Looking at the Opals' possibilities ahead of the 2023 FIBA Women's Asia Cup
The 2023 FIBA Women's Asia Cup is just over a month away. It's time to take a look at the options the Opals have, and there's one name who isn't in the initial squad, who I would select.
Photo credit: FIBA
The 2023 FIBA Women’s Asia Cup is just over a month away - tipping off on 26 June in Sydney - and with the tournament having major ramifications for Olympic qualifying, all will be on the line. The top four teams of the tournament will directly qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
With that in mind, Australia won’t be fielding a full-strength squad, due to overseas commitments, but that just means others will have to take on larger roles. That’s an exciting prospect, when you consider the talent within the Opals squad.
As coach Sandy Brondello – who also won’t be with the squad due to her New York Liberty commitments – mentioned prior to the March/April training camp in Canberra, the WNBA contingent of Opals won’t be present at the tournament.
“We have to qualify for Paris and the Asia Cup is really important for us,” she said. “We have to put the best team on the court that we have available, eight of our players will go off to the WNBA and will most likely not be available, so it’s a great opportunity for some of our young players to step up.”
Of the squad named earlier this year, Bec Allen, Cayla George, Ezi Magbegor, Jade Melbourne, Alanna Smith, Kristy Wallace and Sami Whitcomb likely won’t be suiting up due to WNBA commitments, while Steph Talbot is still recovering from the ACL injury she sustained during the WNBL season.
There’s no debating that results in some serious star power missing, but the depth of Australian basketball will be on full display, as a strong mix of experienced veterans and exciting youngsters will likely be on show.
Firstly, looking at the Opals squad from last year’s World Cup, Sara Blicavs, Darcee Garbin, Tess Madgen, Anneli Maley and Marianna Tolo should all be available. That’s a tremendous amount of experience, led by captain Madgen, who was a real driver in building the Opals culture back up after the disastrous Tokyo Olympics campaign. Tolo meanwhile, had a brilliant World Cup campaign, averaging 10.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2 assists per game. She’s not afraid to do the dirty work and will give everything she has for the cause.
Photo credit: FIBA
Along with Tolo, Blicavs and Garbin will be key pillars in the frontcourt. Blicavs is coming off a strong WNBL season with Southside where she averaged 12.8 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists, while Garbin played in Hungary with DVTK, averaging 9.1 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.
After being waived by Chicago on the eve of the WNBA season last week, Maley will also likely be available. She is a workhorse who will do whatever is asked of her and more importantly, is capable of guarding multiple positions.
From there, the selection decisions are going to be tough, which is a credit to the talent within the program. Looking at potential guards, there’s an array of options.
Guards (that didn’t play in the World Cup) in the squad are: Amy Atwell, Izzy Borlase, Shyla Heal, Tiana Mangakahia, Lauren Nicholson, Steph Reid, Maddy Rocci and Shaneice Swain. All eight players had strong WNBL seasons and would provide different skillsets if selected.
Personally, I think its hard to go past Lauren Nicholson and Steph Reid, then there’s still Shyla Heal, Maddy Rocci, Izzy Borlase and Shaneice Swain to think strongly about. The depth at the guard position is incredible and all players have real claims on why they should be selected.
Nicholson has been on the outside looking in for most of her career when it comes to the Opals – she did however play in the 2021 Asia Cup – but deserves her chance to help lead an Opals squad. She played a pivotal role in Townsville’s historic run to the WNBL championship, just as Steph Reid did too.
Reid has gone from strength to strength in recent years, with her development placing her right among the top guards in the country. Her style of play is suited perfectly to international play as well, with gritty defensive work as she gets after opponents every second she’s out there.
Realistically, only one —or at tops, two— of Shyla Heal, Maddy Rocci, Izzy Borlase and Shaneice Swain will make the final squad. Swain is coming off being selected at pick 14 in the 2023 WNBA Draft by the Los Angeles Sparks after a huge season of growth with the Canberra Capitals. She has the arsenal to be an offensive threat and is currently playing for Cairns in NBL1 North where she’s averaging 22.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals per game. While those stats jump out at you, she’s also averaging a whopping 6.9 turnovers per game, which she needs to tidy up going forward.
Borlase announced herself with Adelaide this past WNBL season and is absolutely a future Opal. Whether that comes in 2023 or later, she will be a cornerstone of the Opals program going forward. She can score the ball in a variety of ways and shot an efficient 39% from three for Adelaide, while averaging 13.5 points per game.
