Opals' "valuable learnings" ahead of Olympic campaign

Australian Opals coach Sandy Brondello will be the first to admit the 2026 FIBA World Cup in Berlin didn't go according to plan.

Just days before the tournament tipped off, skipper Sami Whitcomb withdrew due to injury, which saw Miela Sowah added to the group.

Then in Game 1, star Alanna Smith sustained an injury, which would sideline her for the rest of the World Cup.

Despite these setbacks, the Opals won their first two matches against Puerto Rico (70-54) and Türkiye (87-71).

In their final group fixture, Brondello's side lost 80-68 to Belgium, which forced them into the Qualification Round.

Although Italy gave them an almighty scare late, the Opals, who had star point guard Jade Melbourne dealing with an illness, held on 82-80 to book their spot in the Quarter-Finals.

In that victory though, new captain Ezi Magbegor went down with an ACL injury, which ended her tournament.

In the Quarter-Final against Spain, the Opals only suited up nine players (with Magbegor, Melbourne and Smith all unavailable), and despite their best efforts, lost 89-66.

Upon reflecting on the tournament which was won by the United States, Brondello believes there are numerous positives for the squad to carry into the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

"Berlin gave us a lot of clarity," Brondello said.

"We faced significant adversity, but we also saw what our best basketball can look like when we play with pace, move the ball and stay connected.

"Defensively, we know we need to be better, particularly with our rim protection, which was obviously impacted by the absence of Ezi and Alanna for much of the tournament.

"Overall, it highlighted areas we need to improve and gave us some valuable learnings as we continue building toward LA."

Another positive to come from the tournament was Adelaide Lightning star Steph Talbot being named in the FIBA All-Second Team from the World Cup.