Paige Russell
| No. 81 – Williamsburg Minutemen | |
|---|---|
| Position | Swingfur |
| Species | Opossum ( Didelphidae ) |
| Gender | Female |
| Personal information | |
| Born |
March 9, 2005 Launceston, Tasmania, Australia |
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Listed weight | 199 lb (90 kg) |
| Shoots | Right-handed |
| Career information | |
| School | Launceston Lancers (FBL) |
| FBA draft | 2024 / Round: 2 / Pick: 27th overall |
| Selected by the Williamsburg Minutemen | |
| Pro playing career | 2024–present |
| Career history | |
| 2024 - present | Williamsburg Minutemen |
| Contract information | |
| Contract year | 2024 |
| 2026 Salary | $1.5 million |
| Player Contacts | |
| (IC) Agent | BryanShadowbuck/BladesDaRaccoon |
| (OOC) Creator | BryanShadowbuck/BladesDaRaccoon |
| (OOC) Actor | Unknown |
| (OOC) Usage | Ask me before any use |
Biography
Early Life
Never an easy start when your parents split up at a young age. Much as Paige still gets cards and candies from her father Nico, and the visit or two a year she still wishes he had more time to come down and spend time with his little joey.
Not to say her family lacked love growing up, having an extra pouch to hop in as a joey certainly helped little Paige. When her mom Athena remarried, she tied the knot with a lovely gray kangaroo by the name of Mila. The little pack of ladies ran one of most beloved milk bars in Launceston, famous for it's creamsicle shake. Plenty of weekends where little Paige could be seen beboping around her moms' milk bar, sometimes mixing shakes and collecting a tip or two.
Her off-time...got a little hectic. With little to do in a sleepier area like Launceston, Paige would often get wrapped activities that weren't the worst but...not exactly things you wanna write home about. Just ask about the handful of tickets she got for tagging and the earfuls she got for skateboarding. Not to mention one of said incidents where she shouted back and it got a bit ugly. She got tripped while boarding and got her wrist banged up...when she got up she ended up swinging on her attacker which got the cops involved and took a while to prove it was self-defense.
Her moms got it but they weren't the happiest either, Paige needed something to manage herself...
Playing Ball
Paige was encouraged with her height to try out basketball, something where she could dart around and perhaps temper down a bit. She seemed reluctant at first but even at the tender age of fourteen, in her local club she seemed to be able to pick it up fast. It was small stuff at first, getting relegated to handling catch and shoot spots in plays to getting a small handful of them to lead herself. She was shaky at times but she was showing she could possibly have a future.
As she got older, She began to make more of a name for herself. Paige used her spot in local basketball to advertise her moms' milk bar and get people in the door for those awesome creamsicle shakes and at one point got a license or two to spray up some murals around town. That made her glad that her skill was finally seen as art and not a misdemeanor.
Her game grew as well as she did, using her height as a mismatch for most guards and smooth stroke shooting the ball to run the scoreboard up. It would catch the attention of the Launceston Lancers, an FBL team in need of a little boost both in play and in recognition...a spot Paige could certainly help with.
As a Lancer, Paige fit in as a star scorer able to pick apart mismatches and hit long shots smooth as butter. Not to mention she could be quite the entertainer, having a shenanigan or two where she'd stumble into the courtside section and ask how a fan's day was or take a sip of cola if a fan offered. It was fun seeing the change in vibe she brought to the Lancers, even on a bad night there was levity and a reason to keep in your seat.
The Inspiration
The questions would eventually roll in about if she'd ever flirt with going on to the FBA. For the most part, she played that very fickle. Deep down that was the one bit of nerves she'd had in quite a while. Sure she had talent, but was that from a smaller pond? Could she manage with the best? For once, she had doubts...the maybes and the I can't's began to flood her mind.
However a lot of that would change when she saw the Olympics. Australia seemed to have quite the rebuilt squad, built around scoring talents like AMR and other names with FBL ties like Laura Reisman. Players that balled in a similar fashion to her...The moment where those maybes changed to 'I Can'.
The Boomers' play in Paris was just was the possum needed. Paige had her 'I Can' moment and she knew now was the time...not to mention, her father was stateside. A chance to rekindle that father-daughter relationship that she always thought could've been better...
Stats
| Season | Team | G | Min | FGM | FGA | 3PtM | 3PtA | FTM | FTA | Off | Reb | Ast | TO | Stl | Blk | PF | Pts | MPG | FG% | TP% | FT% | RPG | APG | TPG | SPG | BPG | FPG | PPG | Ast/TO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | WIL | 80 | 360.8 | 49 | 116 | 22 | 56 | 12 | 15 | 35 | 53 | 43 | 19 | 10 | 3 | 17 | 132 | 4.5 | 0.422 | 0.393 | 0.800 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 1.6 | 2.3 |
| 2025-26 | WIL | 55 | 1016.5 | 198 | 431 | 95 | 239 | 130 | 140 | 13 | 81 | 105 | 81 | 33 | 18 | 81 | 621 | 18.5 | 0.459 | 0.397 | 0.929 | 1.5 | 1.9 | 1.5 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 1.5 | 11.3 | 1.3 |
| Career Total | 135 | 1377.3 | 247 | 547 | 117 | 295 | 142 | 155 | 48 | 134 | 148 | 100 | 43 | 21 | 98 | 753 | 10.2 | 0.452 | 0.397 | 0.916 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 5.6 | 1.5 |