Darcee targets World Cup spot
FIRST China, now the world.
Townsville basketball ace Darcee Garbin has set her sights on making Australia’s World Cup squad after a successful Opals debut in the recent Four Nations tournament in China.
The forward helped the Opals win five of six games against Argentina, Serbia and China, while Townsville Fire recruit Tess Madgen returned to international duty for the first time since rupturing her ACL.
Garbin and Madgen were yesterday both named in a 20- player squad to hold a week- long camp in Canberra from August 10, after which the 12- player squad to compete in next month’s World Cup in September will be picked.
The camp means Garbin, who narrowly missed selection for this year’s Commonwealth Games, will be unavailable for the Townsville Flames’ first Queensland Basketball League final next week.
“A year ago I wouldn’t have even seen myself in this position where I was even in the ( World Cup) squad,” Garbin said.
“I’m definitely hungry to go to camp and see what I can do, and hopefully make the team.
“I haven’t spoken to Cheryl ( Chambers, Opals assistant coach) a whole lot since China but I just want to make sure I’m doing all the little things like setting screens.”
Star ‘ bigs’ Liz Cambage and Cayla George both return to the Opals squad after being unavailable for the China tour due to WNBA commitments.
Garbin said she had made claiming the Fire starting role left vacant by George’s departure to Melbourne Boomers a goal for the upcoming WNBL season.
“I’ve spoken with Clo ( Fire coach Claudia Brassard) about stepping in the role now Cayla’s gone, being that starting ‘ four’ man,” Garbin said.
“I’m putting in the work now and depending on what happens over the pre season, whether I’m off to the worlds or here, I’ll try to take that starting spot.”
Fellow Fire player Stella Beck has also returned home full of confidence after playing a starring role in a young New Zealand side’s William Jones Cup victory in Taiwan.
The 22- year- old relished a bigger role when shifted to point guard to give her chances of being picked for next year’s Asia Cup under new Tall Ferns coach Guy Molloy no harm. “That was a big part of it,” Beck said. “Individually I wanted Guy to like me. I wanted him to consider me for the future and next year’s a really big year for the Tall Ferns.
“I played point guard most of the tournament which is something I haven’t done before, but I liked it a lot.
“It was interesting being one of the older girls in the Tall Ferns because usually I’m one of the babies. I played a lot more than I previously have for them, so that was pretty exciting.”
Opals squad: Lauren Mansfield, Jenna O’Hea, Katie- Rae Ebzery, Steph Blicavs, Darcee Garbin, Cayla George, Alice Kunek, Kelsey Griffin, Alanna Smith, Tahlia Tupaea, Nicole Seekamp, Ezi Magbegor, Stephanie Talbot, Tess Madgen, Rebecca Allen, Sami Whitcomb, Leilani Mitchell, Liz Cambage, Alex Bunton, Tessa Lavey.