Opals reclaim respect

Timms lauds change

BASKETBALL legend Michele Timms has praised the Opals for reclaiming their respected culture at this year’s World Cup in Sydney after the team’s identity went missing during the Liz Cambage era.

The Opals brand is back on track following a successful Cup tournament to date.

Australia has a quarter-final date against Belgium on Thursday, and has every chance of progressing to the semi-finals.

Timms is in awe of the Opals’ transformation, just over a year since the Cambage racial and physical incident against the Nigerian national team that derailed Australia’s Tokyo Olympic campaign.

“Everyone involved in the program has done an amazing job to rediscover their identity post the Cambage era,” Timms said.

“We’ve been hard on the Opals in the past four years.

“I felt like they lost their way a little bit in their identity. We really didn’t know who they were, and they didn’t know who they were.

“Liz compromised a lot of the Opals culture, so with her out of the equation they’ve really worked hard to build that culture again.

“Now everyone is just so proud of how the players are representing us as Opals.”

The Opals held a reunion in Sydney on Wednesday, with 160 former Australian players present to celebrate the team’s success that dates back decades.

Cambage wasn’t present, and hasn’t been in contact with her former Opals teammates.

Timms credits the return of Australia’s greatest player – Lauren Jackson – for helping the Opals rediscover their DNA.

She says Jackson’s selflessness to put her ego aside and come off the bench has had a flow-on affect with her teammates. “Players like your Cayla George and Ezi Magbegor have been benched, but the way they’ve managed it has been remarkable,” she said. “They’ve both stepped up to the challenge of being benched, played their minutes and are happy to do whatever role necessary.

“Lauren has also been outstanding on the court, and she is happy to do whatever it takes.”

Jackson was once again the calming influence for Australia in Tuesday’s crucial win over Japan, despite playing limited minutes against the fast-paced Japanese offence.

She came on midway through the first quarter and provided the Opals with vital presence and physicality in the paint. The Hall of Famer knocked down a crucial threepointer to help the Australians head to quarter-time only trailing by two points.