Bourne to Play

POCATELLO, Idaho- Callie Bourne is no stranger to taking a leap of faith. The sophomore came to the United States in 2018 from Canberra, Australia as the first in her family to attend college and compete at the Division I level.
 
"Ever since I was younger I wanted to come to college to play basketball in America," Bourne said. "It's just a cool experience. It's an adventure."
 
At around 16 years old, Bourne's Australian basketball team took a tour to America where she got the chance to meet other Australian athletes who were living out her dream.
 
"I thought to myself, 'This is really cool. This is what I want to do,'" Bourne said. "Since then it has been my goal. I like doing things out of my comfort zone and wanted to develop my basketball more so I started the process to try and come here."  
 
Her goal would become closer to reality her senior year of high school when her recruiting process took off. Bourne, who competed with semi-professional teams and spent two years in a professional league as a development player, was contacted by Idaho State after a tournament in the states.
 
"We just started face timing and emailing from then on," Bourne said. "Then I came on a visit and I met the team and decided it was a good fit for me here. I haven't looked back since. I like Coach Sobo because he is nice off court but on the court he says what I'm doing wrong. He helps me and he's hard which I like. When I came on my visit it just kind of clicked and I felt like I fit in straight away. The team was the decider to come here."
 
Bourne has always been exposed to athletics. She grew up playing a wide-range of sports including swimming, netball, oztag, and basketball. Her athleticism stems from parents who competed themselves. Her father was an Australian football player while her mother, unsurprisingly, played basketball. The two would go onto raise three daughters, all intrigued by the sport of basketball.
 
At just five years old, Bourne's captivation with the sport began from watching her three-year-older sister, Emma, play.
 
"My older sister played basketball," Bourne said. "Whatever she did I wanted to do. I was on her team for a little bit and if she would run and defend someone, I would go defend behind her. She was my role model growing up."
 
The two sisters' love for the game rubbed off on their youngest sister. Being just 18-months younger than Callie, the two spent a lot of time playing which turned into very competitive days in the Bourne household.
 
"My younger sister is a post and she is taller than me so our one-on-ones growing up would be super competitive," Bourne laughed. "We loved doing it. It made us better. But by the end of it we were fighting. We could never finish a game."
 
Despite the competitiveness, the Bourne family emphasized that their bond comes from more than just basketball.
 
"Basketball is a big part of our lives but I think you need something outside of that," Bourne said. "We love summer and the beach and that is where we make a lot of memories that keep us together. We could spend hours or the whole day at the beach just playing around."
 
Their incorporation of family values was evident throughout Bourne's basketball career. Her parent's emphasized doing what she loved and for Bourne, that was basketball. They made sacrifices, supported her, and made a dedicated decision to drive her and her sisters to practice every day.
 
"I love my parents to death," Bourne said. "I'm so thankful for them. I wouldn't be here without them. They've always pushed me along and to do what's best for me."
 
A dedication to their daughter's basketball career meant supporting her dreams to play in another country.
 
"I miss them a lot but they're proud and I'm so thankful for how they've handled this whole decision to move here," said Bourne. "They wanted what is best and to get school and basketball is the best of both worlds. It is important to get a degree. I won't be able to do basketball forever so I need to think about the long term as well."
 
Not only did they support one, but two daughter's dreams to play in America. Bourne's younger sister, Isabelle, is a freshman at Nebraska. With two sisters playing Division I basketball, it looks like those competitive days at the Bourne household paid off.
 
Bourne has taken on a mentorship role for her younger sister after one year of college athletics under her belt.
 
"She's younger so I can help her a little bit and give her advice because I went through it last year," said Bourne. "We're very close. We're so close in age so we did basketball together all throughout the years so it was weird when we had to split ways. Hopefully we'll play each other soon."
 
The mentorship role is a two-way street for the sisters.
 
"She helps me too," Bourne commented. "She makes me pull my head in or help me hold my head up through different situations."
 
Although moving to a new country isn't the easiest task, Bourne has seen growth in herself in just her second year at ISU.
 
"Mentally it's been a big step," Bourne said. "I've been learning a lot. There's a different style of play, a different team altogether, and a different country so it's a big mental thing you have to overcome. From freshman to sophomore year, I've been a lot more aggressive and looking for my own game."
 
With a heart that longs for sports, Bourne is studying sports management at Idaho State and hopes to play following graduation.
 
"After I finish with college here I would like to go play for a bit longer," said Bourne. "Whether its back home or in Europe, I came here because I love basketball so I'm hoping to keep playing. It's what I like to do."