Georgia Woolley’s strong shooting, ball-handling makes her key offensive piece

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Georgia Woolley scored 24 points in a Queensland State League game matched up against Stephanie Reid. Reid had just finished her collegiate career under Felisha Legette-Jack at Buffalo, and knew the Bulls could use a player like Woolley. Reid called her former coach after the game, telling her to heavily recruit Woolley. 

Woolley knew she would fit in perfectly at Buffalo after one phone call, said Sue, her mother. After Reid convinced Woolley about Legette-Jack’s ability to coach, the decision was finalized.

After one season at Buffalo, Woolley followed Legette-Jack to Syracuse. The transfer guard has played in just three games due to “nagging” injuries, according to Legette-Jack and Woolley’s parents. But after a year at Buffalo under Legette-Jack and a lifetime of excelling at basketball in Australia, Woolley has proven she will become a key contributor for SU with her ball-handling skills and ability to create scoring opportunities.

Once Woolley got to Buffalo, she thrived. In 34 games with the Bulls, she averaged 14.6 points per game on 41.8% shooting. She had stand-out performances, including a 29-point game against Ball State in the 2021 MAC Tournament Championship. Not even 10 games into her collegiate career, even with All-MAC talent like Dyaisha Fair on the roster, Woolley was trusted to close out games.

Against VCU on Dec. 8, 2021, Buffalo set up Woolley for a shot in the final seconds of a tied game. Woolley received an inbound pass from the left wing, curled into the high post and scored on a running hook shot at the buzzer, giving Buffalo its fifth consecutive win.

“Her IQ of the game is what you need on the court,” Legette-Jack said. “She knows how to play with four or three people, but also knows how to be a star player when her time comes.”

Woolley learned to play with other teammates by training with Bronnie Marshall, a former Olympian and professional Australian basketball player. Woolley and her parents were told that she had a chance to go pro, so they found trainers that helped her grow. Sue said this attention from trainers came from her notable skills.

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“She’s a very good driver and she can get to the basket,” Sue said.

Woolley’s father, Adam, said while a lot of other players pigeonhole themselves into being just a good 3-point shooter or a good point guard that dishes out the ball, Woolley could do everything.

Marshall said Woolley, even as a small, lanky 11-year old, was better offensively than the kids around her. She was very good on the fast break and quite good on the drive.

Woolley and Marshall trained twice a week for six months before Woolley had state or club training. Marshall added a 3-point shot to Woolley’s arsenal as well and helped her get better defensively. She told Woolley to get offended when someone beat her. A final growth-spurt at 15 elevated her skills to another level, Marshall said.

“She was able to compete all over the court,” Marshall said. “She was able to actually get rebounds and if necessary play against big players.”

Right when her growth spurt hit, Woolley earned an opportunity to play at a semi-professional level in the National Basketball League One, one step below the Australian professional Women’s National Basketball League. The league features regional conferences where Woolley could play at just 14 or 15 years old.

Along with this exposure, Marshall watched Woolley dominate in a bronze medal match at the state championships. Woolley played for a team in Brisbane that had only eight players because of injuries, Marshall said. Even with the short bench, Woolley scored 16 points to secure the victory.

Stephen Wong, the girls’ basketball coordinator at St. Paul’s School, a private high school in Bald Hills, Australia, was immediately impressed by Woolley’s ball-handling as it was “way above her age group.” To Wong, Woolley always knew what she wanted when she was on the court and how to distribute the ball.

Against John Paul College, Woolley went coast-to-coast on defenders, blowing by players with every move in her repertoire. Sometimes she dribbled between her legs to get by defenders. Other times, she shook them off with behind-the-back moves.

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Woolley’s skills helped her score 40, sometimes 50 points in tournaments against other schools, Wong said.

“She’s the best by far,” Wong said when comparing Woolley to other players at St. Paul’s over the years. “She was an absolute standout here.”

Hans Gubesch, the head coach of St. Paul’s, said Woolley’s shooting also improved in high school because of a heightened court vision.

With her transition to Syracuse, Woolley started to translate those qualities she built up from her time with Marshall and St. Paul’s. After missing three of the first five games of the season, Woolley made her first start against Bucknell, where she nailed a 3-pointer in the fourth quarter.

In the Orange’s season opener against Stony Brook, Woolley curled near the baseline as she located an open space in the right corner. She then threw up her hands, prompting a midair pass from Fair.

Woolley said this play was one the Orange like to run. It’s her job to finish off those shots, which she did.

“It feels good,” Woolley said. “I just had confidence going into that game. Just not even thinking about the injury helped me do what I do.”