Heal and Rocci also have great cases to be selected, and I thought Rocci’s WNBL season with Southside was super impressive. She was a constant force on that team and took a huge leap forward in being a playmaker, while also continuing to be a defensive pest. She played a huge role in an undermanned Flyers team making the Grand Final, with her stifling defence against Kristy Wallace in the semi-finals.
Image credit: Michelle Couling Photography
Heal had, let’s just say, a rollercoaster WNBL season, but it all ended in glory as she became a key piece off the bench for Townsville as they claimed the Championship. She was a driving force in the Fire’s win as she ensured there was no let up when Nicholson and Reid went to the bench for a rest. She shone brightest in Game 1 of the Grand Final series where she shot 90% from the field, including 3/3 from deep, for 23 points. Just like Nicholson and Reid, Heal’s defence was also impressive as she made her presence felt on both ends of the court.
As I talked about earlier, the frontcourt has more players that represented the Opals at the World Cup, so there’s more top-end talent but the depth is also imposing.
Frontcourt players (that didn’t play in the World Cup) in the squad are: Zitina Aokuso, Chloe Bibby, Keely Froling, Nyadiew Puoch and Lauren Scherf. Furthermore, although not in the squad, I would love to see Alice Kunek – who has been playing in Europe in recent years and is currently playing for Nunawading in NBL1 South – included in the final squad.
Kunek hasn’t had a look in in Opals squads in recent years, despite her form more than warranting an inclusion. It’s a topic I’ve touched on before, back in 2021.
She absolutely deserves to be in the squad and would bring great firepower to the wings. To Kunek’s credit, despite the constant disappointment on the Opals front in recent years, she has continued to play high-level basketball wherever she has been, including playing alongside Ezi Magbegor at Sopron Basket in Hungary most recently.
In terms of fit on the squad, Kunek would be perfect. The Opals are fairly thin on the wings with Garbin, and Maley to an extent. Kunek’s size and versatility would be a huge plus as she’s capable of guarding multiple positions. Without the likes of Talbot and Bec Allen, the Opals will lack that versatile wing player and Kunek could fill that void.
Lauren Scherf had a standout WNBL season for Perth, claiming All-WNBL Second Team honours with averages of 14.1 points, 9.1 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game. She’s become such a well-rounded player and can dominate a game from the inside, facilitate from the top of the key or just by her presence alone on both ends of the court.
Despite limited team success, Froling was a woman possessed all season long for Sydney and it’s that fight and desire that makes her a strong chance to be selected. She won’t die wondering and if the Opals frontline consists of Tolo, Scherf and Froling, that’s three players who will never surrender and fight for rebounds against the best bigs in the tournament.
Chloe Bibby is another big with plenty of upside and wouldn’t look out of place in the tournament. She can stretch the floor with her shooting and if she gets hot, she’s the type of player that can turn the course of a game.
Another option, who would add plenty of excitement and a bit of x-factor to the squad is Puoch. She took a monster step forward in the WNBL this past season with Southside and her athleticism causes absolute havoc on defence. She also impressed at the prestigious Nike Hoop Summit earlier this year, where her otherworldly potential was on full display.
Predicted Opals squad for the 2023 FIBA Women’s Asia Cup
Guards: Tess Madgen, Lauren Nicholson, Steph Reid, Shyla Heal.
Frontcourt: Sara Blicavs, Darcee Garbin, Anneli Maley, Marianna Tolo, Alice Kunek, Lauren Scherf, Keely Froling
As you’ll notice that’s only 11 names, while the final squad will have 12 players. I believe it’s hard to split the final spot, depending on the direction the selectors go. Perhaps they could go the youth direction and select one of Borlase, Swain or Puoch. On the other hand, maybe they go the direction of selecting a more experienced player like Rocci or Bibby.
Either way, it will be interesting to see what the final squad looks like. Who do you have in your final Opals squad?
Thanks for updates.
Do you know if warm-up games will be open to public / broadcast anywhere?
Good summary Hayley. I think you're seriously underrating Tiana Mangakahia. At 28yo has the smarts, toughness, defensive side and is an oustanding ball handler. A pretty good judge in Ian Stacker observed after the Southside Flyers game that she was the closest thing he had seen to Michelle Timms. Her season was a bit of a roller-coaster playing for Sydney Uni but I think she's easily in the top half of those 8 guards you named.