Thorburn ready for a dogfight in women’s basketball
The sun was barely peaking over the Olympic Village on Friday when Canada’s basketball women shuffled out of their beds and into an early-morning practice session.
An hour later, they shuffled back off the court — tired and worn out from yet another scrimmage, and anxious to finally face a real opponent at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
“I feel like we’re ready to play a game against someone other than ourselves,” said power forward Natalie Achonwa, of Guelph.
The women begin their pursuit of an Olympic medal Saturday afternoon against China, a team they swept over a three-game series in Edmonton in July. They insist they aren’t taking the Chinese for granted, ahead of tougher matchups later in the week against the U.S. and Spain.
“We’ve taught a lot of teams that. It doesn’t matter who you’re playing, you can’t be like ‘Oh, they’re an easy team,’” Achonwa said.
“That’s how we got to where we are today, by upsetting teams that took us lightly. You’ve got to approach the game with the same grit and just fight like hell.”
The Canadians come to Rio with a well-earned quiet confidence that’s grown in recent years. After a top-eight finish at the 2012 Olympics, the women were fifth at the 2014 world championships, then won gold at the Pan Games and FIBA Americas Olympic qualifier last summer.
That success has come with rising expectations, too.
“We kind of raised some eyebrows four years ago,” said Miranda Ayim, a six-foot-three power forward from London, Ont.
“So we put those expectations on ourselves, and we feel a bit more attention from people back home. I think people are on the lookout. We’re expecting a lot from ourselves, and I think we have a lot to give.”
Next week, the Canadians play Serbia, Senegal, the top-seeded U.S. and Spain in a first-round pool. The top four teams will advance to a knockout quarter-finals.
“We’ve been working for four years for this. That’s an incredibly long time in an athlete’s lifespan,” said veteran point guard Shona Thorburn, the Hamilton native who spent the 2015-16 season playing pro with Nantes in France.
The veteran player knows there’s more pressure on this team — which includes seven former Olympians and five first-timers — but said Canada won’t have any easy rides in the tough first of the tournament.
“Expectations are higher, but we’re still grounded. We’re still that team that’s going to be in a dogfight,” she said.
“We’re prepared. I don’t know what more we could have done leading up to this. We’re as ready as we’re ever going to be.”
The core of Canada’s team have been training together for months. Only Achonwa, who plays in the WNBA, and Hamilton’s Olympic rookie Kia Nurse, who plays NCAA ball in Connecticut, had to be reintegrated a few weeks ago.
But all of these women have been part of the national team for years, and they say getting back in sync isn’t difficult.
Achonwa, who last played with the team when it qualified for Rio at the FIBA Americas tournament, said she slipped back into coach Lisa Thomaidis’ system after a handful of practices.
“I’ve been a part of Canada Basketball since I was 16. It’s ingrained in who I am,” she said. “This is just a reminder. It all comes back.”
Finally, their long wait for Rio is over — even if it doesn’t quite feel like it just yet.
“I don’t think it’s really hit us yet, because four years is such a long time. I think that won’t happen until we watch the Opening Ceremonies and walk into the gym tomorrow morning,” Thorburn said.