MELBOURNE (Paulo Kennedy's View from Downunder) - The World University Games (WUG) gold medal for our Emerging Opals capped a pretty impressive past six international seasons for Australian basketball.

Even though at times Downunder we tend to look at our results as if the glass is half empty, in the past half dozen years we have had returned to our shores:

• Olympic and Women's World Cup bronze medals by the Opals;
• A best-ever Olympic performance by the fourth-placed Boomers in Rio;
• FIBA Asia Cup gold at the Boomers first attempt this year;
• WUG silver medal by the Emerging Boomers in 2013;
• WUG gold and bronze by the Emerging Opals in 2017 and 2013;
• Silvers by the Emus at the 2012 and 2014 FIBA U17 Women's Basketball World Cups 
• Fourth at the 2013 FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup
• Bronze by the Gems at the 2013 and 2015 FIBA U19 Women's Basketball World Cups
• Gold by the Sapphires at the 2016 FIBA U17 Women's Basketball World Cup

Add in the Opals' Asia Cup silver medal this year and that's 12 trips to the podium in just over five calendar years, with top six finishes at world tournaments on another five occasions.

If anyone tells you Australian basketball isn't in a good place, you should get Darryl Kerrigan onto them:

This week I take a look at my personal top six from the past six:

2013 FIBA U19 Women's Basketball World Cup bronze
The reason I loved this result was the character this team showed to pull themselves out of a medal hole. Having blitzed to the Semi-Finals with a 6-1 record they were blown out by the USA, and then fell behind Spain - the only other team they had lost to - by 14 at half-time in the 3rd Place Game.

But led by the brilliance of Steph Talbot and Carley Mijovic (who combined for 47 points and 15 rebounds), they stormed back into the contest to secure a memorable 73-68 victory in the dying moments, a 23-point turnaround for their group clash. Memorable stuff.

2013 World University Games Emerging Boomers silver
Sure they fell just short in the Final against powerful hosts Russia, who took all before them, but no Australian men's team has taken down more powerhouses of international basketball in one tournament quite like Andrej Lemanis' Emerging Boomers of 2013.

Serbia, Lithuania and the USA is an incredibly tough trio to knock over just to secure passage to the gold medal game, and they did it the hard way, coming from behind in each encounter. Jason Cadee and Cam Bairstow announced their arrival in the international game in this tournament, Cadee's 16 points in the final quarter against the US astounding.

2016 Rio Olympics Boomers fourth place
No Australian team, at any level, has ever made a statement quite like this against the world's elite to start a major international tournament. Trouncing France by 21 points on opening day, overrunning the Serbs by 15 in their second game, and running the USA all the way to the post in their third outing captured a nation’s imagination.

Unfortunately, a 26-point destruction of Lithuania in the final eight was followed by a night to forget in the semi-final, and sadly an incredible fightback from double digits against Spain in the bronze medal game was thwarted by a refereeing slip. However, the style of team ball stars like Andrew Bogut, Patty Mills and Matty Dellavedova produced in cohorts with a bunch of talented role players - averaging 24 assists per game - won't soon be forgotten.

2014 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup bronze
Few expected much from the Opals in Turkey three years ago given the absence of nine of the 2012 Olympic team, a new coach without experience leading women and some questionable selection decisions. Remarkably, the Opals not only made the final four, they played a brand of team basketball at both ends that was unprecedented for an Australian senior team.

Brendan Joyce's team won their five games by an average of almost 30 points, and made the USA work well into the fourth quarter in their sole defeat. Penny Taylor and Erin Phillips were sublime leading an inexperienced team, and the Opals’ 30-point spanking of the hosts - who had not lost by more than 10 - was an incredible punctuation mark.

2014 FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup silver
This team kept fronting up for tough tests, downing France by three, dropping a close one to Canada, bouncing back against Greece, then overcoming a very talented Spanish team in the semi-finals. Isaac Humphries was the force, averaging 24.8 points, 13.5 rebounds and 3.3 blocks per game in the four contests leading to the Final.

In the Final, the USA subdued the giant centre, but the Emus showed what a great outfit they were, Tom Wilson starring with 23 points, seven dimes and six boards as the Aussies unleashed a late charge and went painfully close to causing a massive upset, DJ Vasiljevic, Harry Froling and Kouat Noi all standouts against their undefeated rivals.

2016 FIBA U17 Women's Basketball World Cup gold
What's not to love about this gold medal? Their opening four wins by a combined 122 points - including a gritty victory over the tough French - blitzing the US by 13 points in the semi-final and then holding Italy to just 38 points as they cruised to the title.

Like the 2014 junior men's team, this line-up had a superstar big in Ezi Magbegor, but they by no means relied solely on her. Jazmin Shelley rocked the USA with 23 points, 8 boards and 5 dimes, Jasmine Simmons had double-doubles in the Quarter-Final and Final, while Monique Conti was the star of the title game. A team of champions.



Paulo Kennedy

FIBA

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