https://pickandroll.com.au/ got the Tiana Mangakahia mention in early.

PG
85 Mitchell 5'5
89 Mansfield 5'7
93 Lavey 5'8
90 Ebzery 5'10 cg
96 Wallace 5'11 cg (injured)

SG
97 Tupaea 5'9 cg
92 Seekamp 5'10 cg
88 Whitcomb 5'10
92 Cole 5'10
90 Blicavs 5'10
90 Madgen 5'11 cg
94 Wilson 5'11 (injured)

SF
93 Nicholson 6'0
86 Ohea 6'1
94 Talbot 6'2
92 Allen 6'2
93 Blicavs 6'2

PF
94 Garbin 6'2
87 Griffin 6'2
88 Bishop 6'4
96 Smith 6'4
99 Magbegor 6'4
89 George 6'4

C
96 Scherf 6'5
93 Bunton 6'5 (injured)
89 Tolo 6'5
91 Cambage 6'8


Mangakahia, Garrick, Kunek and Aokuso should at least be in the train on squad imo.

bishop 6'3*

Ebzery
Whitcomb
Allen
George
Cambage

Seekamp
Ohea
Talbot
Smith
Tolo

Cole
Magbegor


Feel bad for Griffin.. would love to have her but can't see it.
Lack of quality pgs and sgs a real issue.

Tokyo prediction

5'10 Ebzery CG
5'10 Seekamp CG (Lavey out)
5'10 Whitcomb SG
5'10 Cole SG (Madgen out)
6'1 Ohea G/F
6'2 Allen SF
6'2 Talbot SF
6'4 Smith PF
6'4 George PF/C
6'5 Tolo PF/C (Magbegor out)
6'5 Bunton C
6'8 Cambage C

The case for Mangakahia

Avg
15 games (half way through season)
30 mins pg (4 minutes less than last year - 34)
16 points (1.5 points down on last year - 17.5)
7.9 assists (3rd in college currently) (1st last year with 9.8)
5 rebounds (30% more rebounds on last year)
2.4 steals (steals even on last year)
4 turnovers a game (30% less t.o than this time last year)
26 fouls (30% less fouls than this time last year)

46.4% Field goal (4% up on last year)
89.7% Free throw (2% up on last year)
35.5% 3 point (7% up on last year)

Obviously college is a step below, but she certainly deserves a camp invite to see where she stands.

Take the injured players out, put the prospects in.

Why would they even name injured players who have no chance of playing?

Camp is 5 months away, Asia cup in September. Quite a while away.

Anyone understand how Tokyo qualification works?

Will be interesting not facing Asian teams. Will be much harder facing euro, Americas and African teams.

Griffin may be better suited for Asia cup, but Whitcomb is best fit for Olympics.
Mitchell is done


Would have taken 33... bringing in several future prospects.

PG (5)
Ebzery
Seekamp
Lavey
Madgen
Mangakahia
+2
Wallace (future)
Rocci (future)

SG (5)
Whitcomb
Cole
Blicavs
Garrick
Wilson
+2
Wehrung (future)
Tupaea (future)

SF (5)
Ohea
Allen
Talbot
Kunek
Blicavs
+2
Nicholson (future)
Sharp (future)

PF (5)
Griffin
Bishop
Smith
Magbegor
George
+2
Garbin (future)
Froling (future)

C (3)
Tolo
Bunton
Cambage
+2
Aokuso (future)
Scherf (future)

I cant belive lavey will make this team averaging 6 points 2 rebounds and 3 assists as a starting pg playing 30mins per game. The younger point guards must wonder why they arnt getting an opportunity.

A very interesting squad selected but I think a fair selection.

The naturalised spot will be very interesting from here. All 3 are getting older, and all have had a chance on a big stage to play with the team with Griffen CG, Mitchell Rio and Whitcomb WC. I think it will highly depend on what position Brondello thinks an Australian can't fill.

Mangakahia with 34 / 10 / 10 today.
Cmon sandy, give her a call.

A team near the bottom of the standings in one of the best conferences mathching up against another player who is also on the draft boards.

I love Griffin and her game but I think all players being healthy the spot has to go to Whitcomb. Our 4 spot is stacked with Smith, Magbegor, George, Bishop and Blicavs. But we don't have a great deal of consistent scoring on the wing.

Brondello will probably choose Mitchell.

I'd choose Whitcomb too. Would be happy with Ebzery and Seekamp running the point. Cole as the other sg. Madgen and Lavey go out.

Magbegor should be pushed out with tolo coming in. Bunton was brilliant up until her injury and should be chosen if healthy. Blicavs also an option at pf if you only take 1 of Bunton/tolo.



PG-Ebzery/Seekamp
SG-Whitcomb/Cole
G/F-Ohea
SF-Allen/Talbot
PF-Smith/George
PF/C-Tolo
C-Cambage/Bunton

we will know that we have a true quality opals lineup when George stops being named

bishop perhaps. Blicavs not firing yet.

yes bish is having a good season in the eurocup

Running short on naturalised players soon. I wonder who'll be next.

does anyone know which country the 2019 asia cup will be held in?

