Opals coach shares keys to long-term Aus basketball success

The 2020 WNBL season brings plenty of silver linings for basketball’s grassroots and beyond, says Sandy Brondello

Australian Opals Basketball team training in Mackay leading up to the Commonwealth Games. Mackay Mayor Greg Williamson with Sandy Brondello in 2018. Picture: Stuart Quinn

AUSTRALIAN Opals coach Sandy Brondello sees more than one silver lining in the condensed Women's National Basketball League season as it enters the finals home stretch.

For many involved in this year's shortened season, a two-month stint in a north Queensland hub brought with it many personal and professional sacrifices outside of basketball.

But those who did stick fat have been treated to one of the most competitive - if not unique - seasons in a long time.

For Brondello, who joined the hub last week after returning to Australia from her base in Phoenix, Arizona, the new-look season offered a perfect opportunity to get up close and personal with Opals prospects ahead of a national team training camp on the Gold Coast early next month.

But beyond that, Brondello believes the exposure the female game is receiving not only in north Queensland but across the country will hold it in good stead ahead of a massive two years for female basketball in Australia.

The Gold Coast camp will be the first stage of a two-year journey encompassing an Olympics campaign, the 2021 FIBA Women's Asia Cup and 2022 Women's World Cup in Sydney.

The Opals' successes, in the short-term and beyond, will be directly tied to the competitiveness of the WNBL and for that to grow, the competition's exposure must do so as well, Brondello said.

"Definitely, it's exciting for north Queensland (to have the WNBL)," she said.

"We've developed so many great athletes in all sports for decades now - (but) not everyone gets to see the Townsville Fire here, and the great following they have.

"To be able to go to Mackay and Cairns, it just shows those communities how good the WNBL is. Hopefully we can continue to grow that exposure.

"The Opals U19s are second in the world rankings - sometimes I think not enough people know about that, the great talent we have. Exposing us to a bigger audience and games being televised (is important)."

Though the strength of the WNBL this season may not be as high as years past, thanks to a lack of marquee international imports, Brondello said it gave more Australian talent a chance to prove their wares in a highly competitive domestic competition.

"The imports make your league better, yes, but now without them, younger players are getting exposed to our best competition in Australia," she said.

"As Opals coach that's always important. I plan for the moment, but you have to plan for the future as well."

Opals coach Sandy Brondello in Townsville. Picture: Shae Beplate.

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To that end, the 23-player squad picked for the Gold Coast camp between January 3-10 boasts a number of new faces that loom as the future of Australian basketball.

Brondello is particularly excited about the talented crop of young point guards, a position previously left wanting for depth, that have put their hands up over the past 12 months.

Townsville Fire star Shyla Heal, Canberra Capitals smooth mover Maddie Rocci and Syracuse University NCAA Division 1 player Tiana Mangakahia have all caught the eye of the Opals coach, who moved quickly to include the trio in the squad.

"Previously we've had a shortage of point guards and now it's probably our (deepest) position," Brondello said.

The Opals coach believes the advent of the NBL1 system, as a feeder to the NBL and WNBL competitions, is another promising step on the national basketball pathway.

"I hope so. That's always the goal," Brondello said.

"I see the NBL (and WNBL) really taking off and I think, with the World Cup in 2022 in Sydney … that will be fantastic exposure for us.

"The NBL1 North is a step up and offers exposure to the rest of Australia as well. We just have to keep building on that momentum and growing our sport."

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