Tara Murray
Craigieburn’s Ezi Magbegor will be part of the Australian Opals squad hoping to take out gold in their own backyard at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup.
Magbegor was one of 12 players named in the Opals squad for the cup, which will be played in September in Sydney.
Magbegor, who is currently in America playing with the Seattle Storm in the WNBA, will compete at her second world cup.
Sara Blicavs, who grew up in Sunbury, has been named in her first world cup team.
The biggest name in the Opals squad is arguably Australia’s greatest player of all time, Lauren Jackson.
Jackson, who is competing at her fifth world cup, came out of retirement earlier this year.
Sandy Brondello, herself a four-time World Cup athlete, will take the reins for the second time as head coach in Sydney following her silver finish in 2018.
She was faced with a tough selection decision.
“Making the final cut to twelve is always difficult with so many great athletes pushing for selection,” she said.
“The training camp in New York demonstrated how much each of these athletes wanted to compete on home soil, the competition for a spot on the team was fierce.”
“Of course, the inclusion of Lauren is the talking point but from my perspective, she has put in the work and deserves to be here, she will add another dimension to our team dynamic.”
The Opals are aiming to add to their rich World Cup legacy, having won silver in 2018, bronze in 2014 and gold in 2006.
The Opals are ranked number three in the world, and have drawn Group C, with pool matches against France, Serbia, Japan, Mali and Canada tipping off on September 22 in Sydney.
