Logue Down: Shyla Heal to make Opals debut in FIBA Women’s World Cup qualifiers
A Heal will don the green and gold once again, with new Australian Opal Shyla Heal following in the footsteps of Boomer father Shane. SEE THE FULL SQUAD
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Shyla Heal will make her anticipated Opals debut after being selected in the Australian team to travel to Serbia for the FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifiers from February 10-13.
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Heal has previously represented Australia in the FIBA Under-17 and Under-19 World Cups and in the FIBA 3x3 team.
The 20-year-old guard has been a star for the Sydney Flames in the WNBL this season, averaging 16.1 points per game this season and four assists per game.
In her last WNBL season with the Townsville Fire, Heal was the 2020 WNBL Youth Player of the Year and made All-WNBL Second Team.
She was later drafted by the Chicago Sky with the 8th overall pick in the 2021 WNBA draft before waived.
Heal said it is an honour to represent Australia and it is a dream come true.
“It feels good to make the Opals team. I‘m excited to keep growing and gaining more experience on the international stage,” Heal said.
“I can’t wait to learn from players like Sami Whitcomb to become the best player I can be and help the Opals win medals in the future.”
Flames head coach Shane Heal, and Shyla’s father, is excited for Shyla’s long-awaited Opals’ debut.
“I‘m really proud of Shyla and all the hard work she has put in over the years – it’s well deserved and hopefully the start of a long international career,” Heal said.
“It‘s great for our club to have an Opal on the team as we will look to recruit and develop and help other players looking to achieve the same sort of representation.”
Bound for Serbia! The Opals @FIBAWWC Qualifying Tournament team has dropped! 👀ðŸ™
— Basketball Australia (@BasketballAus) February 3, 2022
FULL TEAM: https://t.co/f4Pk6ixRch#WeAreBAsketballpic.twitter.com/BGYHso4J6o
Opals coach Sandy Brondello said it was a challenge to reduce the squad from 16 to a final 12 for the qualifying tournament in Serbia.
“We’ve got a good mixture of veteran players, the core group who were in Tokyo, but we also have some new faces as well,” Brondello said.
“We’re excited to integrate them into the team and start our build-up to the World Cup.”
Returning to the Opals uniform, Olympians Steph Talbot, Alanna Smith, Sara Blicavs and Tess Madgen will reunite with Europe-based Opals Bec Allen and Marianna Tolo to don the green and gold once again.
Opal Ezi Magbegor had an injury at training on Wednesday afternoon and while all scans and medical cleared her to play, the decision was made that she will not travel with the team to Serbia.
NBA interest in pre-season NBL games booms
Up to a dozen NBA teams have reached out to the NBL about playing pre-season games next season in a testament to the growing respect between the two leagues.
NBL commissioner Jeremy Loeliger confirmed head office has received “unprecedented” levels of interest from NBA franchises.
However, Loeliger indicated the league would “in all likelihood” need to limit the pre-season series to a maximum of four NBL teams to allow for a timely start to the 2022/2023 season.
There could still be up to eight NBA teams involved in the pre-season games, so it will be fascinating to see which NBL clubs put their hands up to play.
Since the concept started in 2017, only the Illawarra Hawks, Cairns Taipans, South East Melbourne Phoenix and the newly formed Tasmania JackJumpers haven’t played in the series.
This could change next season, especially for successful clubs with strong NBA links like the Hawks and Phoenix.
Loeliger doesn’t think playing more than four pre-season NBA games is achievable, especially when availability changes from time to time, but he is thrilled to see such healthy interest.
“The unprecedented level of interest only points to the fact the NBL continues to grow in stature around the world,” Loeliger said.
“We are widely regarded as the best league outside of the NBA itself so it’s little wonder teams want to play against our clubs and tune up for the season proper.
“For our teams it’s a great credit to them and their professionalism and competitiveness that this many NBA teams want to engage and have them fly over for pre-season games.”
An NBL team has never beaten an NBA rival in the 15 pre-season games thus far, but a few sides have come close.
In ‘17, Melbourne United famously came within a bucket of beating a star-studded Oklahoma City Thunder side featuring Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony, Paul George and Kiwi Steven Adams.
United had two shots to win the game in the final seconds, but both attempts were blocked as the Thunder held on to win 86-85.
First NBA career double-double for @joshgiddey, who becomes the 3rd youngest player in NBA history to record 10 assists in a game (behind only LeBron James twice) and gets the @okcthunder the W over the Lakers in the process.
— The NBL (@NBL) October 28, 2021
GIDDEY UP INDEED.#NBLxNBA#NBLNextStarspic.twitter.com/Wx2bzlLDRC
Loeliger believes the recent NBA success of former NBL players like LaMelo Ball, Josh Giddey, Cam Oliver and Keifer Sykes been vital to the NBA’s increased interest in playing pre-season games.
“It’s only added to the fact that if you’re on the cusp of making it in the NBA or want back into the NBA, the NBL is the perfect stepping stone or springboard,” he said.
“With those guys playing at such a high level and having such an impact with their respective teams, it proves the NBL is played at a world-class standard.”
SOBEY’S ‘SPECIAL’ BAYNES BRONZE MEDAL MOMENT
Nathan Sobey says posing as a doctor to enter a Japanese hospital alongside Boomers teammate Matthew Dellavedova was the least the pair could do to ensure injured big man Aron Baynes received his Olympic bronze medal.
