Shoot to thrill: Sharn's Tasmania WNBL dream

• Sharn Hayward is back in the NBL1 with the Willetton Tigers
• Sharn returns after four successful years at D1 College Stonehill
• Her 11 threes in a game were featured on ESPN’s SportsCenter

Tasmanian NCAA Division 1 Stonehill Skyhawks graduate Sharn Haywood can light it up and it's her dream to play in the WNBL — in her home State.

“Adding a women's team to a state where there's already such a strong women's basketball program would be exciting for our little state of Tassie,” Hayward told basketball.com.au.

“I would love to continue on to the WNBL and see if that pathway is there for me especially if a Tasmanian team is in the works,” she said.

The opportunity is more than a pipe dream for Hayward, a 168cm guard, after JackJumpers CEO Christine Finnegan said on June 16, 2025, a WNBL team in Tasmania was "close".

"We are very, very close to joining that competition, and I'm hoping to have something finalised this week," Finnegan said.

"It's now just a matter of a couple more boxes to be ticked with the WNBL, and then hopefully some announcement in the next few weeks."

Hayward, who studied Elementary Education and Psychology, is back in Australia and has signing with Willetton Tigers in the NBL1 West women's conference for the 2025 season.

Hayward, from Penguin, Tasmania, made her Willetton debut in their round 9 loss to the Cockburn Cougars at Wally Hagan Stadium. She had 18 points, including six threes, giving Tigers fans an early taste of her elite shooting touch.

Last weekend, she suited up for her first game in front of the Willetton faithful, as the Tigers beat the East Perth Eagles 92-84 in overtime.

“The atmosphere in the stadium was just electric, and being able to pull out a win in front of a home crowd was a great feeling," she said.

Hayward is averaging 15.6 points per game, 1.6 assists and 2.3 rebounds. She's knocking down 4.3 threes per game at 42.2%.

Coming back to Australia after four years in US women's college basketball surreal for Hayward, who left home to pursue her dream in 2020.

“To have this opportunity with Willetton to be back on home soil playing is a really great feeling,” she said.

“I think the ultimate dream after going away was always to come back home and play basketball."

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Hayward made the brave decision to leave Tasmania for Massachusetts after being recruited by the Stonehill Skyhawks.

Her recruitment was a significant step for Stonehill as she became the first international recruit to join the college’s basketball program.

It would be the start of a recruiting shift at Stonehill, which now has several other international recruits following in her footsteps.

“I think it was just something that made me proud to represent Tasmania and Australia as a whole,” she said.

“To be able to guide and be a leader for the next generation of players was special to me."

Her influence grew in her Junior season when she earned the starting point guard position, playing in all 30 games, following up with 33 games as a Senior.

Hayward led the conference in minutes played during the 2024-25 season, logging 1,208 — 142 more than the next closest player.

In Hayward’s breakout 2024-25 season, her offensive output went to the next level as she averaged a team-high 15.8 points while knocking down 111 threes, the fourth most in a season in the Northeast Conference's history.

“I think it was just my confidence, I knew I’d put in the work over the years at Stonehill,” she said.

“I definitely had the confidence from my teammates, they were getting me the ball, setting good screens."

The influence of veteran coach Trisha Brown on Hayward's growth was also apparent. Brown's two decades of experience and her knowledge of the game formed part of the reason Sharn joined her program.

“She has so much knowledge and wisdom," Hayward added.

"She's been there for so long and to be able to draw off that not only to lead my team but for me personally made me a better person and better player moving forward."

In January 2024, Sharn’s elite three-ball ability reached national attention in the US when her 11 bombs against Wagner featured on ESPN's SportsCenter. She scored a career high 33 ... all from beyond the arc. It was coach Brown who told her that the long-held dream of many athletes had come true.

“It wasn't until the next morning where coach put it in the group chat and highlighted the little bit on ESPN that it hit me.”

“It was just overall such exciting times for the program and for myself. It was an unbelievable experience I don’t think I’ll ever forget,” Sharn said.

Tasmanian Roots and Future

Before her college career Hayward represented Tasmania at the Australia U20 National Championships and played for the Launceston Tornadoes in the NBL1. But her basketball foundation was built in the small town of Penguin, where her family played a central role in the local club.

“My dad played at the local club in Penguin and my mum was involved too, so me and my sister kind of grew up playing basketball. It was the first thing we did,” she said.

“Growing up there and being able to stay at the club and have such a family community there, set me up moving forward in my career."

As a young and developing player, she looked up to Australian professional basketball player Lauren Mansfield. When Lauren spent time with the Penguin Basketball club during a stint in Tasmania, Sharn was captivated by her skill and presence on the court.

“Her craftiness at the point, being shifty in transition, being able to shoot and get to the rim, had a big influence on me,” Hayward said.

With Tasmania now vying for a WNBL license her quest to join the league could align perfectly with a homecoming at the highest level.

Hayward believes Tasmania is deserving of a women's team, having firsthand experience in the state's program and with their die-hard basketball fans.

Her sights set on the WNBL and she is a rising guard to watch. Her success both in the US as an Aussie in NCAA women's basketball and on home soil is a testament to the growing pool of talent emerging from Tasmania.