RESILIENCE KEY FOR AOKUSO’S SUCCESS
HAVING acquired a level of mental resilience rarely seen in someone so young, Zitina Aokuso is set to take world basketball by storm.
That is the opinion of Opals coach Paul Goriss, as the WNBL pre-season kicks into gear.
Aokuso completed a remarkable 12-month turnaround when she claimed a bronze medal with Australia at the Asia Cup in Jordan.
The 22-year-old’s selection for the side came off the back of a breakout campaign with the Townsville Fire, when she showed few effects of the ACL injury which kept her sidelined for a year.
But Goriss, himself a former North Queenslander, said the mentality she brought to the squad outweighed her dominance on the court.
“She had some niggling knee injuries at times and there were times I thought she wouldn’t come back on the court after being subbed out for an injury,” Goriss said.
“It would have been easy to sit on the bench and say you can’t play, but she found some resilience and toughness to play a pivotal role for us.
“That’s part of her maturity and growing up, her resilience has really grown.
“’Z’ is a big physical specimen, she’s athletic and strong, so to get her body back in shape, get the nutrition and in-game shape, is difficult for anyone.
“If she can keep improving from last season to her Asia Cup form into the WNBL, the future is really bright for her.”
Aokuso was joined in the Opals set-up by Fire teammate Lauren Nicholson, who played a very different role for the green and gold than she did in last year’s WNBL.
While the guard’s attacking output might have dipped from her club form last year, Goriss said had it not been for her resolve — a trait which enabled her to fight through a broken nose for much of the WNBL last year — and the defensive pressure she put on her rivals, the Opals may not have gone as deep into the
Cup as they did.