Carley Monika Ernst (; born 1 August 1994) is an Australian professional basketball player.

Career

Ernst began her professional career in 2009 when she joined the

Australian Institute of Sport The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) is a high performance sports training institution in Australia. The institute's headquarters were opened in 1981 and are situated in the northern suburb of Bruce, Canberra. The AIS is a division of the ...

(AIS) for the

2009–10 WNBL season The 2009–10 WNBL season was the 30th season of competition since its establishment in 1981. A total of 10 teams contested the league. The regular season was played between October 2009 and March 2010, followed by a post-season involving the top ...

. She managed just four games in her first season and went on to sit out the entire 2010–11 season after undergoing a second knee operation. She returned to the AIS line-up in 2011–12 and played out her first full season. She subsequently earned WNBL Rookie of the Year honours after averaging 9.1 points and 5.2 rebounds in 18 games. In May 2012, Ernst signed with the

Dandenong Rangers The Southside Flyers are an Australian professional basketball team based in Melbourne, Victoria. The Flyers compete in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) and play their home games at the State Basketball Centre. For sponsorship pur ...

for the 2012–13 WNBL season. In 23 games for Dandenong, she averaged 6.1 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. During the 2013 off-season, she played for the Kilsyth Cobras. In June 2013, Ernst signed with the Canberra Capitals for the

2013–14 WNBL season The 2013–14 WNBL season was the 34th season of the Australian Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) competition since the league's establishment in 1981. A total of 9 teams contested the league. The regular season was played between 4 Octobe ...

. In 24 games for Canberra, she averaged 9.4 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. During the 2014 off-season, she remained in Canberra and continue her development at Basketball Australia's Centre of Excellence. On 11 June 2014, Ernst signed with the

Adelaide Lightning The Adelaide Lightning are an Australian professional basketball team competing in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL). The club is based in the city of Adelaide, South Australia, and will play their home games at the State Basketball ...

for the 2014–15 WNBL season. In 22 games for Adelaide, she averaged 6.9 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. During the 2015 off-season, she played for the Waverley Falcons. On 3 June 2015, Ernst signed with the

Perth Lynx The Perth Lynx are an Australian professional basketball team based in Perth, Western Australia. The Lynx compete in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) and play their home games at both WA Basketball Centre, Bendat Basketball Centre ...

for the

2015–16 WNBL season The 2015–16 WNBL season is the 36th season of competition since its establishment in 1981. A total of 9 teams contested the league. The regular season was played between October 2015 and February 2016, followed by a post-season involving the top ...

. She helped lead the Lynx to a second place regular season finish with a 16–8 win–loss record, and went on to score 17 points in the team's semi-final win over the first-seeded

Townsville Fire The Townsville Fire are an Australian professional basketball team competing in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL). The Fire are based in Townsville, Queensland, and play their home games at Townsville Entertainment and Convention Ce ...

. With the win, the Lynx advanced to the WNBL grand final for the first time since

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

. There they were outclassed by the defending champion Townsville (who made it to the grand final via the preliminary final), losing the best-of-three series 2–0. She appeared in all 27 games for the Lynx in 2015–16, averaging 11.6 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. She remained in Perth during the 2016 off-season and joined the

Kalamunda Eastern Suns Kalamunda Eastern Suns is an NBL1 West club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 West. The club is a division of Kalamunda & Districts Basketball Association (KDBA), the major administrative ...

of the

State Basketball League NBL1 West, formerly the State Basketball League (SBL), is a semi-professional basketball league in Western Australia, comprising both a men's and women's competition. In 2020, Basketball Western Australia partnered with the National Basketball L ...

. On 28 April 2016, Ernst re-signed with the Lynx for the

2016–17 WNBL season The 2016–17 WNBL season is the 37th season of competition since its establishment in 1981. The regular season begins on October 7, 2016 when the Sydney Uni Flames host the Perth Lynx and is scheduled to conclude on February 19, 2017. Townsville ...

. She helped lead the Lynx finish third in the regular season with a 15–9 win–loss record; the Lynx went on to lose 2–1 to the

in the semi-finals. Ernst appeared in all 27 games for the Lynx in 2016–17, averaging 13.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. Following her second season with the Lynx, Ernst joined the

Frankston Blues Frankston Blues is a NBL1 South club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 South. The club is a division of Frankston & District Basketball Association (FDBA), the major administrative basketbal ...

for the 2017

SEABL The South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL) was a semi-professional basketball league in Australia comprising both a men's and women's competition. The SEABL began in 1981 and operated for 38 seasons until it was disbanded in 2018. The ...

season. After a season with the

in 2017–18, she joined ACS Sepsi SIC in Romania in February 2018. She returned to the Rangers for the 2018–19 season and then played for the

Bendigo Spirit The Bendigo Spirit are an Australian professional basketball team based in Bendigo, Victoria. The Spirit play in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) and play their home games at Bendigo Stadium, Red Energy Arena. The team debuted in the ...

in 2019–20 and the 2020 WNBL Hub season. In January 2022, she joined the

Melbourne Boomers Geelong United is an Australian professional basketball team based in Geelong, Victoria. United compete in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) and play their home games at Geelong Arena. Beginning as the Bulleen Boomers in 1984, the ...

for the rest of the 2021–22 season. With the

Southside Flyers The Southside Flyers are an Australian professional basketball team based in Melbourne, Victoria. The Flyers compete in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) and play their home games at the State Basketball Centre. For sponsorship pur ...

in 2022–23, she played her 250th WNBL game. In 2024, Ernst helped the Waverley Falcons win the NBL1 South championship while earning grand final MVP honours. She went on to help the Falcons win the NBL1 National championship at the 2024 NBL1 National Finals.

National team

Youth level

Ernst has been a member of both the Australian Under-17 and Under-19 national women's teams, winning bronze in 2013 with the Gems at the

FIBA Under-19 World Championship The FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup (formerly FIBA Under-19 World Championship) is the under-19 men's world basketball championship organised by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA). From its inauguration in 1979, until 2007, it was ...

Personal life

Ernst holds a dual-passport through her Serbian heritage. Ernst had her first child in 2021.

References

External links

WNBL profile

WNBL Grand Final Player Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ernst, Carley 1994 births Living people Adelaide Lightning players Australian Institute of Sport basketball (WNBL) players Australian people of Serbian descent Australian women's basketball players Canberra Capitals players Centers (basketball) Dandenong Rangers players Perth Lynx players Power forwards Washington Mystics draft picks 21st-century Australian sportswomen Basketball players from Melbourne Sportswomen from Victoria (state) Southside Flyers players