Basketball On The Internet.

THE Deakin Melbourne Boomers have pulled off a WNBL recruiting coup of their own, securing the services of Opals Tokyo Olympian and World Cup bronze medallist Sara Blicavs for their 2023-24 campaign, part compensating the departure of Tess Madgen and Cayla George to Sydney Flames.

Trust me. This was a tough breaking news story to sit on until the formal announcement!

When on May 15 we broke that Madgen and George were Sydney bound and Lauren Nicholson would quit Townsville to join them at the Flames, Melbourne was looking for a marquee Aussie to build with alongside fellow Opal Kristy Wallace.

Blicavs, a dual-WNBL championship winner at Southside Flyers and Bendigo Spirit, was No.1 on the Boomers' free agents list.

The club is positive the versatile 190cm forward will have a huge impact, having watched her go off for a career-best 41 points against it with the Flyers last season.

Giving her body a chance to rest-and-recuperate after a hectic past two years, Blicavs opted to bypass the current Opals program toward the Asia Cup and also take off the NBL1 South season with Geelong Supercats.

Blicavs, 30, has spent much of the WNBL of-season focusing on starting an outside business venture with an exclusive underwear line, using herself and former Southside teammates Maddi Rocci, Nyadiew Puoch and Bec Cole as the line's models.

Both Rocci and Puoch are part of the Opals' Asia Cup squad which will be giving several new promising young players the opportunity to perform on a senior international stage.

With Opals coach Sandy Brondello away on WNBA duties at New York Liberty, Townsville Fire championship coach Sahnnon Seebohm will take charge of the Asia Cup group, with two exciting new assistant coaches in Kristi Harrower and Renae Garlepp.

Harrower, who is assisting Chris Lucas at Melbourne, has enjoyed a Hall of Fame playing career and Garlepp was the Rachael Sporn Medallist when Adelaide Lightning won the 2008 championship.

The Opals' World Cup All Star Five selection Steph Talbot (Adelaide Lightning) was unavailable as she rehabs from an ACL tear. And while Brondello has WNBA duties, those also ruled out players such as Cayla George (Las Vegas Aces), Jade Melbourne (Seattle Storm), Sami Whitcomb (Seattle Storm), Bec Allen (Connecticut Sun), Ezi Magbegor (Seattle Storm), Kristy Wallace (Indiana Fever) and Alanna Smith (Chicago Sky).