There’s a Commonwealth Games connection in Ella Doherty’s family going back four decades and, forty years on, the 22-year-old is preparing to add significantly to the family’s Commonwealth Games story.
Back in 1986, Doherty’s mum carried the Queen’s Baton ahead of the Games taking place in Edinburgh and now Doherty is preparing to go one better and actually compete in the Commonwealth Games themselves.
The 5’11’ guard from Powmill in Perth and Kinross has been named in Scotland’s 4-strong women’s basketball squad for next month’s Glasgow 2026, with Doherty’s selection coming off the back of an outstanding season with Scotland’s lone professional basketball team, Caledonia Gladiators.
And while it may be her club that occupies the majority of her thoughts during the regular season, Doherty is ready to grasp with both hands her Commonwealth Games debut at Glasgow 2026 in just a few weeks’ time.
“I'm so excited - to represent Scotland is such an honour,” she says.
“My mum did athletics growing up and she ran with the baton for the Commonwealth Games years ago, although she didn't compete in the Games herself. So I've always been aware of the Commonwealth Games and I've always grown up around sports but I never thought I could actually be in it myself.
"Career-wise, this is something I would have dreamed of as a kid if I knew it was a possibility.
“It's such an honour to represent my country so I'm so excited.”
The Commonwealth Games basketball tournament will be 3v3 rather than 5v5 basketball which is more regularly played. And while Doherty has considerably less experience playing the curtailed version of the game, which has a match-time of only ten minutes, she’s relishing the opportunity ahead.
“3v3 is a rising sport in the basketball world and it's really fun to play, it's really fast paced,” says Doherty, who’s joined in the women’s squad for Glasgow 2026 by Kirsty Brown, Claire Paxton and Hannah Robb.
Read more: Sarah Adlington chasing history but remaining philosophical as retirement closes in
Niamh Mitchell embracing the prospect of making history at Glasgow 2026
“I've played for the youth GB team in 3v3 for the past two summers so I do have a little bit of experience, but nothing compared to 5v5 which I've been playing since I was 10 years old.
“I was only introduced to 3x3 about three years ago and it's really fun. It's a completely different game to 5v5 - it’s fast paced, it's very competitive and it's a short game so you've got to score quickly.”
Doherty is hopeful she can continue the momentum of her club side, Caledonia Gladiators, who had another impressive showing in the recently-concluded season. Doherty was an integral member of Gladiators’ squad which finished runners-up in the WBBL for the second consecutive season. And with newly-appointed Gladiators coach, Donnie MacDonald, at the helm of Scotland’s women’s squad at Glasgow 2026, Doherty is confident that the quartet is in the best possible position to give an extremely strong showing on home soil.
“I know the girls that I'm playing with in Glasgow so there's that team dynamic, which is god because, with there being only four of you, that team dynamic is really important,” she says.
“And Donnie has coached me since I was around 10 years old so we have a really good relationship. He has so much experience in basketball and he's so knowledgeable.
"We're at home and we'll have the crowd behind us so we want to go and win a medal and make our country proud. To do that will definitely be challenging but to win is always our goal.”
The men’s basketball squad has also been named for Glasgow 2026 and is comprised of Kyle Jimenez, Fraser Malcolm, Owen McCormack, Skyler White while the wheelchair basketball squads include under-23 GB player, Finlay Erskine and Paralympian, Robyn Love.
