For Yaeger, it all began at church.
Born and bred in Adelaide, she attended church with her mum, Derrilee, and dad, Mark. Surprisingly, it was where she first picked up a basketball.
“There was a hall at the back that had a half basketball court and while the service was on, they’d send all the kids out and we’d go and play,” she says.
As a 5-year-old, Yaeger got a taste for the game as she mixed it with boys who were a few years older.
It wasn’t until she reached the U10 age-bracket that Yaeger, who attended St John’s Grammar School, turned to club basketball and started to see pathways for the sport that would one day take her around the world.
The 28-year-old says she knew she loved the game from the moment she picked up a ball and when she started to make Australian state teams, she was already eyeing up the possibility of playing college basketball in the US.
“Basketball was just one of those things I started and then never looked back,” she says. “And with my dad having come from Minnesota and having played American football, I knew that I wanted to play college basketball.”
She played for the Australian U16 team at the Fiba Oceania championships in 2013 and the U17 national side at the world championships in the Czech Republic in 2014, who were fifth. She was also a member of the Australian U19 basketball squad in 2015.
On leaving school, Yaeger fulfilled her dream of playing in America, turning out for the University of Oregon for four years.
But during her second year with the Ducks, she experienced her first brush with serious injury.
“I woke up one day with a sore back and it just became one of those things that I have had to manage ever since,” she says.
Cortisone injections, hours with PT trainers and physios, and long chats with the doctor she trusted the most – her dad – followed as she attempted to ease the pain in her lower back.
She sat out her sophomore year in 2017-18 and remembers well the moment the doctors suggested she had done all she could to overcome the career-threatening injury.
Yaeger also remembers her response – something the 1.75m Adelaide guard carries with her every time she steps on court.
“Quitting wasn’t going to help. If I quit, then I’m definitely not going to play again. That wasn’t an option,” she says.
Medical professionals told her she had “hit the ceiling” with how good her chronic lower back injury would ever feel and that their recommendation was to give up the game.
She realised a back injury would have an impact on not just her playing career but her life in general, so she was meticulous in her rehab and to get back in shape “just for life”.
“If I got to a point where I was good enough to play, then good, and that’s kind of what happened,” she says.
Yaeger’s hard work paid off and she returned to the court for the Ducks for two more seasons. Six years later, Yaeger says she’s used that experience to shape her career.
“It was incredibly hard at the time, but I wouldn’t change things. I’m grateful to be in the position I’m in now and for what I’ve been able to accomplish so far,” she says. “I don’t think I take any of it for granted because of what I’ve been through.”
Yaeger has since turned out for eight different teams and won four championships, including the NBL1 championship with the Southern Tigers in 2021, the WNBL in Australia in 2023 with the Townsville Fire and in 2014 with the Rockhampton Cyclones.
Moving to New Zealand, she claimed a championship win for the Tauranga Whai in the Tauihi League.
But those highs have been peppered with lows – in the form of her recurring struggles with her back and a broken wrist.
Her championship win with Townsville was marred by stints on the sideline due to her back problem.
Morgan Yaeger: “I’m grateful to be in the position I’m in now and for what I’ve been able to accomplish so far.” Photo / Photosport
“It was definitely a bit anxiety-provoking,” Yaeger admits. “It scared me a little bit and I was like ‘oh, s***, not this again’. But I’ve also grown to not be so emotional about it and know that I’ve done this before, and I know how to get better.”
She has used inspiration from actor Michael Caine, whose life philosophy of “use the difficulty” means to turn unexpected obstacles into creative advantages instead of letting setbacks stop you.
“I don’t see the point in quitting when I hurt myself,” Yaeger says. “My injuries are my biggest strength.”
She needed to draw on that vision when she headed to play in New Zealand for the first time in the 2024 Tauihi League. Just two minutes into her season with the Whai, Yaeger broke her wrist.
“I knew as soon as I went down that it wasn’t good. There was an indent in my arm that I knew shouldn’t be there,” she says.
With her arm in a cast, Yaeger contemplated another season on the sidelines. Fortunately, her Whai coach Alex Stojkovic knew a hand-and-wrist surgeon in Tauranga and sought a second opinion.
It was decided immediate surgery was the best option and would give Yaeger her best shot at returning to the court in what was already a short season. “I broke my wrist on the Saturday, had a chat to the surgeon on Tuesday and by Thursday I had had surgery and had a brace on my wrist.”
Two weeks later, Yaeger was already on the training court preparing for her return to court – much to the surprise of Stojkovic, who was “shocked” at the dribbling and shooting she was able to do so soon after surgery.
Another three weeks down the track, just five since she broke her wrist, the point guard was back in business for the Whai, against the Pouākai in Christchurch. And few would have predicted that she’d play a starring role in the Whai’s championship win over the Tokomanawa Queens, earning her a finals MVP.
It was the icing on a purple patch for Yaeger, with back-to-back titles – first for Rockhampton in Australia and then the Whai. “It’s probably been the highlight of my career,” she says.
Heading to the Pouākai in 2025 was an easy decision as she followed coach Stojkovic in the move south. She didn’t know the coach before playing in New Zealand but had an immediate connection with the German-born mentor.
“I remember the first conversation I had with him,” Yaeger says. “We just kind of started rambling about basketball and he was a big analytics guy, and he obviously knows and watches a lot of basketball. We connected through that and realised that we’re both just a little bit obsessed with the game. We rambled for over 45 minutes on a Zoom call, and I knew I could relate to this guy.”
Teaming up again for their third season together, Stojkovic says Yaeger has shown over the past few seasons she is the “most explosive guard” in the league.
“She’s incredibly difficult to stay in front of, brings a real X-factor to our offence, and has the ability to create opportunities for both herself, and her teammates,” he says.
The Pouākai had their best season with Stojkovic but fell just short of a maiden title, ironically to the Whai, losing 66-93 in last year’s final.
Yaeger says her goals this year are simple – stay healthy and win.
“One of the best things I could say at the end of the year is that I played every game and we won. It’s that simple.”
Whatever the result, Yaeger will continue to push herself in a game that has always been more than a job to her – basketball’s pace and creativity the main attractions for the sports fan.
“The thing that sometimes makes me like a sport or not, is the pace. If it’s slow, I lose a bit of interest,” she says. “And it might sound corny, but basketball is very expressive. You can be really creative, and the game is always progressing – new strategies or new moves. I find myself super curious about the game and I’m probably more so now that I’m older.”
And she still dreams big, with America’s WNBA something she aspires to.
“With my dad being from America, I’ve always wanted to play there because it’s the highest level no matter how you spin it. The WNBA has always been a dream and if any of those opportunities arose, I’d take it in a heartbeat,” she says.
“But at the same time, fixating on the end goal doesn’t really get you anywhere. I’m just happy to play, work hard, get better and see where I end up.
“First and foremost, I’m just happy to be playing.”
Mainland Pouākai open their Tauihi Basketball League season today against Southern Hoiho.
This story was originally published at Newsroom.co.nz and is republished with permission.