Opals dream of Juffermans set to grow stronger in Sydney

DEBRECEN (Hungary) - Rising star Isla Juffermans is hoping to suit up with the Opals one day and the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup in Sydney is only going to make her crave that dream even more.

And, especially if she gets the chance to see the legendary Lauren Jackson make a potential fairytale return for Australia at the flagship event in September.

"IT IS PRETTY COOL AND INSPIRING AS A YOUNG WOMAN TO SEE THE AMOUNT OF ADVERTISEMENTS THAT THE FIBA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL WORLD CUP IS ALREADY GETTING" - Isla Juffermans-

"I will be there watching most of the games I am pretty sure," smiled Juffermans, who is the latest baller to emerge from Australia's impressive conveyor belt of young talents.

"I am looking forward to seeing the Opals play, and hopefully dominate the competition on home turf. It is pretty cool and inspiring as a young woman to see the amount of advertisements that the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup is already getting in these months leading up to the tournament. It's not something we seen very often.

Juffermans is excited at the possibility of seeing the legendary Lauren Jackson make a fairytale return in Sydney

"The Opals is obviously the end goal in my career, so seeing them play live and being able to learn from them is pretty special. I admire Opals players like Cayla George and Lauren Jackson. They both play similar positions to me and carry themselves extremely well on and off the court.

"When I play, I try to keep a calm mentality which is something that both players are able to do. I try to contribute and replicate the rebounding efforts of Anneli Maley in my game, since she is a beast on the boards. This is something that I try to do in every single game."

Juffermans was exceptional recently when the centerpiece of Australia's title winning team at the FIBA U16 Asian Women's Championship in Amman. She led the competition in both scoring and rebounding with a phenomenal tournament double-double of  19.7 points and 12.2 rebounds per game.

"Playing in Jordan was such an amazing and diverse experience, as it allowed me to play with some of my best friends under an awesome coaching staff," enthused Juffermans.

"Winning the gold medal match was mostly built around the trust of these people. One of my favourite memories was when Jayda (Clark) hit the winning free throws and I knew that she had it in the bag.

"I had never been to the Middle East either, so it was also a pretty cool opportunity to explore and play in a different part of the world."

Having conquered Asia. Juffermans is trying to replicate that success with the Sapphires in Debrecen. But, her first experiences of the FIBA U17 Women's Basketball World Cup have been mixed after Australia were stung in their opener against debutantes Slovenia.

"Yeah, we definitely learnt a lot from the loss, but we came together as a team to grab a much needed win against Argentina," mused Juffermans.

"After a couple practice matches before the tournament against Spain, USA and France, we knew that the games in this competition would be a lot more physical and challenging than the ones in the U16 Women's Asia Cup. And, I think we were able to bring the physicality and challenge against Argentina."

It's not a surprise that Juffermans has been getting a lot of defensive attention in Debrecen so far

Now Juffermans is intent on showing her best work in the remainder of the competition, acutely aware of the tradition that Australia have in the competition, not least as the only other winners outside of the USA.

She said: "From a really early age, it has always been a dream of mine to represent my country. When I wear the green and gold, its also about representing my family and my home in Coffs Harbour - as well as the long list of people that enabled me to get here.

"The Sapphires have always been a really strong team at the FIBA U17 Women's Basketball World Cup, so it is important to continue their legacy - which means that hopefully we will be winning a medal," concluded Juffermans.

FIBA