Fire star keeps her mind on main game
TOWNSVILLE Fire forward Zitina Aokuso celebrated her return to the Australian Opals squad on Monday evening with a sip of chocolate milk before returning her focus to training.
The 23-year-old still has four WNBL clashes in eight days between herself and the Opals camp in Sydney.
Aokuso spared just a moment to contemplate the email from Australian coach Sandy Brondello confirming her place in the country’s basketball future.
“I was super nervous leading up to the announcement,” she said.
“I definitely thought I’d put in the work. I thought I’d get a chance to come to camp but you never know leading into the Opals stuff.
“I was still pretty excited that I was on the list.”
Aokuso’s low-key celebration was a symbol of the maturity that has helped the 193cm youngster blossom from prodigious talent to a future backbone of the Opals.
She had only recently emerged from a week in isolation with Covid-19 when news of her selection pinged through on her phone. Did she hit Flinders St to celebrate like any other 23-year-old would have done in her place?
No thanks – there was work to be done.
“Z has matured a lot,” confirmed coach Shannon Seebohm.
“She’s been at the club for a couple of years now and when she came in most would probably agree that she probably didn’t understand what it meant to be a professional player.
“She’s shown particularly in the last 12 months a lot of growth overall as a player and person.
“I think Z certainly has a very good opportunity to make that team. They need to get a bit younger and add some new players to that group to carry the Opals through for the next 10-plus years and I think Z is one of them.”
Aokuso has four games to make her mark on the Fire’s faltering season.
Two wins over Adelaide and Sydney to start the season were soon forgotten with losses to Southside and Canberra and a Covid-19 enforced break in the competition.
The pressure is on to find form, particularly for the Fire’s biggest stars, who must survive another round of cuts at camp to earn their tickets to Serbia for the World Cup Qualifiers in February.
Aokuso’s excitement to return to the action in Bendigo on Friday night is genuine.
“Mostly I’m looking forward to getting on court with the girls this weekend,” she said.
“We had a break over the last week and we’re looking forward to doing what we do best: running the floor, on defence being together and knowing what we’re doing.”
The team flies to Victoria on Thursday.