Banner night for Australian women’s basketball: Opals win Asia Cup gold thanks to hero Ally Wilson’s miraculous injury recovery, shooting outburst
Just when it looked like Australia would cruise to a first-ever Asia Cup gold, a Japan salvo threatened to cruelly rip away history. Here’s how a new Aussie hero beat the clock and rescued the Opals.
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The hero of Australia’s history-making FIBA Asia Cup gold medal triumph almost had her tournament ruined by injury before it began.
Tough guard Alex Wilson performed a stunning one-woman rescue operation on Sunday night, shutting down Japan’s scoring machine Kokoro Tanaka and exploding for 12 of the Opals’ last 18 points to keep the rampaging Japanese at bay and seal Australia’s first Asia Cup gold.
But, after her knee “blew up” following the first pre-tournament practice game in China, Wilson revealed she could not even run, let alone play international basketball.
A slow recovery ruled her out of the group stages and left her participation in the finals in doubt.
“It’s been hard, I flew here pretty much straight from the 3X3 World Cup and, after that practice game, my knee was super swollen and was really grumpy,” Wilson told Code Sports, post game from China.
“It took a really long time to get the swelling out of it to just be able to run.
“So a lot of hard work went in behind the scenes with the physio and the strength and conditioning coach to be able to get me back on the floor to play these last couple of games.”
A crash course in physio and strength and conditioning and hyper-vigilant dedication and determination to be in the green and gold as the medal rounds loomed opened the door for 10 less-than-convincing minutes in the semi-final against Korea on Saturday.
But that was just the tonic for the Adelaide-born Perth Lynx WNBL star to take flight in Sunday night’s final.
“Playing that Korea game, I hadn’t been able to train or do anything until the day before,” she said.
“When I got out there I felt a bit out of step and I probably struggled to find my feet but it was good for me to get that run in, because then I felt like I was ready the next day to play Japan.
“I felt way more comfortable out there, my knee felt good and I’m just thankful we have a really good team and I did everything I could to make sure I could be a part of it at the end.”
The elusive gold medal granted the Opals direct entry into next year’s FIBA World Cup in Germany and completes the Asia Cup set, after a silver in their 2017 tournament debut and three straight bronze medals.
“Goz (coach Paul Goriss) had a speech and talked about how special it was to be part of winning the first gold medal for the Opals at Asia Cup,” Wilson said.
“It’s an amazing effort by this group, and I’m just really proud of how we persevered throughout the tournament.
“It’s really special.”
Were it not for the grit and guts of Wilson, it might have all unravelled.
Holding onto a handy, if not safe, eight-point lead at the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Opals were stunned by a Japanese salvo that tied the scores with seven minutes to play.
Japan had led for just 46 seconds of the game but an 11-0 run threatened to rip it away from Australia.
Enter Wilson, who has become synonymous with Australia’s Gangurrus program as a two-time 3X3 Asia Cup MVP and dual gold medallist, showed she is more than up to the task in the big show, acing every big moment with 12 of the last 18 Opals’ points to ensure they were never headed.
“I think that over my career, I’ve always lived for those moments, I love playing in clutch time, and I think that’s where I thrive,” Wilson said.
“I just knew that we were in a bit of a slump and they went on a run and that we needed something.
“So I just thought it was time that my number was called and I just sort of took what was given to me and I’m just lucky it paid off.”
It sounds ridiculous, but that incredible late scoring outburst might not even have been Wilson’s biggest contribution to the win.
As the Opals were plundered by Japan’s sharpshooting prodigy Kokoro Tanaka for 19 first-half points, coach Paul Goriss, searching for answers, turned to Wilson.
And she answered the call, making mincemeat of the teen wunderkind, who did not manage a single field goal in the entire second half, adding just two free throws with a tick under three minutes to go in the game.
“It was tough work running around after Tanaka, she’s an awesome player,” Wilson said.
“It was really a group effort but I was just trying to take her out of her rhythm and wear her down as much as I could.
“She likes to go left a lot, so I was trying to force her to go to her right as much as I could and make sure that, when she got rid of the ball, I was denying and making it really difficult for her get it back.
It was a truly stunning effort from the 31-year-old. She missed the entire group stage with a knee complaint, only managing a very rusty 10 minutes in the semi against Korea a night earlier.
Fresh off arguably her best ever WNBL season in Perth, Wilson needed no more motivation than a gold medal within her grasp to find peak fitness, her steal and bucket with 5.56 to go breaking the deadlock for good.
FOWLER’S FIRST TOURNAMENT MVP BRILLIANCE
The ultra-consistent do-it-all forward rarely put a foot wrong throughout the tournament, averaging 11.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.4 steals on efficient 60 per cent shooting.
Fowler capped her stellar meet with her finest performance in the final — an Opals team-high 15 points to go with 6 rebounds — all offensive — and 2 assists.
Were it not for injuries in an Opals camp earlier this year, Fowler wouldn’t have even been on the plane to China.
“I can’t speak highly enough of Alex. I said to her after the game, ‘what a cool story you have, to not even be included in the squad, to keep working and come in and make that big of an impact at camp, to then make the team, and then, you’re MVP and All-Star Five’.
“I don’t know if that’s happened ever in the history of basketball.
“I’m really happy for her. She’s a great person, and she’s a great basketball player.”
Fowler, the former Canberra Capital now plying her trade under master mentor Shannon Seebohm in Townsville, does a little bit of everything — kind of like what Steph Talbot has done for the Opals for years at big tournaments.
The rising star has a massive future in the green and gold ahead of her. Dare I say it, with her length and obsessive attack on the glass, she’s also a chance at WNBA honours.
The Townsville product has come under the wing of celebrated Opals’ veteran staple Cayla George.
While George saved her best for the semi — a 20-point, 13-rebound masterclass against Korea — the tall timber made sure she got the Opals started in the first quarter, banging in back-to-back treys in the first two minutes of the game. She dished out five assists and stood tall in the last, finishing the game with five rebounds.
REID ALL ABOUT IT
It’s not outlandish to say Steph Reid is arguably the best — and definitely the safest — pure point guard in Australia.
And her efforts in China — perhaps more than any other Opal — ensured she joined Fowler in the Asia Cup All Star Five on her way to a history-making gold medal.
That’s as good an early birthday present as she could ever dream of ahead of her 29th, which she’ll celebrate on Tuesday.
Reid led the entire tournament in assists at 7.4 per game and turned it over just five times in five games, leading to a ludicrous assist-to-turnover ratio of 7.4. She added 11.2 points per game on equally incredible 54-62-100 shooting splits.
The Victorian point guard produced a near flawless tournament, leading all players in assists
At 168cm and not overly long, what Reid lacks in height she more than makes up for in fight and precision.
Reid might be the nation’s unluckiest point guard, too. This scribe once heard the great Robyn Maher lament Reid’s non-selection in the Paris squad.
Reid will be 31 when LA rolls around in 2028 and should be there to provide vital back-court poise and experience for young duo Jade Melbourne and Georgia Amoore.
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Originally published as Banner night for Australian women’s basketball: Opals win Asia Cup gold thanks to hero Ally Wilson’s miraculous injury recovery, shooting outburst
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