Baynes missed the majority of Australia’s Tokyo Olympic campaign after suffering neck, arm and spinal cord injuries during the group stage games.
The veteran centre spent the rest of the tournament in a Japanese hospital, forcing him to watch the Boomers’ bronze medal winning game against Slovenia on his phone.
The hospital had allowed him to see the team doctor and the athletic trainer for 15 minutes a day, so Dellavedova and Sobey posed as doctors to get past security.
Although, Sobey tells me he and Dellavedova didn’t go all out and don doctor outfits while they were accompanied by the Australian team doctor.
“It would have been a pretty funny story if we just rocked up in some doctors outfits and just ran in there, but, no, it wasn’t completely like that,” Sobey said.
“With the Covid restrictions, we didn’t know what the rules were to go into the hospital.
“We had our team doctor with us, and he had to get approval for us to go in with him and we went about it the right way.
“We were just doing whatever we could to try and get in and see the big fella and give him his medal.”
Sobey says it was an honour to deliver Baynes his bronze medal in the Japanese hospital – a moment that will go down in Australian basketball folklore.
“It was really emotional after everything that Baynsey has done for the Boomers’ program and the culture,” he said.
“It was a tough time with everything he was going through, but when he we gave Baynsey his medal he was super stoked.
“He loved seeing the medal.
“I’ve got a lot of time for Baynsey and his family, so to be able to go into the hospital and be a part of that was special.
“Everyone is stoked to see him back training and doing what he loves doing.”
COVID CHAOS LEAVING CLUBS FUMING
Officials and players within the NBL are growing increasingly frustrated about this season not being an even playing field due to Covid and the different state rules to manage the pandemic.
The Adelaide 36ers, Perth Wildcats and the New Zealand Breakers have been particularly impacted by closed borders and differing close contact rules, which have forced players to miss games.
36ers guard Mitch McCarron was the perfect example on the weekend. McCarron, who is negative, had to sit out Friday’s clash against Tasmania under South Australia’s 15-minute close contact rule. The rest of the country operates under a four-hour close contact rule.
Adelaide lost the game against the JackJumpers to drop to second last on the ladder, leaving club officials far from impressed, especially when McCarron was free to play against Melbourne United on Sunday because he had completed his isolation.
TIME TO TALK UP THE MVP RACE
This year’s MVP race is wide open and league legend Chris Anstey would like to see discussion around the award ramped up.
Three-time MVP Bryce Cotton is once again right in the mix, but he has a cast of stars right on his heels.
Cotton’s Perth teammate Vic Law is in the mix while Anstey rates Robert Franks (Brisbane Bullets), Mitch Creek (South East Melbourne) and Cairns import shooting guard Tahjere McCall.
Melbourne United big man Jo Lual-Acuil also deserves a mention following a standout season to date.
“So, Bryce might not be the favourite this season, he could be behind Law in the MVP voting,” Anstey said.
“Then there is Creek. He is third in the league in scoring, and he is clearly South East Melbourne’s best player.
“He is their most consistent, reliable and toughest player and he has to be in the MVP conversation.”
Anstey is particularly high on McCall, who is excelling in Cairns despite the Taipans not setting the world on fire.
“He is averaging 16 points, he is first in the league in assists with seven a game and he will only get better,” he said.
IMPORTS UNDER PRESSURE
There are two NBL imports fighting to save their jobs this season, according to league legend Chris Anstey.
Todd Withers (Adelaide 36ers) and MiKyle McIntosh (Tasmania JackJumpers) need to aim up or they could be in trouble.
In fairness, Withers responded on Sunday against Melbourne United with a standout performance to ease some pressure.
“Before that, Withers over at Adelaide just hadn’t done enough,” Anstey said.
“He hasn’t shown an ability to hit his own shot. McIntosh is propping up the import ladder and Scott Roth has publicly put him on notice, so it wouldn’t surprise me if that change was made.”
It’s also understood that Brisbane import guard Isaiah Moss is under pressure to deliver.
LIKE
Tasmania coach Scott Roth is the clear favourite for celebration of the NBL season after his emotional outburst following the JackJumpers’ big win over Adelaide on Friday.
Roth was seriously fired up after the game and he went berserk on court, pumping his fists furiously and screaming to the home crowd in classic scenes.
BIG. TASSIE. ENERGY.
— The NBL (@NBL) January 28, 2022
SCOTT ROTH IS FIRED UP!!!@JackJumpers#NBL22pic.twitter.com/v6j283MuJy
Roth explained he exploded with a release of energy, knowing the effort his team has put in made the win extra special.
“This is a privilege what we do and for me, these guys have just been competing relentlessly in practices, in video sessions, in games and we haven’t got a couple across the line,” he said in the post-match press conference.
“They just showed a lot of relentlessness, grit, compassion for each other. Our fans were fantastic to help get us over the line and yeah, I love it.”
DISLIKE
It’s great to see the Sydney Kings scheduling double-headers with the Sydney Flames, but more fans need to watch the women play.
The Flames played after the Kings’ NBL clash against the Brisbane Bullets in round eight, but a lot of fans didn’t stay to check out the WNBL clash.
C’mon fans, it’s time to aim up and get behind the world-class WNBL.
Sydney is also hosting the 2022 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup from September 22 to October 1, so the Harbour City will have plenty of top women’s basketball to feast on in the year ahead.
SHOOSH
Watch out for a big-name NBA player to have his branded court built in Sydney’s west in the near future.
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