Basketball Gold: The Carbon Gym Story Behind an Unforgettable University Games Win

Every now and then a Carbon Gym story comes along that still gets talked about in the gym years later. This is one of them. It starts with a basketball coach from North Geelong, an underdog team, and a 3 point win in a gold medal final on the Gold Coast. Mitch Stoop, a Carbon Gym member, coached the Dragons women’s team to the top of the 2018 Australian University Games. His training partner Lachie McPherson was up there at the same time, flying the Carbon Gym flag in the athletics team.

This is the story of that week. It’s also the reason basketball is still woven into what we do at Carbon Gym Geelong today, from our indoor basketball court hire to the basketball skills classes we run every week.

How did a Carbon Gym coach end up leading a women’s team to gold?

Mitch Stoop is a North Geelong local and a Carbon Gym regular. In 2018, he stepped into his first head coaching role with the Dragons Division 1 women’s basketball team, heading up to Queensland to compete against the best university sides in the country. It was his second Uni Games as part of a program, but his first as the coach calling the plays.

Mitch had already tasted gold the year before, when his Division 2 men’s squad came home with the medal. Stepping up to coach the women’s team was a different kind of pressure. He was leading a group that was seeded low, up against programs with deeper rosters and serious national-league talent. What he had in his corner was Carbon Gym’s strength and conditioning base, a team that trusted each other, and the habit of showing up every day.

The lead-up: two Carbon Gym athletes pack their bags for Queensland

Back in September 2018, we put up a short note in the Carbon Gym news to wish the crew well. Two of our members were heading up to Queensland for the Uni Games, an annual multi-sport championship that brings together more than 30 universities from across the country.

Mitch was going up for the basketball team. Lachie was going up for athletics, his first Uni Games. Both had been putting in long hours in the Carbon Gym weights room and on the floor, working on the kind of base fitness that carries an athlete through a tight seven-day tournament. That’s the quiet part of any gold medal story: the months of sport-specific conditioning that happen before the cameras show up.

What happened at the 2018 Australian University Games basketball tournament?

The Dragons women’s side landed on the Gold Coast as underdogs. Their first big test was the reigning gold medallists from the previous year, and it did not go well. The team lost that pool game by more than ten points, which is a long way to come back from in a short tournament.

It would have been easy to fold. Instead, the Dragons regrouped, worked through the bracket, and drew the same opponent again in the semi-final. This time, with Mitch adjusting the game plan and the team playing with nothing to lose, the Dragons won the rematch and booked a spot in the gold medal game.

The gold medal basketball match

The final pitted the Dragons against the University of Technology Sydney, who had been the wrecking ball of the tournament. Their best player was a WNBL professional, a full-time paid athlete facing a team of students. On paper it looked like a mismatch.

Mitch’s Dragons did not read the paper. They stuck to their defensive structure, leaned on their depth, and stayed in the fight. In the fourth quarter, Olympic gold medallist Brooke Hanson was courtside and gave the team the kind of pep talk you only get once or twice in a career. The Dragons pulled away and won the gold medal match by three points. It was a Carbon Gym coaching performance that we still talk about.

Lachie’s week in the athletics team did not end with a medal, but it did end with a set of hard-earned personal bests and a clear signal that Carbon Gym can produce more than just fighters and lifters. We can produce runners, jumpers, and throwers too.

Why basketball culture matters at Carbon Gym Geelong

If you have ever wondered why a boxing and martial arts gym cares so much about basketball, Mitch’s story is a big part of the answer. Basketball has always been part of the Carbon Gym community. Kids who play for local clubs train here for their off-season strength work. Adult rec league players use our court for pickup games and shootarounds. School groups book in for skills sessions with our coaches.

Basketball is also one of the most widely played team sports in Australia, with more than one million Australians playing every year according to AusPlay. A lot of those players are right here in Geelong, and for a long time the city has been short on indoor options. That’s part of why we built out our indoor court in Studio 5.

Can you play basketball at Carbon Gym Geelong?

Yes. Carbon Gym has a full-size indoor basketball court available for hire in North Geelong, plus a dedicated basketball skills class run in partnership with the D-League. The court is open for casual shootarounds, team training, school groups, corporate bookings, and birthday parties. Check our Carbon Gym timetable or get in touch to book a session.

The basketball skills class covers ball handling, shooting, footwork, and game sense, and it welcomes everyone from first-time players to seasoned club competitors. If you want to train where a Carbon Gym coach once took a team to Uni Games basketball gold, you are welcome here.

The takeaway, eight years later

Mitch’s 2018 Uni Games gold was never just about one team. It was a snapshot of what the Carbon Gym community does best: show up, put in the work, and back each other when the scoreboard turns ugly. That same energy is what you find on the court today, whether you are hiring it for a birthday party, running a school basketball camp, or lacing up for our weekly skills class.

If you want to see the court for yourself, or talk about a regular basketball booking for your team or club, start with the Carbon Gym intro offer or drop into the gym and ask at reception. We will show you around the same floor where a few local athletes once trained for a gold medal.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who won the women’s basketball gold medal at the 2018 Australian University Games?

The Dragons Division 1 women’s team, coached by Carbon Gym member Mitch Stoop, won the gold medal at the 2018 Australian University Games on the Gold Coast. They beat the University of Technology Sydney by three points in the final after earlier losing, and then beating, the previous year’s champions.

Does Carbon Gym have a basketball court?

Yes. Carbon Gym in North Geelong has a full-size indoor basketball court in Studio 5, with regulation hoops, quality flooring, and strong lighting. It is used for member shootarounds, team training, skills classes, and private court hire.

Can you hire a basketball court in Geelong?

You can hire an indoor basketball court at Carbon Gym Geelong. Casual single bookings and regular weekly bookings are both available, with pricing based on session length and group size. See the basketball court hire Geelong page for full details.

Does Carbon Gym run basketball classes?

Carbon Gym runs a weekly basketball skills class in partnership with the D-League. Sessions focus on ball handling, shooting, footwork, and game sense, and are open to beginners, school-age players, and experienced club competitors.

Who is Mitch Stoop?

Mitch Stoop is a North Geelong coach and long-time Carbon Gym member. At the 2018 Australian University Games he coached a Division 1 women’s team to the gold medal, one of the most memorable moments in the Carbon Gym community’s history.