Finding gems: Kristen Veal on her team's U18 Women's Asia Cup triumph

The star guard turned coach reflects on guiding Australia's brightest junior prospects and calling time on her WNBL coaching career

Photo credit: FIBA

More than 5.6 million people tuned in to the live stream of the recent FIBA U18 Women’s Asia Cup in Shenzen, China, where Australia’s Gems successfully defended their title, defeating the host nation 96-79.

The Gems began their campaign with a 124-38 thrashing of Malaysia, but head coach Kristen Veal says the team always kept focus on the heavyweights they would face at the end of the tournament.

“Our group is really conscientious, committed and compliant to the overarching goals in what we're trying to do on a daily basis,” Veal told The Pick and Roll.

“The game against [South] Korea was our big one to qualify, and then Chinese Taipei were surprisingly tough.

“The tournament gradually got tougher and tougher for us, so it was a great build-up to the final game.”