Brendan Joyce backs Opals team for Rio as critics query selections for Olympic Games

OPALS coach Brendan Joyce flew out of Australia backing in the contentious selection calls that could define the Rio campaign.

Opals coach Brendan Joyce: “Some of those people making comments think they understand the game but they don’t.” Picture: Stuart Walmsley

OPALS coach Brendan Joyce flew out of Australia backing in the contentious selection calls that could define the Rio campaign.

Joyce’s Opals will play a series of games in America — including a Madison Square Gardens clash with the US — en route to a Rio Olympic opener against hosts Brazil.

His up-tempo brand of basketball has seen him rewarded by plucking WNBL point guard Tessa Lavey from virtual obscurity to play a key role with the Opals.

Now critics are questioning athletic Perth Lynx rebounder Natalie Burton, pointing out she was 50th in scoring and 26th in rebounds in the recent WNBL season.

Joyce is adamant he has selected the right team despite the omission of four-time MVP Suzy Batkovic, a long-time Australian scoring machine.

Tessa Lavey and Natalie Burton take a selfie during the Australian Women's Olympic Games basketball team announcement. Picture: Getty Images

He says both Lavey and Burton thrived at the 2014 World Championships where a young Australian team won bronze and will do so again.

“Some of those people making comments think they understand the game but they don’t,’’ Joyce said.

“It is an easy question to answer. Burton was our leading rebounder at the world championships coming off the bench playing 14 or 15 minutes.

“And she was our second-leading rebounder and third-leading scorer at the Oceania qualifiers last year.

“If you check her stats in international competition, she does better playing for us.”

Joyce’s Opals went to those 2014 world championships with a young unheralded side but in their only loss were narrowly defeated by America.

Lavey thrived under his team style of lightning ball movement and aggressive defence after being taken from Bendigo Spirit averaging just 1.8 points a game and he says Burton will in Rio too.

“She is our best mobile forward, she really suits the international style of play,’’ Joyce said.

“She is our no. 1 defensive big and will have to contain some really special players.

“She is actually in our top four in terms of speed up and down the floor. She competes against the guards.

“So they are things that don’t show up statistically but when she’s on court we usually do pretty well.”

The Opals will train in Dallas before three games against Canada, France and the USA before arriving in Rio.

The squad has only five returning Olympic players and three London veterans, but Joyce is adamant he will live or die by his selections.

“Burton and Lavey have been in the program for three or four years and they deserve their spots,’’ he said.

“The toughest choice for us was (WNBA player) Tess Madgen and leaving her out of the team.

“The rest of the decisions are always tough but the toughest one was the decision on Tess.”

Originally published as Brendan Joyce backs Opals team for Rio as critics query selections for Olympic Games