Australian Opals coach Sandy Brondello may just be the most dedicated and invested viewer of this WNBL season.
Key points:
- Brondello said the WNBL season had showcased several emerging stars in Australian basketball
- She believed the WNBL deserved praise for getting a season underway amid its COVID-19 hub
- Brondello expected Liz Cambage to be crucial to her plans for the Opals looking ahead to the Tokyo Olympics
With the league playing a condensed campaign out of a North Queensland hub over six weeks, Brondello — who also coaches Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA — was able to return home to Australia and cast her eye across the WNBL and her national squad members, both present and emerging.
It has been the silver lining following the impact of COVID-19 on our national sporting codes in 2020.
“The most important thing has been having a season, having visibility and eyes on the Opals,” Brondello told ABC Sport.
“I watch a lot of games from America but to be here in Australia watching so many games live, this will never happen again.
“I can’t wait for the finals. There’s been some really close games and some blowouts too, but the players are playing at a high level and I think their conditioning has allowed them to do that.”
Brondello has identified five key take-outs from the WNBL’s regular season, which concludes on Sunday afternoon.
The hub that had to happen
“It was the most important thing, this season had to happen,” said Brondello, who is an Australian Basketball Hall of Fame member.
“The visibility has been huge. We’re all about growing our sport and if you’re out of sight you’re out of mind. Now we are on TV, every game is streamed, and everyone is seeing the WNBL.
“You need to continue to develop momentum and hopefully we can keep doing that with the Olympics next year and then the FIBA World Cup here on home soil in 2022.
“It’s a really exciting two-year period for Australian women’s basketball and our profile isn’t where it should be, given the strength of the talent we have, but I’m hoping we keep building and of course success helps.”
Younger players have ‘no fear’
“One thing that’s stood out to me this season is the physical condition coming from lockdown, the great shape the players are in,” Brondello said.
“I’m looking predominately at the Opals but also the up-and-comers too and how they have no fear.
“Players are getting [the] opportunity and the only way you can gain confidence is from playing against the best.
“We know what the Opals can do but it’s been a great evaluation for me seeing the new faces. Alex Sharp, Alex Ciabattoni, Megan McKay have come back from college [in the United States], Nat Burton — an Olympian — has come back.
“The younger players coming through, they have no fear, they always play hard and that’s the Australian trait.”
Opals’ future is bright
“I always like to see what’s coming forward. I’d like to be the Opals coach as long as they’d want me and hopefully that’s a few more years,” Brondello said.
Brondello is pleased with the wealth of talent emerging this season, listing a host of players who have impressed her, including Shyla Heal, Maddi Rocci, Tiana Mangakahia, Jaz Shelley, Gemma Potter, Jade Melbourne and Zitina Aokuso.
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“You want to make sure you’ve got the next wave coming through and I think we have that,” she said.
“That’s exciting and Australian basketball for the most part has always had that and that’s why it’s so hard to pick a team.”
Cambage again proving her worth
According to her national coach, three-time WNBA All-Star and Opals gun Liz Cambage is “in great shape”.
“Liz is really motivated, she wants to win that gold medal for the Opals at the Olympics and that’s good, you want your best players saying all the right things,” Brondello said.
“Liz is very driven and it’s great that she’s back in Australia playing with the Southside Flyers and she said this to me — one of the reasons why she came back is because she had limited time in 2019. We realised we don’t have enough time to develop.
“I love that she’s been really dominant. She’s been showing her versatility, I think she’s running the floor well, she’s hard to stop when she’s inside, especially because of her size and she’s got that soft touch from outside.
“I like her playing with passion and she loves the challenge.”
Mums with bubs in the hub
“We are women and when women want to have a family, that doesn’t mean your career is over,” said Brondello, a mother of two herself.
“You’re able to do both and do both extremely well, so it’s been great to see the likes of Steph Blicavs, Mia Murray and Kayla Steindl return to the WNBL this season after having babies and playing at a high level.
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“I love my job, it’s my passion but my children are number one and it’s great that you can do both, you don’t have to choose anymore.
“Coaching Phoenix Mercury, I’ve always been really strong on family because my family were always around and players on my current team have children. Kids came into the WNBA bubble and to practice and that’s not a problem.
“It’s one big family and as a coach you want to give everyone the best support possible so they can be the best they can be on the court.
“It’s very rewarding being a mum but it’s great to go out there, play a basketball game and then go back to your kids and they get to see this strong, powerful woman as a role model. “
Round Five of the WNBL continues on Sunday with the UC Capitals and Southside Flyers going head-to-head in a finals preview from 5:00pm AEDT on ABC TV.
Megan Hustwaite has covered the WNBL for the past 12 seasons and is a member of the ABC Sport commentary team.
