Opals move in

By Paul Pickering
DANDENONG Basketball Stadium will become ‘Opals HQ’ under a two-year deal announced by Basketball Australia last week.
BA high performance manager Wayne Carroll visited Dandenong last Friday to confirm the arrangement, saying it would give local basket-ball fans the chance to “touch the dream” in the lead-up to the 2010 World Championships and 2012 London Olympics.
The Opals will use the Stud Road facility regularly as they prepare for their world title defence in the Czech Republic this September, starting with a three-day camp for ‘talls’ beginning on 17 March.
The deal – sweetened by the fact that the Opals and Rangers’ WNBL side are both sponsored by Jayco – will also see the Australian under-19 Gems squad use Dandenong as its training base.
Dandenong Basketball Association general manager Graeme Allen, who approached BA officials with a council-backed proposal to host the national side, hailed the announcement as a coup for basketball in the area.
“It’s an awesome acknowledgment of the world-class facilities we have here, and also the way we’ve managed six or seven major events for Basket-ball Australia in the last 12 months,” he said.
Dandenong hosted the Opals and China for a friendly international last August and also staged the Asia Oceania wheelchair basketball championship in October.
Allen said the March Opals camp would see the likes of international superstar Lauren Jackson and towering teenager Liz Cambage – a former Rangers junior – training alongside WNBL stars Suzy Batkovic-Brown, Abby Bishop and Jenna O’Hea.
“There will be an opportunity for (the players) to run clinics, and for schools, local coaches, junior Rangers and people from other associations to come in and witness training and see how they do it at the elite level,” he said.
THE Rangers women snapped a five game losing streak when they defeated last-placed AIS 80-33 in Hobart on Friday night.
The ‘home’ side did most of the damage in a 27-2 third term and went on to concede the lowest total in the competition this season.
American centre Ashley Lindsey led the way with 17 points and 13 rebounds, while Caitlin Ryan (16 points), Steph Cumming (14) and Casey Nash (10) all made strong contributions.
The seventh-placed Rangers will host ladder-leader Bulleen from 1pm this Saturday.