Jennifer Hazel Whittle is a retired Australian women's basketball player. Whittle was a regular member of the national team for over a decade, from 1994 until 2006. Playing Centre, Whittle was a key contributor to the Opals' success at international events during the 1990s and 2000s, with strong rebounding and defence a feature of her game. Following an outstanding national and WNBL career, Whittle was elected to the Australian Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016.
Biography
National team
Whittle broke into the Australian side as a 20-year-old, following her success at the 1993 World Championship for Junior Women, where she won a Gold medal. Averaging 10.1 points per contest, the centre added six points and provided a dominant defensive presence under the rim in the gold medal game as Australia defeated Russia 72-54. She was immediately placed on the Opals radar. At that tournament, Whittle played alongside other future Opals stars, Michelle Brogan, Kristi Harrower, Carla Boyd and Jo Hill. The following year, Whittle was selected to play for the Opals at the 1994 World Championship for Women, held in Australia. The young side finished a respectable 4th and would mark the start of a highly successful era for Whittle and the Opals. Whittle was selected to play for Australia at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. That team would go on to win a Bronze medal earning Australia its first ever international basketball medal for either men or women at the senior level. At the 1998 World Championships held in Germany, Whittle would win her second Bronze medal. Playing in front of a home crowd at the Sydney 2000 Olympics, Whittle won a Silver medal, her second medal at an Olympic Games. At the 2002 World Championship held in China, the Opals and Whittle would win their 4th consecutive medal in international play, claiming another Bronze. Having retired following the 2002 World Championship, Whittle was not considered for selection to represent Australia at the 2004 Olympics in Athens. However, later that year former Opals coach Tom Maher convinced Whittle to break her retirement. That decision led to the highlight of Whittle's career at the 2006 World Championship held in Brazil. As co-captain of the team with Lauren Jackson, the Opals won the tournament and first ever Gold medal at an official international event. In a sign of true respect for Whittle, after Jackson accepted the World Championship trophy, she walked down the line of Opals players and handed it to Whittle. Earlier that year, Whittle would also win a Gold medal at the Commonwealth Games, again as co-captain with Lauren Jackson. Following the Opals success at the 2006 World Championship, Whittle retired from international competition, saying, "it's the right time to go" and "it's great to leave the international game on top". Whittle ended her career having played 262 games for the Opals, 5th highest all-time. Her six medals at official FIBA tournaments makes Whittle one of Australia's most successful and decorated basketball players at the international level. Whittle has also been referred to as one of the Opals best ever players. Along with her Gold medal win at the 2006 World Championship, Whittle also named the Sydney Olympics as a career event highlight, as well as playing alongside World Champions Lauren Jackson and Tully Bevilaqua. In 2013, Whittle was one of several former players on new Opals head coach, Brendan Joyce, list to be appointed as the assistant coach, but she declared herself unavailable. In November 2013, Whittle was inducted into the Gold Coast Sporting Hall of Fame, joining other recipients that included golfer Greg Norman and five-time World 500cc champion Mick Doohan. Also in November 2013, Kristi Harrower named the 12 best Opals players she had played with over 20 years and named Whittle in that team. The link between three of Australian basketball’s greatest moments internationally, Whittle was elected to the Australian Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016. Whittle provided the height that had been lacking from Australia’s line-ups in years past and her rebounding and rim protection proved critical to Australia’s chances, becoming the mainstay in the middle of the Australian defence for over a decade. Whittle was described as a cornerstone of the golden age for the Opals.
Whittle nominated for the 1999 Women's National Basketball Association draft and was selected in the fourth round by the Washington Mystics. In 1999, she played in 3 games before returning to Australia to concentrate on playing for Australia at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and practice full-time with the team. In 2001, Whittle was playing in Europe, but returned to the WNBA where she played a further 4 games for the Mystics. On 14 June 2001, Whittle was placed on the injured list and eight days later her contract was terminated by the Mystics. She returned to Europe to play.
