MELBOURNE (Australia) - Sandy Brondello has agreed to continue leading Australia for another three years and that means a potentially staggering seventh Olympic Games if the team qualifies for Los Angeles 2028.
At Paris 2024, the playcaller masterminded a return to the podium for the Opals as they ended a 12-year medal hiatus to take an impressive bronze in the French capital.
Following their Olympic success last year, Australia also rose to second place in the FIBA World Ranking for Women, presented by NIKE.
Appointed as head coach by Australia in 2017, the lure of a seventh appearance at the Olympics is not huge. Brondello has already appeared in 1988, 1996, 2000 and 2004 wearing the famous gold and green jersey, before then following on the sideline in both 2020 and 2024.
Another huge incentive and target will also be the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026 in Berlin, with Brondello having attained big success in the flagship tournament.
She took the Opals to the Final of the competition in Tenerife in 2018 and then famously ensured Australia treated the home crowd in Sydney to a hard-earned bronze medal in 2022. "Coaching the Australian Opals is an honour, I never take the responsibility lightly," stated Brondello.
"Having represented at six Olympics as a player and now coach, the Opals is such a big part of my life and one that I am most proud of.
...we know our competition is improving rapidly so we won’t be resting on our laurels
"Having the pleasure to work with such motivated and talented athletes is such a joy and the success that we have had is such a testament to the wider team who make up the Opals. I look forward to continuing as Head Coach until Los Angeles in 2028 and I’m thankful to be entrusted with this responsibility." She continued: "The Opals long success is unprecedented, we know our competition is improving rapidly so we won’t be resting on our laurels, there is work to be done and I know that I speak for the entire Opals team, let’s get this." Meanwhile Jason Smith, the Basketball Australia Executive General Manager, High Performance added: "We are delighted to re-appoint Sandy through to the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, her success on the global stage is well documented for the Opals and in the WNBA.
Sandy has cemented herself as one of the most successful women’s basketball coaches
"Following a decorated playing career, Sandy has cemented herself as one of the most successful women’s basketball coaches globally and we are fortunate to have her at the helm of the Opals for another four years. "We have some exceptional talent coming through our pathways, the future looks very bright as we work towards continued podium success."
The excitement around young talents emerging was no better highlighted than Jade Melbourne being crowned the FIBA Paris 2024 Rising Star. Paul Goriss has been appointed Associate Head Coach and will once again lead the program when Brondello has WNBA commitments, with the wider coaching panel also featuring Shannon Seebohm, Cheryl Chambers, Kristi Harrower and Renae Garlepp.
FIBA