Golden girl: Flyers rising star compared to legends

Following a breakout display for the Southside Melbourne Flyers, NBL legends Chris Anstey and Derek Rucker have given huge praise to rising star Madi Ryan.

Speaking on the latest episode of NBL Now, presented by CODE Sports, two-time MVP Anstey spoke highly of the 2026 FIBA Under 18 Asia Cup gold medallist, identifying her as a crucial selection for the Australian Opals heading into the 2028 Olympic Games.

“She’s the best young kid in this country by a long, long way. It’s not even close,” Anstey said.

“If Madi Ryan is not an Opal at the next Olympic Games, Basketball Australia have done the sport in this country a disservice.

“They need to make sure she’s around that level of athlete, they need to give her the [experience].

“You’re not going to play 12 players anyway, even if she goes as your 12th player to have a look at what it means to be an Opal, to be around the culture, you need to take Madi Ryan.

“She’s so good, in two years’ time with her improvement, we probably won’t be having the conversation about her being a 12th player, she’ll be playing.”

1990 NBL MVP Rucker also touched on Ryan’s abilities, comparing her to an Australian basketball legend and a current WNBL superstar.

“The greatest wing player in Australian women’s basketball is Penny Taylor,” Rucker said.

“I watched Penny from the moment she was a 17-year-old getting big numbers, and when you look at Madi Ryan she has that movement and agility of a Penny Taylor hybrid with Steph Talbot.

“She’s got great length, she’s got outstanding foot speed, she shoots the ball well, and the thing I like is that she’s tough.

“She’s young out there but she’s not holding back and treating other players with this level of reverence that can sometimes lessen a player’s productivity of her age.

“We’ve seen them all over the years … and she’s way up there in terms of her potential.”

Anstey added another comparison to none other than Lauren Jackson, and made a big prediction surrounding her future in Australian sport.

“She is [the closest thing to Lauren Jackson] and I say that in [regards to] her upside [and] her ceiling,” Anstey said.

“She’s going to be someone that everyone in Australian sport will know her name in two or three years.”

Ryan and her Flyers next play the Venom in Geelong from 3pm AEDT on Saturday, live on 9Now and ESPN via Disney+.

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