Cambage, Allen, Smith headline Opals' squad for Bourges tournament
CANBERRA (Australia) - Basketball Australia have announced the Chemist Warehouse Australian Opals team for the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
CANBERRA (Australia) - Several big names have been named to lead Australia in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament 2020 in Bourges, France.
The Opals will play against hosts France, Puerto Rico and Brazil from 6 to 9 February, and only the top three teams from this group will qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
The odds are in Australia's favor, especially with the Opals currently ranked 2nd overall on the FIBA World Ranking for Women Presented by Nike.
| Australia 12-player roster for FIBA Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament 2020 | |||
| Bec Allen | Liz Cambage | Katie-Rae Ebzery | Cayla George |
| Ezi Magbegor | Leilani Mitchell | Lauren Nicholson | Jenna O'Hea |
| Nicole Seekamp | Alanna Smith | Stephanie Talbot | Marianna Tolo |
WNBA stalwarts Bec Allen (New York Liberty), Liz Cambage (Las Vegas Aces), Alanna Smith (Phoenix Mercury) and Stephanie Talbot (Minnesota Lynx) are the biggest names on this roster that will be coached by Sandy Brondello, who believes they have put together as strong a team as they can.
"With the final pre-Olympic qualifications in February we have chosen a well-balanced, versatile and tough group that is, most importantly, filled with players who are in good form," she said. "This will be vital with the limited preparation that we will have leading into these important games. We are confident of achieving our goal of qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics and look forward to continued improvement with the more time we have together."
Alanna Smith, who is also fresh off her first season in the Women’s Korean Basketball League (WKBL), is expected to be the lynchpin of this squad, while playmaker extraordinaire Nicole Seekamp of the Adelaide Lightning is also projected to carry the squad all the way to Tokyo.
Rebecca Allen, meanwhile, looks ripe and ready despite suffering metacarpal fracture this past WNBA season, and she along with the towering Liz Cambage should be among the pillars of the Opals as they plunge into action in France.
Australia open their OQT account against the hosts on February 6 before facing Puerto Rico on February 8. The Opals will close their campaign against the Brazilians the next day. All games will be played at the Palais des Sports du Prado.
FIBA