Tully Louise Bevilaqua (née Crook on 19 July 1972) is an Australian retired professional
women's basketball
Women's basketball is the team sport of basketball played by women. It was first played in 1892, one year after men's basketball, at Smith College in Massachusetts. It spread across the United States, in large parts via women's college compet ...
player. She previously served as an assistant with the
Phoenix Mercury
The Phoenix Mercury are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Mercury compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Western Conference. One of eight original franchises, it wa ...
in
2023
Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...
. She formerly played for the
San Antonio Stars in the
WNBA and the
Perth Lynx in Australia's
WNBL. The 5'7" Bevilaqua's play style is energetic and disruptive, so much so that she is usually in the top 10 in
steals. In the 2005 regular season, she had more steals per turnover than any other player.
WNBA career
Bevilaqua went
undrafted
In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...
but was signed by the
Cleveland Rockers as a
free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...
before the 1998 season began. She appeared in 12 regular-season games before being waived by the team in July 1998.
In 2000, she signed a free agent contract with the
Portland Fire and played with them for three seasons until the franchise folded after the 2002 season.
In 2003, she signed another contract with the
Seattle Storm
The Seattle Storm are an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The Storm compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Western Conference (WNBA), Western Conference. The team was founded by Gi ...
, and played two seasons for them, capping the 2004 season when the Storm won the
WNBA Championship, defeating the
Connecticut Sun
The Connecticut Sun are an American professional basketball team based in Uncasville, Connecticut. The Sun compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Eastern Conference (WNBA), Eastern Conference. The team i ...
, two games to one.
In 2005, she signed with the
Indiana Fever
The Indiana Fever are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Fever compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) a member of the Eastern Conference (WNBA), Eastern Conference. The team was founded for ...
, and led them to a #2 seed in the playoffs, where they swept the
New York Liberty
The New York Liberty are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Liberty compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Eastern Confer ...
in two games, but in turn were swept by the
Connecticut Sun
The Connecticut Sun are an American professional basketball team based in Uncasville, Connecticut. The Sun compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Eastern Conference (WNBA), Eastern Conference. The team i ...
in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Bevilaqua did not make the Australian national team until 2006 at the age of 34, when she helped lead the Opals to the gold medal in the
2006 FIBA World Championship for Women.
On 27 August 2007, Bevilaqua played a key scoring, defensive, and leadership role in the greatest comeback in WNBA history when the Indiana Fever overcame a 22-point first half deficit to win the deciding game three of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals against the Connecticut Sun. Later that week on 31 August 2007 Tully was awarded the
Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award from the WNBA.
The WNBA listed Bevilaqua's height at 5'7" (about 170 cm), though she was listed at only 164 cm (about 5'4.5") in the WNBL.
Bevilaqua is one of only four WNBA players to record at least 800 career assists and 500 career steals.
2004 Championship season
One of the highlights of Bevilaqua's career was her participation on the 2004
Seattle Storm
The Seattle Storm are an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The Storm compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Western Conference (WNBA), Western Conference. The team was founded by Gi ...
championship team. In the championship series, the
Connecticut Sun
The Connecticut Sun are an American professional basketball team based in Uncasville, Connecticut. The Sun compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Eastern Conference (WNBA), Eastern Conference. The team i ...
won the first game of a three-game series. Then, before sold-out crowds at Seattle's KeyArena, Bevilaqua and the Storm won the second and third games to take the crown as champion. Bevilaqua's role in the series was backup point guard to Sue Bird and Betty Lennox, but she contributed in every phase of the game—scoring, rebounding, and playing the tenacious defense that has become her trademark on the
Indiana Fever
The Indiana Fever are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Fever compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) a member of the Eastern Conference (WNBA), Eastern Conference. The team was founded for ...
.
Though listed as a backup guard, in the course of the Storm's 2004 championship run Bevilaqua played unusually long minutes. This was most evident in the second game against the
Minnesota Lynx
The Minnesota Lynx are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Lynx compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Western Conference (WNBA), Western Conference. The team won the WNBA ...
. Sue Bird was injured early in the game, and WNBA Finals MVP Betty Lennox quickly got into foul trouble. Storm coach Anne Donovan sent Bevilaqua in to run the offense, and she played 27 minutes to carry the team to victory. The Seattle crowd chanted her name repeatedly during the game.
Accolades
In August 2021, Bevilaqua was inducted into the
Basketball WA Hall of Fame.
Personal life
Bevilaqua was born in
Merredin, Western Australia in 1972. She played
Australian rules football
Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...
as a youth.
Her hobbies include
karaoke singing,
golf
Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible.
Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...
ing,
tennis
Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...
