Inside Sara Blicavs' remarkable return

Just over 12 months ago, a spinal fusion capped the toughest year of Sara Blicavs' life. She's now not just back in the Opals team, but has eyes on basketball's biggest stage.

Photo credit: FIBA

Sara Blicavs catches a pass in motion, and doesn’t break stride. The rangy forward puts the ball on the floor with a hard, right hand dribble, attacking a close out. Her second dribble offers a slight hesitation, enough to make her defender second guess the action, and enough to leave her an open path to the rim. She motors towards the hoop, and finishes an open right hand lay-up through traffic.

It’s only practice, but Blicavs runs back up the court with both fingers pointed to the sky, celebrating with that trademark smile lightning up her entire face. And why wouldn’t she? Save for Lauren Jackson’s remarkable return, the 32 year old is currently in the midst of completing one of the most stunning basketball comebacks in recent memory.

Because this practice? It isn’t just inside a closed gym in Melbourne’s suburbs, or even at the Victorian Institute of Sport, where she’s spent the last year rehabbing a spinal fusion. This time, Blicavs is wearing green and gold, back alongside the nation’s most elite players, at Opals camp.

“I remember when Sandy [Brondello] called me, it would’ve been early January, and she basically just checked in with me, asked how I was going, asked if I wanted to be back in the Australian squad, and if I wanted to come to the camp. And knowing I’d only played two NBL1 games prior to that camp, I was like, ‘screw it, let’s go, it sounds like fun.’ I think for me, getting that phone call and getting thrown back into that squad was almost better than getting told I’d made the World Cup team back in Sydney in 2022, like it was such an awesome feeling, just to be back.”

Blicavs wasn’t just making up the numbers either. The 32-year-old has been named in the Opals’ team for the upcoming Trans-Tasman series, a three-game series starting in Adelaide this month. Just over a year ago, it seemed like the veteran might be finished. Now, she’s miraculously starting the most exciting chapter of her career.