Hoops

Opals squad named for 2019 FIBA Asia Cup Campaign

22 players listed for Asia cup on Fiba
Squad will be made up from

Mitchell / Seekamp / Lavey / Mansfield
Whitcomb / Ebzery / Nicholson / Madgen / Tupaea
Allen / Talbot / Ohea / Blicavs
Griffin / George / Smith / Bishop / Garbin
Cambage / Tolo / Magbegor / Aokuso

Looking at the wnba table, you can pretty much rule out Cambage now as they are on top of the ladder.
2 of our wnba players will probably not make finals.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=P8D_yQWTqK8

Japan’s b side just beat nz in the final of the william jones cup.

I watched most of the other nations competing and they have certainly taken a step up from last asia cup.

not going to win with that squad, Japan and china too strong. Korea and nz slightly below us.

With no Bunton anymore, the asia cup squad is pretty much

Ebzery / Seekamp,/ Lavey
Nicholson / Madgen
Ohea / Blicavs
George / Bishop / Magbegor
Tolo / Aokuso



All unlikely
Cambage - WNBA
Bunton - Retired
Scherf - Possibility
Smith - WNBA
A.Froling - Not selected
Garbin - Possibility
Payne - Not selected
Griffin - Injured
K.Froling - Not selected
Kunek - Not Selected
Allen - WNBA
Talbot - WNBA
Wilson - Possibility
Wallace - Injured
Garrick - Not selected
Whitcomb - WNBA
Cole - Not selected
Wehrung - Not selected
Tupaea - Possibility
Mansfield - Possibility
Mangakahia - Illness
Mitchell - WNBA

Same names as usual..injured/out of form/ Doesn't matter

Just like the WNBL, same 90 or so players going around in different teams with every injury
or excuse under the sun. So many of the so called elite went back and played NBL1 and thought they would dominate and when you really watch the games they are often shown up.Just my opinion but in any media NBL! does on the female games they just regurgitating the same old names

But on has had more time out with jury than she had played, this is an ongoing issue it seems with Australian selection process, they fill squads with injured players, which means others never get opportunities
If they were AFL players they would not even be considered for a team until they could prove their soundness and fitness by playing in lower levels, but year after year you see injured players and unfit players shipped off to these camps to sit on the sidelines

Wish Alex all the best going forward. She has retired.
Interview on playersvoice.com.au

Really thought she would be the next backup centre for the next several years, play at another Olympic Games and WC.
So many injuries for someone so young, got to be really tough having to call it a day.

But she didn’t cut Madgen?

Wnba post season starts on I think the 11th or 12th of September.
Our first game against nz is on the 25th of September. So anyone making wnba post season is essentially out.

Not sure a team like this can get the job done...

Ebzery / Seekamp / Lavey
Ohea / Madgen
Nicholson / Blicavs
George / Bishop / Magbegor
Tolo / Aokuso



Maybe we might see 3x3 players enter the frame like Cole and Kunek.
I would much prefer to see Cole as a guard than Madgen on current form.

Stockill as the other centre.

Game 1 vs Phillipines
Game 2 vs NZ
Game 3 vs China


Phillipines should be a breeze.



NZ could look like

Cocks / Rooney / Leger-Walker
Farnworth / Paalvast
Beck / Ott
Purcell / Harmon / Boagni
Davidson /

Not sure who else they got atm...



China will be tough if we have a depleted squad.

We could see Las Vegas, Seattle, Minnesota, Phoenix and New York all in the finals of the wnba, potentially ruling out all of our wnba players.

Could be unavailable...
Mitchell
Whitcomb
Talbot
Allen
Smith
Cambage

Current injuries/illness but some may return.
Mangakahia
Wallace
Ohea
Tolo
Bunton


Leaves us an Asian cup squad of...

Ebzery/Seekamp/Lavey or Mansfield
Nicholson/Madgen or Wilson or Tupaea
Ohea/Blicavs
George/2 of Bishop, Magbegor, Aokuso or Garbin
Bunton/Tolo

You can chop the list down pretty easy based on form, injury and illness.

Zitina Aokuso
Rebecca Allen -
Abby Bishop
Sara Blicavs
Elizabeth Cambage -
Katie Ebzery -
Cayla George -
Tessa Lavey
Ezi Magbegor
Leilani Mitchell -
Lauren Nicholson -
Jenna Ohea -
Steph Talbot -
Nicole Seekamp
Alanna Smith
Marianna Tolo -
Sami Whitcomb

With only a couple of pgs in this group, Mitchell gets the nod over Whitcomb.
- 9 locks
2 spots to Magbegor, Smith, Aokuso, Bishop or Blicavs.
1 spot to Lavey or Seekamp


Mitchell-Ebzery-?
Talbot-Nicholson
Allen-Ohea
George-?-?
Cambage-Tolo

With some Opals talk starting in the WNBA thread, and also with the USA camp just a couple of days away, it seems a good time to bump this thread.

