Basketball On The Internet.

WATCHING the Opals and Boomers dismantle New Zealand today at AIS Arena to sweep Oceania raises the question: What did we learn?

1 That we have two new head coaches who are very capable and likely to preside over a period of significant success for our senior national teams.

2 That Lauren Jackson can still play at this level and do it very well. Belinda Snell may have won the series MVP - and she was terrific, no issue - but for LJ to get through so well after coming back from injury has to be encouraging for everyone who supports the Opals.

3 That Nat Hurst can not only playmake but she can rebound. Try a game-high 10 today.

4 The international game has far from passed by Kristen Veal, Kelly Wilson and even Laura Hodges for that matter, though she could tidy up her finishing.

5 Brendan Joyce doesn't swear much.

6 But even though he has instituted a new culture of empowering players and spreading the confidence, he still cannot get Jenni Screen to avoid leading with her head. The welt on her forehead from today's errant elbow was right up there with her London Olympics shiner.

7 That when two players score 51 of your team's 66 points (Toni Edmondson 26, Micaela Cocks 25) and you are forced into 20 turnovers (to 6) your chances of winning are greatly hampered.

8 That a 23-2 run such as the Boomers unloaded on the Tall Slacks after halftime will more often than not win you a ballgame.

9 That you should be wary of Joe Ingles when he misses a shot "Even you could have made that," as he told a slightly portly spectator after flubbing a "cert", because he will likely swish the next one on your head.

10 That the excitement factor of the new chums - Simmons, Bairstow, Exum, Broekhoff - is off the charts.

11 That whenever the Boomers start settling for jumpshots you quickly see how badly they miss Brad Newley's slashing to the hoop (not that he suggested I say that).

12 That playing the national anthem four times is overkill.

13 That it's a crying shame NZ forward Jack Salt isn't older or that former NBL centre Ben Pepper isn't younger so they could have played together in our league.

14 That when Anthony Petrie rejected a shot by BJ Anthony , neither of them said: "Yeah, try that again at 36ers practice."

15 That BA's official match report saying it was a "sellout" may have been slightly fanciful.

16 That said, the Canberra crowd was great and very supportive.

17 That dotting the crowd with past Opals and Boomers is always a great idea.

18 That at least one FIBA referee looks better in a skirt than officiating pants and no, I don't mean Vaughan Mayberry.

WHAT we did know.

Basketball Australia would not spot for a gold T-shirt on every seat-back for fans to pull over their tops to make The Palace even more intimidating..

Oh well. We can dream, can't we?