of preparation – it was enough to see what the girls were about and what they're willing to embrace. I’m really proud with how everyone went and excited for what we can do.”

Australia will play group games against Mali, Brazil and France, with the tournament set to tip-off on July 12. When the tournament gets underway, it will be a full-circle moment for Garlepp, two decades on from when she donned the green and gold and absolutely dominated for the U19 Australian squad, leading the World Championships in scoring at 21.6 points per game.

Garlepp’s pride in representing her country is just as evident 20 years later.

“Honestly, playing for Australia or coaching Australia is just the highest honour,” she said.

“To be able to coach this team at the World Cup is just incredibly special to me and such an honour.”

Stay tuned to basketball.com.au as we build towards the Gems 2025 FIBA U19 Women’s World Cup campaign.

About the Author

Hayley Wildes is passionate about all things Australian women’s basketball and loves to highlight the stories of players from all levels and competitions across the globe. From our own backyard in the WNBL, to the WNBA and the Opals, and everything in between, Hayley has you covered.