,
cricket
Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...
, and reading
Patricia Cornwell
Patricia Cornwell (born Patricia Carroll Daniels; June 9, 1956) is an American crime writer. She is known for her best-selling novels featuring medical examiner Kay Scarpetta, of which the first was inspired by a series of sensational murders ...
's novels. Bevilaqua wrote a regular column in ''
The Canberra Times
''The Canberra Times'' is a daily newspaper in Canberra, Australia, which is published by Australian Community Media. It was founded in 1926, and has changed ownership and format several times.
History
''The Canberra Times'' was launched in 1 ...
'' on the progress of the Canberra Capitals during the 2006/07 WNBL season, and helped launch
Nfinity's women-specific basketball shoes in 2009.
In 2013, Bevilaqua married her partner Lindsay, with the union becoming official with Indiana's recognition of same-sex marriage in October 2014. Tully and Lindsay have two children, Parker and Mackenzie.
[
]
Career statistics
WNBA
Source
Regular season
, -
, style="text-align:left;", 1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...
, style="text-align:left;", Cleveland
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...
, 11 , , 2 , , 11.5 , , .571 , , .333 , , .667 , , .9 , , 2.1 , , 1.1 , , .2 , , .8 , , 1.9
, -
, style="text-align:left;", 2000
2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year.
Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...
, style="text-align:left;", Portland
, style="background:#D3D3D3", 32° , , style="background:#D3D3D3", 32° , , 24.9 , , .357 , , .283 , , .778 , , 3.0 , , 2.8 , , 1.3 , , .2 , , 2.1 , , 4.8
, -
, style="text-align:left;", 2001
The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...
, style="text-align:left;", Portland
, 31 , , 31 , , 25.4 , , .328 , , .315 , , .732 , , 2.8 , , 3.3 , , 1.9 , , .2 , , 1.7 , , 4.9
, -
, style="text-align:left;", 2002
The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...
, style="text-align:left;", Portland
, 27 , , 19 , , 15.6 , , .410 , , .417 , , .655 , , 1.2 , , 1.6 , , .8 , , .1 , , 1.0 , , 3.1
, -
, style="text-align:left;", 2003
2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater.
In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War.
Demographic ...
, style="text-align:left;", Seattle
Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
, 31 , , 0 , , 8.1 , , .333 , , .381 , , .762 , , .8 , , 1.0 , , .5 , , .0 , , .6 , , 1.9
, -
, style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", 2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...
†
, style="text-align:left;", Seattle
Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
, style="background:#D3D3D3", 34° , , 0 , , 10.5 , , .400 , , .423 , , .690 , , .8 , , .9 , , 1.1 , , .1 , , .8 , , 2.3
, -
, style="text-align:left;", 2005
2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...
, style="text-align:left;", Indiana
Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...
, 31 , , 31 , , 28.2 , , .389 , , .379 , , .545 , , 2.0 , , 2.6 , , 1.9 , , .0 , , 1.6 , , 6.3
, -
, style="text-align:left;", 2006
2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification.
Events
January
* January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute.
* January 12 – A stampede during t ...
, style="text-align:left;", Indiana
Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...
, style="background:#D3D3D3", 34° , , style="background:#D3D3D3", 34° , , 29.7 , , .411 , , .311 , , .717 , , 2.3 , , 2.3 , , 2.1 , , .0 , , 1.6 , , 6.6
, -
, style="text-align:left;", 2007
2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year.
Events
January
* January 1
**Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
, style="text-align:left;", Indiana
Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...
, style="background:#D3D3D3", 34° , , style="background:#D3D3D3", 34° , , 26.5 , , .440 , , .371 , , .682 , , 2.2 , , 2.7 , , 1.6 , , .1 , , 1.6 , , 5.3
, -
, style="text-align:left;", 2008
2008 was designated as:
*International Year of Languages
*International Year of Planet Earth
*International Year of the Potato
*International Year of Sanitation
The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
, style="text-align:left;", Indiana
Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...
, 30 , , 30 , , 29.2 , , .405 , , .337 , , .607 , , 2.3 , , 2.2 , , 2.0 , , .1 , , 1.2 , , 5.8
, -
, style="text-align:left;", 2009
2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
, style="text-align:left;", Indiana
Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...
, style="background:#D3D3D3", 34° , , 32 , , 25.3 , , .376 , , .346 , , .667 , , 2.3 , , 2.9 , , 1.8 , , .2 , , 1.4 , , 6.1
, -
, style="text-align:left;", 2010
The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
, style="text-align:left;", Indiana
Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...
, 34 , , 27 , , 19.4 , , .383 , , .338 , , .583 , , 2.1 , , 1.6 , , 1.4 , , .1 , , 1.2 , , 3.9
, -
, style="text-align:left;", 2011
The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...