The squad that was named for the camp:
Zitina Aokuso
Rebecca Allen
Abby Bishop
Sara Blicavs
Elizabeth Cambage
Katie Ebzery
Darcee Garbin
Cayla George
Tessa Lavey
Tess Madgen
Ezi Magbegor
Tiana Mangakahia
Lauren Mansfield
Leilani Mitchell
Lauren Nicholson
Jenna O’Hea
Steph Talbot
Nicole Seekamp
Alanna Smith
Marianna Tolo
Tahlia Tupaea
Sami Whitcomb
Alex Wilson

Catching up on some Opals news (and very much related to the couple of posts above)

OPALS SQUAD LIST ANNOUNCED AHEAD OF FIRST CAMP FOR 2019

Zitina Aokuso - JCU Townsville Fire
Rebecca Cole - Free Agent (Jayco Rangers)
Katie Ebzery - Perth Lynx
Cayla George - Deakin Melbourne Boomers
Tessa Lavey - Bendigo Bank Spirit
Tess Madgen - JCU Townsville Fire
Eziyoda Magbegor - Deakin Melbourne Boomers
Tiana Mangakahia - Syracuse Orange (USA)
Leilani Mitchell - Free Agent (University of Canberra Capitals
Lauren Nicholson - MAC Adelaide Lightning
Jenna O'Hea - Free Agent (Deakin Melbourne Boomers)
Lauren Scherf - Free Agent (University of Canberra Capitals)
Nicole Seekamp - Free Agent (MAC Adelaide Lightning)
Stephanie Talbot - MAC Adelaide Lightning
Marianna Tolo - University of Canberra Capitals


Held from April 12-18, the Gold Coast camp will be followed by a camp in Phoenix, Arizona from July 20-31 before the team for the Asia Cup is announced in August.

where have BA announced this?

Well OK...maybe BA have finally come to their sense? Nothing mentioned though anywhere officially.

Did someone at the Opals have a change of heart about Mangakahia?

Mangakahia, who turns 24 later this month, is returning to her native Australia in a few days to compete in that country’s 2020 Olympic women’s basketball trials. After that, she expects to return to Syracuse for more off-season work.

Sami Going well. (8games)

http://www.fiba.basketball/eurocupwomen/18-19/player/Samantha-Allison-Whitcomb


Bishop too. (6games)

http://www.fiba.basketball/eurocupwomen/18-19/player/Abby-Kate-Bishop

Not sure yet, doesn't say. Late September.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_FIBA_Women%27s_Asia_Cup#Venue

Running short on naturalised players soon. I wonder who'll be next.

PFs not quite as good as Griffin , presently .
Seems no aussie guards , only naturalised ones .

yes bish is having a good season in the eurocup

bishop perhaps. Blicavs not firing yet.

we will know that we have a true quality opals lineup when George stops being named

Brondello will probably choose Mitchell.

I'd choose Whitcomb too. Would be happy with Ebzery and Seekamp running the point. Cole as the other sg. Madgen and Lavey go out.

Magbegor should be pushed out with tolo coming in. Bunton was brilliant up until her injury and should be chosen if healthy. Blicavs also an option at pf if you only take 1 of Bunton/tolo.



PG-Ebzery/Seekamp
SG-Whitcomb/Cole
G/F-Ohea
SF-Allen/Talbot
PF-Smith/George
PF/C-Tolo
C-Cambage/Bunton

North Carolina who are sitting second last in ACC
And 49th in the NCAA
Syracuse is 4th in acc and 12th in NCAA

A team near the bottom of the standings in one of the best conferences mathching up against another player who is also on the draft boards.

And who did they play for those stats

Mangakahia with 34 / 10 / 10 today.
Cmon sandy, give her a call.

Jarry hasn't done much in last two years anyway, mainly because of her injuries. Wouldn't have her close based on current form. The likes of Payne, Wehrung are maybes next season if they can build on this year.

Jarry is a bigger version of Lavey .... how they both end up as opals is a mystery but Jarry is also an injury waiting to happen

gotta feeling jarry played a lotta opals .... caint see her here...
australia likes to leave wnbl mvp outta opals...

