We start our Road to Gold series with Australia’s women’s basketball team, the Opals, following the Group stage release. So what, exactly, will it take for the group to play their way onto the podium?
The Opals have missed out on a podium finish at the last two Olympic Games, in Rio de Janeiro and then Tokyo, and will be determined to return to the form that saw them secure medals from 1996 right through to London 2012.
Australia has been grouped with Canada, Nigeria and France in Group B, with the hosts being one of the stronger teams entering the Olympics, enjoying podium finishes at two of the past three Games, and the fact they’re hosting the event.
Opals legends Michele Timms and Penny Taylor had their thoughts after the unveiling of group stage, with Timms believing Australia has a good draw in the women’s tournament, with France quite obviously their biggest threat.
“I’m predicting France to medal,” Timms said following the Olympic group stage being drawn out.
“France are also obviously the host nation so it’ll be a great challenge for us.”
“There’s no easy path to a gold medal,” former Opal Penny Taylor added.
“So I think we (Australia) have to play everyone, we have to play the best teams in the world to get to the gold, so I’m very pragmatic about out position as of now and we need to do the work we need to do.”
The Australian Opals’ road to gold
Group B – Canada, Nigeria, and France
Before the Australian women’s basketball team can have a proper shot at securing a medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, they must first make it through the group stage of the tournament.
In mid-March the draw was unveiled for the tournament with Canada, Nigeria and France grouped with Australia in the ‘Group B’ pool.
Experts and former players believe France are the biggest threat in the group to the Opals chances of progressing, coming into the event ranked seventh in the world, and being the home nation.
Canada are the highest ranked opponent Australia will face in Group B, coming in at the fifth spot on FIBA’s ranking system, two behind Australia ranked third.
Nigeria are the lowest ranked team in the group, coming in at 12th having not even qualified for the FIBA World Cup back in 2022.
Who are the Opals players to watch in the Olympics?
The squad for the Opals’ Olympic qualifiers back in January was stacked full of talent that has serious potential to bring home a medal from Paris.
There was hope Australian basketball legend Lauren Jackson was going to make a remarkable Olympic comeback after first retiring back in 2016. Unfortunately, in a post game interview after qualifying for the Olympics, Jackson confirmed she wouldn’t be going to her fifth Olympic Games.
If that Olympic qualifiers team is anything to go off, Opals regulars such as Tess Madgen, Cayla George, Marianna Tolo, Ezi Magbegor, Bec Allen, Alanna Smith, Sara Blicavs and Sami Whitcomb should be there.
One young gun player to look out for is Jade Melbourne who is coming off the back of her rookie WNBA season, along with 19-year-old rising star Isobel Borlase if they are both selected.
Who are the teams to watch out for post-group stage?
Australia’s match with France in the Pool stage looms as crucial, as it may well dictate their path to the podium matches and help them avoid a powerhouse in the earlier knockout stages.
If the Opals are to progress through to the knockout stages of the Olympics, there will be plenty of strong teams they will have to get path in order to win any medal.
USA are obviously the strongest side going around having won the gold medal every time since 1996 – that’s seven straight – and are coming off the back of winning the FIBA World Cup in 2022.
China are the other team most threatening to the Opal’s run at an unprecedented gold medal. They are ranked second in the world rankings, and reached the World Cup final against the USA.
Purely based off world rankings, you can expect China and Spain to progress from Group A, Australia and Canada from Group B, and the USA and Belgium from Group C.
2 Responses
Lauren Jackson’s inclusion on the Opals camp roster and probable trip
to the Paris Olympic Basketball Tournament is an INDICTMENT against
Basketball Australia and the COE and their continued inability to devel-
op players on a CONSISTENT basis. The last solid professional player to
come out of the COE is Ezi Magbegor. The Opals front line is too OLD and
your guards are either too OLD or scrubs.
Do the Opals have even ONE three-level scorer? Do the Opals have EVEN
one player who can ISO score on a consistent basis? I will take it one step
further, do the Opals have EVEN one player who can consistently ISO score
during critical moments?
The Opals are operating on the slimmest of scoring margins. Aside from the
blowout of Germany the Opals had a winning margin of just 7 points over
two games in the last FIBA Tournament.
Brazil 55 Final Score 60 Australia
Serbia 73 Final Score 75 Australia
The Opals greatest challenge will be finishing at least fourth to maintain
their current FIBA third place ranking or at least ensure a FIBA ranking of
no lower than fourth place. The Opals will be hoping against hope that
two of Spain, Belgium, or France do NOT finish ahead of the Opals.
FIBA World Ranking
3. Australia 668.8
4. Spain 658.1
5. Canada 653.4
6. Belgium 652.8
7. France 649.2
Reason?
The next FIBA Women’s World Cup in 2026 will have 16 teams. That means the
draw will have four pots of four teams each. A FIBA ranking of fifth will place the
Opals in Pot 2.
Everyone of these teams: Serbia, Spain, China, Canada, Australia, & France can
meet Team USA in the qtrs. The Opals do not want to play Team USA in the qtrs.
If they do, it is a one way trip to the glue factory. The Opals have another problem.
China, France, Serbia, & Spain can defeat THIS edition of the Opals. In the past, the
Opals only concerned themselves with Team USA. However, the Opals have have
FAILED to Medal in the last two Olympics. The Aussie Bronze Medal Team of London
2012 does not exist anymore.
This is Group B.
Canada
Nigeria
Australia
France
I predict that Australia & France advance out of this group. Canada has an out-
side chance to advance as one of the best THIRD placed teams to make the fi-
nal eight. Australia & France play on the last day Group B play. The Opals can-
not afford to place SECOND in their group.
Thanks for joining the conversation, Mr.Cam!