, style="text-align:left;", San Antonio
San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...
, style="background:#D3D3D3", 34° , , 25 , , 14.5 , , .451 , , .286 , , .722 , , 1.4 , , 1.6 , , .7 , , .1 , , .7 , , 2.9
, -
, style="text-align:left;", 2012
2012 was designated as:
*International Year of Cooperatives
*International Year of Sustainable Energy for All
Events January
*January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins.
* January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
, style="text-align:left;", San Antonio
San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...
, 28 , , 0 , , 5.6 , , .167 , , .125 , , .500 , , .3 , , .4 , , .3 , , .0 , , .3 , , .2
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Career
, style="text-align:left;", 14 years, 5 teams
, 425 , , 297 , , 20.2 , , .392 , , .341 , , .687 , , 1.8 , , 2.0 , , 1.3 , , .1 , , 1.2 , , 4.2
Playoffs
, -
, style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", 2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...
†
, style="text-align:left;", Seattle
Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
, style="background:#D3D3D3", 8° , , 0 , , 13.9 , , .471 , , .429 , , .750 , , 2.0 , , 1.4 , , 1.0 , , .1 , , 1.1 , , 2.8
, -
, style="text-align:left;", 2005
2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...
, style="text-align:left;", Indiana
Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...
, 4 , , 4 , , 38.0 , , .320 , , .429 , , .714 , , 2.3 , , 2.8 , , 1.8 , , .3 , , 2.5 , , 6.8
, -
, style="text-align:left;", 2006
2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification.
Events
January
* January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute.
* January 12 – A stampede during t ...
, style="text-align:left;", Indiana
Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...
, 2 , , 2 , , 31.0 , , .200 , , .333 , , .667 , , 3.0 , , 1.0 , , .5 , , .0 , , .0 , , 4.5
, -
, style="text-align:left;", 2007
2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year.
Events
January
* January 1
**Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
, style="text-align:left;", Indiana
Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...
, 6 , , 6 , , 35.8 , , .295 , , .286 , , .833 , , 2.7 , , 3.2 , , 1.8 , , .0 , , 1.3 , , 7.3
, -
, style="text-align:left;", 2008
2008 was designated as:
*International Year of Languages
*International Year of Planet Earth
*International Year of the Potato
*International Year of Sanitation
The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
, style="text-align:left;", Indiana
Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...
, 3 , , 3 , , 31.3 , , .292 , , .278 , , 1.000 , , 2.3 , , 2.3 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , .3 , , 6.7
, -
, style="text-align:left;", 2009
2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
, style="text-align:left;", Indiana
Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...
, 10 , , 10 , , 22.4 , , .340 , , .313 , , .700 , , 2.3 , , 2.0 , , 1.2 , , .1 , , 1.1 , , 5.3
, -
, style="text-align:left;", 2010
The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
, style="text-align:left;", Indiana
Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...
, 3 , , 3 , , 22.0 , , .429 , , .444 , , –, , .7 , , 1.3 , , .7 , , .0 , , 1.7 , , 5.3
, -
, style="text-align:left;", 2011
The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...
, style="text-align:left;", San Antonio
San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...
, 3 , , 0 , , 12.3 , , .429 , , .333 , , – , , 2.0 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , .7 , , .7 , , 2.7
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Career
, style="text-align:left;", 8 years, 3 teams
, 39 , , 28 , , 24.6 , , .335 , , .333 , , .750 , , 2.2 , , 2.0 , , 1.1 , , .1 , , 1.2 , , 5.1
See also
* List of Australian WNBA players
The following is a Chronology, chronological list of Australian players who have played at least one game in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The list includes both past and present players. Active WNBA players are shown in bold ...
* WNBL Defensive Player of the Year Award
References
External links
*
WNBA Player ProfileFan site from her Seattle Storm playing days
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bevilaqua, Tully
1972 births
Living people
Australian expatriate basketball people in the United States
Australian women's basketball players
Basketball players at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
Basketball players at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Canberra Capitals players
Cleveland Rockers players
Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Australia
Indiana Fever players
Indiana Fever coaches
LGBTQ basketball players
LGBTQ people from Western Australia
Australian lesbian sportswomen
Medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Olympic basketball players for Australia
Olympic medalists in basketball
Olympic silver medalists for Australia
People from Merredin, Western Australia
Perth Lynx players
Point guards
Portland Fire players
San Antonio Stars players
Seattle Storm players
Commonwealth Games gold medallists in basketball
Undrafted Women's National Basketball Association players
Medallists at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
Sportswomen from Western Australia
21st-century Australian sportswomen