Cambage, Allen headline Australia's 19-strong Olympic squad
MELBOURNE (Australia) - Liz Cambage and Bec Allen are among the star players named in the 19-strong Australia squad that will vie for spots on the country's Olympic roster.
MELBOURNE (Australia) - Stars Liz Cambage and Bec Allen are among the players that will vie for spots on Australia's Olympic roster.
A total of 19 players were named on Monday ahead of Australia's camp on the Gold Coast, which runs from March 29 to April 5. The final Tokyo 2020 Women's Olympic Basketball Tournament roster will ultimately include only 12 players.
| Australia's 19-player preliminary squad for Olympics | |||
| Bec Allen | Sara Blicavs | Liz Cambage | Rebecca Cole |
| Katie-Rae Ebzery | Darcee Garbin | Cayla George | Kelsey Griffin |
| Tessa Lavey | Tess Madgen | Ezi Magbegor | Leilani Mitchell |
| Lauren Nicholson | Jenna O'Hea | Nicole Seekamp | Alanna Smith |
| Stephanie Talbot | Marianna Tolo | Sami Whitcomb | |
Cambage and Allen last month spearheaded the Opals' successful campaign at the FIBA Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Bourges, France, where the national team claimed one of three spots on offer for the Tokyo Games.
Both players were named to the tournament's All-Star Five.
Australia fell to France in their opening game but rebounded with victories over Puerto Rico and Brazil to clinch second place. The French and Puerto Ricans grabbed the other two qualifying spots.
Cambage was a tower of power for Australia on both ends of the court in Bourges
Standout forward Jenna O'Hea was hurt and unable to play in France but is expected to be a part of the Olympic campaign. She has been named among the 19 along with Leilani Mitchell, the starting point guard at the qualifying tournament.
Other stalwarts in the squad are Stephanie Talbot, Cayla George, Katie-Rae Ebzery and Ezi Magbegor.
There is also the intriguing name of Kelsey Griffin, the MVP of the FIBA Women's Asia Cup 2017 when Australia finished runners-up to Japan.
"We are excited to have secured our spot for Tokyo and look forward to working hard over the next five months to ensure we are ready to play our best basketball," Opals head coach Sandy Brondello said.
"With that in mind, we are thrilled to name our Olympic squad, which we believe to be very strong with great versatility, depth and size. The first step of our preparation will begin next month with a camp on the Gold Coast. The coaches and I are anticipating some tough decisions in naming the final team."
Australia lost in the Quarter-Finals of the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, but finished second to the United States at the FIBA Women's World Cup in 2018 in Tenerife, Spain.
They were third at the FIBA Women's Asia Cup last year in Bengaluru, India, behind winners Japan and runners-up China.
FIBA