Not sure yet, doesn't say. Late September.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_FIBA_Women%27s_Asia_Cup#Venue

Sami Going well. (8games)

http://www.fiba.basketball/eurocupwomen/18-19/player/Samantha-Allison-Whitcomb


Bishop too. (6games)

http://www.fiba.basketball/eurocupwomen/18-19/player/Abby-Kate-Bishop

You can chop the list down pretty easy based on form, injury and illness.

Zitina Aokuso
Rebecca Allen -
Abby Bishop
Sara Blicavs
Elizabeth Cambage -
Katie Ebzery -
Cayla George -
Tessa Lavey
Ezi Magbegor
Leilani Mitchell -
Lauren Nicholson -
Jenna Ohea -
Steph Talbot -
Nicole Seekamp
Alanna Smith
Marianna Tolo -
Sami Whitcomb

With only a couple of pgs in this group, Mitchell gets the nod over Whitcomb.
- 9 locks
2 spots to Magbegor, Smith, Aokuso, Bishop or Blicavs.
1 spot to Lavey or Seekamp


Mitchell-Ebzery-?
Talbot-Nicholson
Allen-Ohea
George-?-?
Cambage-Tolo

We could see Las Vegas, Seattle, Minnesota, Phoenix and New York all in the finals of the wnba, potentially ruling out all of our wnba players.

Could be unavailable...
Mitchell
Whitcomb
Talbot
Allen
Smith
Cambage

Current injuries/illness but some may return.
Mangakahia
Wallace
Ohea
Tolo
Bunton


Leaves us an Asian cup squad of...

Ebzery/Seekamp/Lavey or Mansfield
Nicholson/Madgen or Wilson or Tupaea
Ohea/Blicavs
George/2 of Bishop, Magbegor, Aokuso or Garbin
Bunton/Tolo

Game 1 vs Phillipines
Game 2 vs NZ
Game 3 vs China


Phillipines should be a breeze.



NZ could look like

Cocks / Rooney / Leger-Walker
Farnworth / Paalvast
Beck / Ott
Purcell / Harmon / Boagni
Davidson /

Not sure who else they got atm...



China will be tough if we have a depleted squad.

Stockill as the other centre.

Wnba post season starts on I think the 11th or 12th of September.
Our first game against nz is on the 25th of September. So anyone making wnba post season is essentially out.

Not sure a team like this can get the job done...

Ebzery / Seekamp / Lavey
Ohea / Madgen
Nicholson / Blicavs
George / Bishop / Magbegor
Tolo / Aokuso



Maybe we might see 3x3 players enter the frame like Cole and Kunek.
I would much prefer to see Cole as a guard than Madgen on current form.

Cole was cut from the squad after the first Opals camp earlier this year because Brondello doesn't think she is Opals-ready. 3x3 has nothing to do with why Cole isn’t in the frame.

But she didn't cut Madgen?

Wish Alex all the best going forward. She has retired.
Interview on playersvoice.com.au

Really thought she would be the next backup centre for the next several years, play at another Olympic Games and WC.
So many injuries for someone so young, got to be really tough having to call it a day.

With no Bunton anymore, the asia cup squad is pretty much

Ebzery / Seekamp,/ Lavey
Nicholson / Madgen
Ohea / Blicavs
George / Bishop / Magbegor
Tolo / Aokuso



All unlikely
Cambage - WNBA
Bunton - Retired
Scherf - Possibility
Smith - WNBA
A.Froling - Not selected
Garbin - Possibility
Payne - Not selected
Griffin - Injured
K.Froling - Not selected
Kunek - Not Selected
Allen - WNBA
Talbot - WNBA
Wilson - Possibility
Wallace - Injured
Garrick - Not selected
Whitcomb - WNBA
Cole - Not selected
Wehrung - Not selected
Tupaea - Possibility
Mansfield - Possibility
Mangakahia - Illness
Mitchell - WNBA

not going to win with that squad, Japan and china too strong. Korea and nz slightly below us.

Japan's b side just beat nz in the final of the william jones cup.

I watched most of the other nations competing and they have certainly taken a step up from last asia cup.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=P8D_yQWTqK8

22 players listed for Asia cup on Fiba
Squad will be made up from

Mitchell / Seekamp / Lavey / Mansfield
Whitcomb / Ebzery / Nicholson / Madgen / Tupaea
Allen / Talbot / Ohea / Blicavs
Griffin / George / Smith / Bishop / Garbin
Cambage / Tolo / Magbegor / Aokuso

Looking at the wnba table, you can pretty much rule out Cambage now as they are on top of the ladder.
2 of our wnba players will probably not make finals.

Asia cup squad potentially

5'5 Mitchell PG
5’7 Mansfield PG
5'10 Ebzery CG
5'10 Seekamp CG
5’11 Nicholson G/F
6'1 Ohea G/F
6'2 Allen SF
6’2 Blicavs CF
6’2 Bishop PF
6’4 Magbegor PF/C
6'4 George PF/C
6'5 Tolo PF/C

Cambage, Talbot look to make second round finals and Whitcomb loses out to Mitchell.
This team is really going to struggle against china, Japan and maybe both Korea and nz.

From silver at WC to maybe outside of the medals at asia cup.