Jenna O'Hea

Jenna O'Hea (born 6 June 1987) is an Australian former professional basketball player and former captain of Australia's national team, the Opals.

O'Hea was the captain of the Australian Women's basketball team (Opals) at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The Opals were eliminated after losing to the USA in the quarterfinals.

Basketball career Junior Basketball O'Hea played for the Nunawading Spectres at junior level, and represented her home state of Victoria at the U16, U18 and U20 levels. She played for Victoria Metro in the Australian under-16 championships in 2001 and 2002, and at the Australian under-18 Championships in 2003. earning the Betty Watson Rookie of the Year Award. She had 19 caps with the Australian U19 Gems team in 2003, 2004 and 2005, but missed the World Championship through injury. She had 17 caps with the Australian U21 Sapphires, which she led in scoring at the 2007 World Championships in Russia, netting 132 points in eight games to average 16.5 per game which was also fourth best in the tournament. She averaged 5.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. The team won the silver medal.

WNBL O'Hea played part of the 2005 season with the Australian Institute of Sport team in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL), before joining the Dandenong Rangers for the 2005/2006 season, in which her team were runners up. In the 2006/2007 season she played in the forward position for the Rangers. She avoided training during the early part of so as not to aggravate a foot injury. Nonetheless, in the first seven games of the season, she averaged 21.8 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. In one game against Bulleen, she scored 28 points. In those seven games, she only shot under 20 points only two times. Her team lost only in the two games she did not play. That season, she was coached by Gary Fox.

She was with the Bendigo Spirit for the 2007/2008 season, The Boomers were runners-up in the WNBL Grand Finals. She played for the Dandengong Rangers again in 2012, and re-signed with the team in May 2012 for the 2012/2013 season.

In March 2022, O'Hea announced her retirement from the WNBL.

Overseas She played in France in 2008/2009 with Arras Pays d'Artois Basket Féminin in the Fédération Française de Basket-Ball, and in the American Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) for the Los Angeles Sparks in the 2011–2013 seasons, before being traded to the Seattle Storm for the 2014 season.

National team career

In March 2007, O'Hea was named to the national team what would prepare for the 2008 Summer Olympics. She participated in a week-long training camp with the national team in Canberra in late March and early April 2008, but did not make her Opals debut until 2009. She was named in the 2010 Opals World Championship Squad. and in 2010, was a member of the senior women's national team that competed at the World Championships in the Czech Republic. She missed the Olympic qualification series in July 2011 because of WNBA commitments, In February 2012, she was named to a short list of 24 eligible players to represent Australia at the 2012 London Olympics.

O'Hea participated in the national team training camp held from 14 to 18 May 2012 at the Australian Institute of Sport.

Career statistics

WNBA Regular season

Postseason

Personal life Jenna O'Hea was born in Traralgon, Victoria on 6 June 1987, and was educated at Caulfield Grammar School in Melbourne, from which she graduated in 2006. She has two brothers, Matthew and Luke. Her best friend is Opals teammate Kathleen MacLeod. She currently sits on the board of the Australian Basketball Players’ Association