Surely Nadeen Spirit from the Spirit must be close to getting a look in in one of these squads.

Griffin may be better suited for Asia cup, but Whitcomb is best fit for Olympics.
Mitchell is done


Would have taken 33... bringing in several future prospects.

PG (5)
Ebzery
Seekamp
Lavey
Madgen
Mangakahia
+2
Wallace (future)
Rocci (future)

SG (5)
Whitcomb
Cole
Blicavs
Garrick
Wilson
+2
Wehrung (future)
Tupaea (future)

SF (5)
Ohea
Allen
Talbot
Kunek
Blicavs
+2
Nicholson (future)
Sharp (future)

PF (5)
Griffin
Bishop
Smith
Magbegor
George
+2
Garbin (future)
Froling (future)

C (3)
Tolo
Bunton
Cambage
+2
Aokuso (future)
Scherf (future)

Given it's two training camps in April and June, current injury status doesn't matter, except perhaps Wallace, who's long-term injury happened just recently. So maybe a case for her exclusion, but for the rest it shouldn't not really matter.

I'm sure Brondello would be aware of Mangakahia current play, she has to watch follow her progress not just for Australia but WNBA too, so there'd be a reason.

One discussion I'm interested in: who's the second best Opal right now? Based on teams playing for right it'd be Allen or Whitcomb (WNBA/EuroCup) but I don't think it's a big gap to the rest of those who could be in starting five. Up to 2017 it would have been clearly Mitchell but not now.

Both Smith and Mangakahia are considered in the Top 25 in US College basketball. Surely Mangakahia was worth an inclusion in the extended Opals squad??!!

Alanna Smith and Tiana Mangakahia named to Wooden Award Top 25

Anyone understand how Tokyo qualification works?

Will be interesting not facing Asian teams. Will be much harder facing euro, Americas and African teams.

Camp is 5 months away, Asia cup in September. Quite a while away.

Take the injured players out, put the prospects in.

And Mangakahia today was shortlisted as one of 25 players along with Smith for the 2019 Wooden Award.

The case for Mangakahia

Avg
15 games (half way through season)
30 mins pg (4 minutes less than last year - 34)
16 points (1.5 points down on last year - 17.5)
7.9 assists (3rd in college currently) (1st last year with 9.8)
5 rebounds (30% more rebounds on last year)
2.4 steals (steals even on last year)
4 turnovers a game (30% less t.o than this time last year)
26 fouls (30% less fouls than this time last year)

46.4% Field goal (4% up on last year)
89.7% Free throw (2% up on last year)
35.5% 3 point (7% up on last year)

Obviously college is a step below, but she certainly deserves a camp invite to see where she stands.

Tokyo prediction

5'10 Ebzery CG
5'10 Seekamp CG (Lavey out)
5'10 Whitcomb SG
5'10 Cole SG (Madgen out)
6'1 Ohea G/F
6'2 Allen SF
6'2 Talbot SF
6'4 Smith PF
6'4 George PF/C
6'5 Tolo PF/C (Magbegor out)
6'5 Bunton C
6'8 Cambage C

Olympics:

Wallace
Whitcomb
Allen
Smith
Cambage

Ebzery
Cole
Talbot
Blicavs
Tolo

Nicholson/Heal
Magbegor

Ebzery
Whitcomb
Allen
George
Cambage

Seekamp
Ohea
Talbot
Smith
Tolo

Cole
Magbegor


Feel bad for Griffin.. would love to have her but can't see it.
Lack of quality pgs and sgs a real issue.

bishop 6'3*

PG
85 Mitchell 5'5
89 Mansfield 5'7
93 Lavey 5'8
90 Ebzery 5'10 cg
96 Wallace 5'11 cg (injured)

SG
97 Tupaea 5'9 cg
92 Seekamp 5'10 cg
88 Whitcomb 5'10
92 Cole 5'10
90 Blicavs 5'10
90 Madgen 5'11 cg
94 Wilson 5'11 (injured)

SF
93 Nicholson 6'0
86 Ohea 6'1
94 Talbot 6'2
92 Allen 6'2
93 Blicavs 6'2

PF
94 Garbin 6'2
87 Griffin 6'2
88 Bishop 6'4
96 Smith 6'4
99 Magbegor 6'4
89 George 6'4

C
96 Scherf 6'5
93 Bunton 6'5 (injured)
89 Tolo 6'5
91 Cambage 6'8


Mangakahia, Garrick, Kunek and Aokuso should at least be in the train on squad imo.

Lavey? Again?

Surely Wallace will not play again for some time