Are you saying she has given up basketball or is she just playing netball at the moment for a bit of fun, cross training, playing with mates etc. Your headline implies she has given up basketball for netball. Is this the case??

There was a story in the Gold Coast Bulletin I think she has switched over and given up basketball

Wasnt she WNBL roy and super athletic for a girl? Kurt tippetts sister also, why doesnt she stick with it? More opportunity with WNBA/Europe.

As a WNBL fan it's disappointing because even once she stepped up to this level there were glimpses of play that showed she was a genuine Opals / WNBA prospect.

Anon, Nice gutless comment. Proud are you?

Does anyone know what the money is like in netball?

Because the highest paid WNBA players only earn $101,000 ... So there's nothing that appealing for Tippett(money wise) in making the WNBA.

The link below is to her first interview since giving up basketball and taking up netball. Starts at the 1hr 17min mark

http:// www. netballonline. info/ viewtopic. php?f=2&t=24018

(Just take out the spaces, needed to put them in so it didn't flag as spam)

Sounds like at this stage she is only playing the ABL equivalent, but is hoping to make the national league. Bit of an insult to the girls who have been playing netball for years if she thinks it's going to be that easy for her...

And regarding the pay. She would definitely earn more money in the WNBA than in the national netball league. The salary cap for the ANZ championship is $262,000 per team, dividied up amongst 12 players, although teams can pay up to additional $50,000 in bonuses and incentives. Again, this is divided up among all players. The highest paid players in the comp would be getting around $35-45,000 per season and rookie contracts are worth about $12,000. But the netball organizations in each state do generally employ their better players in development roles as well, so there may an option there to earn extra cash...

I think she is too skinny to compete against the big girls in basketball. She probably does not want to gain an extra 10kgs to compete against them. At least in netball she has a body to compete.

Too skinny? Umm, did you ever see Rachael Sporn?
There is nothing at all physique-wise stopping Gretel going as far as one can go in the sport.
In the interview she made a comment about liking the femininity of netball that I thought was odd. Things like that make me wonder if her decision was influenced by external pressure. She also said it was a lifestyle choice. If that's another way of saying she is burned out and wants to be lazy for a while then it's understandable, although the life of a WNBL and even a WNBA player would be pretty cruisy I'd think. Chasing money in Europe is another story of course.

Sporn was around at a time when basketball was almost amatuer and is an exception. Tippet is also mush younger than her and isnt yet on Sporn's level. Not sure how Sporn would go up against a Batkovic or Cambage in their prime either. Tippet just seems to get dwarfed in size by 90% of the forwards in the WNBL.

Sorry dude but you sound pretty out of touch. Penny Taylor won a WNBA championship as a 4 and even at Gretel's young age she has a much better size & build for that position than Penny.
Sporn played in the WNBA by the way, and was not a centre. Comparing her to Cambage & Batkovic is ridiculous.

So comparing Sporn to Cambage and Batkovic is ridiculous, but comparing an 18 year rookie to a veteran like Penny Taylor isnt?

By the way Penny Taylor played the 4 in the WNBA just to create mismatches as the Mercury have two other stars on their team. Its like saying Magic Johnson is a centre and can play there because he did during the finals one year due to injuries.

Tippet at 18 just does not look strong to me. Penny Taylor also haas an inside/outside game - have not really seen Tippet shoot it much from the outside.

Give up, dude. Yes, comparing Gretel to Cambage is crazy because a) they don't play the same position and b) even if they did it would be silly to compare her to the tallest player in the league. Compare her to the average centre and you'd still be on the wrong track, but only in one way instead of two.
As for Penny, she didn't play the 4 to create mismatches, she played there because she was Phoenix's best option there, just as Smith - 6'3 and built like a rake - played the 5, and got the job done with at the highest level.

Open your eyes. Look at the WNBA's elite forwards, such as the ones in the USA squad that will romp it in for a gold medal in London. Dupree, Jones, Young... they're in the 6'1 - 6'3 range and not solidly built at all, and these are the top players in the world.

Gretel would have ZERO problems competing physically with these players.
As Anon said above you, the issues here seem to be purely mental. If she doesn't have the will or the drive to do it then she's not going to make it even with LeBron's body, and only she can decide that.
Anyway I hope she finds fulfillment in her choices and doesn't have any regrets when she looks back later on.

Yeah, that is exactly why I mentioned it. That comment really jumped out at me.
It's a shame that that aspect is still considered a big deal.

Why doesnt Crows highest paid player and brother Kurt Tippett encourage Gretel to keep playing hoops?

Kurt apparently dates a lightning player.

Gretel Tippett to the Lightning?

DD Penny Taylor has said it herself that with her playing the big forward it created mismatches ----maybe Penny is wrong???

Tippett is not as strong as those players you listed - it doesnt matter if she is the same size or not. Its an extra 10 years in the weight room that makes those players stronger than Gretel. I doubt Gretel has even lifted a weight to be honest.

Tippet has only playd like 20 WNBL games (excluding AIS) so she has heaps of time.

PT (qoute/unquote)

Taylor: I just hope to add a little bit of depth. You know, bring some of my strengths to the team which is penetrating inside and some outside shooting. When I play the four [power forward] I can create a mismatch for other teams, because I am mobile. I'm looking forward to stepping up and doing whatever [Mercury head coach] Corey needs me to.

dude, I know that Penny created mismatches at the 4. She killed it in the championship series by being able to take her opponents off the dribble. This is news to nobody.

You said "By the way Penny Taylor played the 4 in the WNBA just to create mismatches". That's not true. She didn't play there JUST to create mismatches. She played the 4 because she could, and because you do not have Pondexter, Taurasi or Taylor coming off your bench. Of the three, Penny was the best equipped to play the 4. She could create mismatches without being exploited the other way. That's kinda the point. Otherwise she would have played the 5 and created even more mismatches.

Gretel is not as strong as those other players? Right now? Uhh, no shit. She is 18 years old. LOL. Ever heard of a gym? Pro players go to them. It's part of that dedication that apparently Gretel isn't real keen on.

Gretel has made qld u21 state netball team I have seen her play and once she has a few seasons under her belt she will be a force to be reckoned with. Basketballs loss is netballs gain