Basketball On The Internet.

IT was 20 years ago Australia's Opals became FIBA World Champions and today's announcement of the 12-player TEAM for the World Cup in Berlin from September 4-13 sadly does not include any modern versions of such renowned global superstars as Penny Taylor and Lauren Jackson.

But maybe Sandy Brondello has a TEAM capable of doing some damage, given its extensive WNBA experience and its opponents in the "Group of a Mild Head Cold" - it sure isn't any Group of Death - being Puerto Rico, Turkey and Belgium.

As long as Australia can get the chocolates from the Belgians, it should be well on its way.

No, there are no stars of quite the calibre of Taylor (Worlds MVP), Jackson (GOAT) or Kristi Harrower (arguably our greatest PG alongside Michele Timms), but players such as Ezi Magbegor, Alanna Smith and Sami Whitcomb have certainly shown quality abilities at the international level.

Steph Talbot was a World Cup All Star Five selection in 2022, Alex Fowler MVP of the Opals' Asia Cup success.

The full TEAM is Zitina Aokuso, Chloe Bibby, Isobel Borlase, Isabelle Bourne, Alex Fowler, Ezi Magbegor, Jade Melbourne, Steph Reid, Alanna Smith, Steph Talbot, Sami Whitcomb, Alex Wilson.

Players such as Lauren Scherf, Darcee Garbin and Courtney Woods can consider themselves unlucky but it's hard to be critical of the final TEAM.

Australia's Group C is no pushover but it's a World Cup, after all.

Group A (Group of Death) is Japan, Spain, Germany, Mali. Group B (Group of an Extended Coma) comprises Hungary, Korea, Nigeria, France. Group D (Group of General Concussion) has the USA, Czechia, Italy, China. A first placed group finish puts the winner straight through to the quarter final round, bypassing the 2nds v 3rds quarter final qualification round. It is obviously the preferred option.

Belgium's Emma Meesseman is arguably the best player in the world outside of the USA so that one intragroup clash will be the big match in our Group C.

Her scoring, rebounding, passing skills, defence, clutch ability and leadership remain priceless and anything is possible with the versatile 193cm forward on the floor.

When Australia beat Belgium 85-81 to claim the Bronze Medal at the Paris Olympics two years ago, it was Ezi Magbegor with a 30-point haul who ensured the Opals would again stand on the medal podium.

Alanna Smith enjoyed a 13-point, 12-rebound double in support, Magbegor leading all rebounders with 13. Yes, this match on September 7 will be huge in determining Australia's medal chances.

OH FFS, can any right-thinking human being, local or even American, genuinely believe all the BS last week spouted about Sandy Brondello referring to Angel Reese as a "protected species"? What the hell is the world coming to when Sandy is given a one-match suspension by the WNBA, validating her observation?

Are we living in the actual effing twilight zone? Yes, we understand the racial sensibilities are considerably more acute in the USA but Sandy is a multiple WNBA championship-winning coach with many different nationalities on her own Toronto Tempo team.

To see her in tears and apologising - this WNBA Coach of the Year award winner - was a really poor indictment of the WNBA's management and its now-typical knee-jerk behaviour.

Sandy has done it all in that league and is no Jenny-Come-Lately. The alleged furore was more an embarrassment for a WNBA that has the worst officiating of any major basketball competition in the world and remains unable to acknowledge the impact Caitlin Clark has had on its game.

The WNBA may boast having the best athletes in the world playing but its management leaves a lot to be desired.

PS 

IF you're wondering why I capped TEAM so much, it is because today's "journalists" and media types do not seem to understand the difference between a TEAM and a squad.

All too often lately, and even Basketball Australia is guilty of this, we see announcements of a "squad" for something such as the Asia Cup, when it is in fact the TEAM of 12.

By dictionary definition, a squad is: "a group of sports players from which a team is chosen"'.

So when a couple of TV talking heads name their "squad" for the World Cup and it is 12 players, guys, that is the TEAM.

A squad may have had 15, or 18 or 20 players in it. The TEAM has the final 12. Rant over.