NEWCASTLE (Paul Nilsen's Women's Basketball Worldwide) - There were a number of players who stepped out at the recent FIBA World Championship for Women who I feel either announced themselves on the global stage or, having previously done so, shuffled themselves much more centrally onto the radar.

The eagerly-awaited tournament debut of Brittney Griner went well and she did a great job, with an extraordinary 66.7 percent shooting effort resulting in her being named to the All-Star Five. Her size is just so impressive and of course it wasn't long before she delivered a trademark dunk. She can certainly be a dominant figure for a decade or more.

Her team-mates Breanna Stewart and Odyssey Sims didn't really get an opportunity to shine, while there was a debut by Nnemkadi Ogwumike which probably didn't get the attention it deserved. I actually thought it was beautifully understated and effective - getting on with the business of making and efficient 17 of her 29 attempts. The theory is that Candace Parker would return at the expense of Ogwumike in Rio and maybe that will happen, but I thought Nneka did a great job and she's always someone I have liked both on and off the court.

Of the other podium teams, both Leticia Romero and Leonor Rodriguez didn't get an opportunity to show what they could do with Spain, but this was more an integration into the set-up for them - presumably ahead of EuroBasket Women 2015.

It might seem slightly odd mentioning Marianna Tolo as she played four years ago in the Czech Republic, but she was the one player who raced from the periphery and directly into 'radar central'. With 56 percent shooting and barely a turnover per game, she played with new-found maturity and control to show she could form a seriously big rotation with Cambage in Rio if the Opals get there as expected.

Canada handed out plenty of debuts and I have to say that there was universal credit due to them. Kia Nurse was playing at her first global tournament and continued where she left off in Xalapa last year. While she couldn't get her outside game going, she played pretty smart ball throughout and especially for someone who hadn't even played a minute of college basketball yet! Nirra Fields injected energy and her streaky scoring ability into games and probably just needs to focus on her finishing, but was a pleasure to watch and could be an impact player.

Miah-Marie Langlois was the find for me. While she didn't exactly pour in the points or dish out the assists, she was just so solid - shooting 48 percent from the field, including 44 percent from three-point range which was the bonus. I mustn't forget Katherine Plouffe either, who played well in the frontcourt. Indeed nobody on the Canada team shot the ball better, but I would just like to see her really crash the boards more aggressively.

Serbia were making their debut on the global stage and so most of their players have some kind of justification for inclusion. However as the Dabovic sisters Ana and Milica and Jelena Milovanovic are relatively well known already, I thought it was good to see the likes of Dajana Butulija with her quick hands, Nevena Jovanovic with her three-point shooting and center Tijana Ajdukovic with her no-fuss finishing, show that Serbia have some depth behind their headline makers.

France made lots of changes and while it was disappointing to see them leave some of their best teenagers at home, I thought Ana Cata-Chitiga and Helena Ciak both did a good job to recover from slow starts. While they probably both mishandled or travelled a little too much, they generally converted around the basket with good efficiency and will only get stronger at this level.

From Asia, you have to give props to Ji-Su Park of Korea. Still a school girl and playing on what was essentially a second team which lacked the experience she needed to help her, Park was always going to find it difficult at the senior level for the first time in very trying circumstances. But she held her own and gave glimpses of why she is such a teenage sensation. There was also a nice effort from Aran Hong too in the backcourt.

Lastly, Shao Ting of China was terrific and I love her game. In fact, she would be in my top five of the debutantes who stepped out in Turkey. I can see her being the go-to player for China for many years to come.

As always, apologies if I missed anybody out, but feel free to let me know!

Paul Nilsen

FIBA

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