"I was shocked": Alex Fowler on her rise to Opals stardom

The 24-year-old seized her chance at national level, establishing herself as a mature, versatile and team-first player.

Photo credit: FIBA

When Australia broke through for their first gold medal at the recent FIBA Women’s Asia Cup, Alex Fowler was an easy choice for tournament MVP. Such an accolade would be a major achievement for any player, but in Fowler’s case, it capped a remarkable couple of months which saw her rocket from the fringes of the national team to a starring role.

She wasn’t even initially named in the Opals training camp in April ahead of their series against New Zealand, but Sandy Brondello called her into the group after other players went down with injuries.

“I was shocked,” Fowler says of that fateful call.

“I had no idea what was going on, but I said ‘yes’ straight away, without even really thinking about it. I was just so excited.”