Opals leave out Magbegor for World Cup qualifying event
Australia’s Opals will be without rising star Ezi Magbegor for a World Cup qualifying tournament in Serbia with coach Sandy Brondello saying the squad had “learnt valuable lessons from 2021”.
A 12-strong women’s squad was confirmed for next week’s event in the Balkans (February 10-13), but 22-year-old Magbegor hurt her ankle at training this week.
While the Opals have qualified for the World Cup due to hosting the event in Sydney in September, they are keen to build momentum. The squad does not include all frontline players, but will have Olympians Cayla George, Steph Talbot, Alanna Smith, Sara Blicavs and Tess Madgen and Europe-based Opals Bec Allen and Marianna Tolo.
Ezi Magbegor playing for Seattle Storm last year.Credit:AP
FIBA Asia Cup bronze medal captain Sami Whitcomb will also feature but the Opals were dealt a blow when centre Magbegor suffered an injury. While she was cleared to play, the Opals decided it was best she rest. Emerging playmaker Shyla Heal and Maddy Rocci will make their Opals’ debut.
“It’s extremely special. Being around teammates like Sami Whitcomb, you learn so much, her leadership is crazy good, you learn heaps from the veteran players,” Heal said.
Brondello said the Opals were keen to make a splash after the disappointment of the Tokyo Olympics when they failed to make the medal rounds.
“We’ve learnt valuable lessons from 2021, we’ve reset, and it’s been a fantastic camp. It’s still very fluid but we’ve got a good mixture of veteran players, the core group who were in Tokyo but we also have some new faces as well so we’re excited to integrate them into the team and start our build-up to the World Cup,” Brondello said.
The Opals will play Brazil, Serbia and Korea in the qualifying rounds.
Opals squad: Bec Allen, Sara Blicavs, Darcee Garbin, Cayla George, Shyla Heal, Tess Madgen, Maddy Rocci, Alanna Smith, Steph Talbot, Marianna Tolo, Kristy Wallace, Sami Whitcomb.
‘Pretty aggressive’: Goulding backed to make a splash
Playmaker Matthew Dellavedova is confident Chris Goulding will regain his shooting spark when Melbourne United return home for Sunday’s clash against the Tasmania JackJumpers at John Cain Arena.
Goulding had an afternoon to forget in an overtime loss to the Adelaide 36ers last weekend when held to only four points on 0-16 shooting from the floor, including 0-11 from three-point land.
It wasn’t that long ago teammate Caleb Agada described Goulding as “Steph Curry like”, and Dellavedova expects one of the league’s finest marksman to regain his touch quickly.
Goulding has gone about his training this week in his typical upbeat manner.
“No change, he is the same whether he has made 10 or missed 10. That’s a shooter’s mentality and why he is as successful as he is,” Dellavedova said on Friday.
“He puts in the same work whether it’s going well or not going well. I am expecting him to come out pretty aggressive and make a few early.”
The loss to the 36ers snapped an eight-game winning streak, and the second-placed United now look forward to playing at home, having spent January on the road.
Dellavedova, the former NBA championship winner, and the streaky Agada also struggled to have an impact offensively last weekend, but Dellavedova, overall, has settled in well to his new home, highlighted by his 33 points against Illawarra.
“I think I am definitely getting more comfortable as we go along. It’s getting a better understanding of the offensive system, what to run when, when certainly players are going, if the defence is playing a certain way, what sets or reads to make,” he said.
South East Melbourne Phoenix will look to retain top spot when they host the Perth Wildcats on Saturday night at John Cain Arena.
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