This was published 14 years ago
New sponsorship deal kick-starts the Opals' world campaign
By Andrea Petrie
A NEW sponsorship deal between Jayco and Australian women's basketball team is expected to help bring the country's best players together in the lead-up to next year's world championships, Opals coach Carrie Graf said yesterday.
Graf said the three-year deal would allow the team put a program together that would give the world champions more of a chance to defend their title against their toughest opponent, the US.
It would also help them prepare them for the 2012 London Olympics.
''We haven't had a chance to have the whole Opals group together yet, we'll do that over the next six to 12 months and with the financial support we'll put a program together that we will see Lauren Jackson, Penny Taylor, Kristi Harrower and the core of the team back ready for preparation for the world championships,'' Graf said.
She said while it was hard for the team to get together with many Opals playing in leagues across the world, the extra funding would possibly enable them to hold some training camps in Europe. Jackson, who sustained two fractures in her vertebrae in the Women's NBA last season, welcomed the sponsorship deal.
Jackson, 28, plays for the Seattle Storm in the WNBA and Russian club Spartak in addition to the Opals whenever scheduling permits.
She suffered the back injury when she crashed to the floor after grabbing a rebound. She has another month of rehabilitation in Canberra at the Australian Institute of Sport before she heads back to Russia in December.
''I've had a pretty good run up until the last couple of years and injuries have taken over a little bit,'' Jackson said.
''But what my body needs is a little bit of a break, which I've had, and I'm working on other aspects of my body and hopefully I'm going to get a base to push on for the next four or five years. I plan to play forever.''
But Jackson was particularly pleased about the inclusion of teenager Lizzie Cambage to the Opals' line-up, whom she met for the first time yesterday.
Cambage, 18, who plays for Bulleen in the Women's National Basketball League, stands at 203 centimetres and her height, physical presence, mobility and rebound skills have everybody in Australian women's basketball talking.
Jackson said Cambage ''brings a whole new dimension to our team''.
''It's going to make my life a whole lot easier, so I'm very excited,'' Jackson said.
Graf predicted that Cambage would have a long career ahead of her. ''We've never had an Australian basketball player with a unique body like that one,'' Graf said.