So that’s it – we’ve seen former Dandenong Rangers and WNBA star Penny Taylor in the Australian Opals colours for the very last time.
Pain, guilt, sadness, regret, disbelief – they were all etched on the face of the born and bred Victorian superstar after the Opals surprise exit from the Rio Olympics after a 71-73 quarter final defeat at the hands of Serbia last week.
The Opals legend announced she will retire from professional basketball at the end of the WNBA season.
“Turnovers, defence – we struggled to contain them,” Taylor said to Channel 7 commentator and fellow Victorian basketball legend Andrew Gaze after the match.
“They spread us out pretty well … not the way we wanted to play, obviously.
“This sucks, but I’m always proud to play for my country.”
Ever since she took to the international court for the first time in 2002 there was something special about to unfold for the kid from the Belgrave South Red Devils.
After dominating the WNBL it was only a matter of time before she’d head overseas and make her name into a reckoning force on the world stage.
The WNBA gleefully accepted her as she flourished with Cleveland… before heading to Phoenix to cement her league status.
But Penny was always ready to suit up for the country.
In 2006 the Opals captivated the world as Lauren Jackson and Taylor showed that Australian Women’s basketball was on the rise.
Olympic campaigns reaped her two silver medals in Athens and Beijing but those are just a few of the countless accolades, achievements, championships and honours that will line the trophy cabinet for Penny Taylor.
Her last Australian stat-line – two points, nine assists – will be glossed over in time as champions deserve to be remembered by their extraordinary achievements first and foremost.
The last word on Penny Taylor’s story shouldn’t be centered on disappointment, though.
Basketball was truly blessed to have Penny running around – whether it was her first steps on court at Belgrave South Red Devils all the way through to Dandenong and Phoenix Mercury in the elite leagues … or when she always made the time to come back to don the Australian jersey time after time.
She’s been through the wringer with injuries and she’s 35-years-old … but we still want one more match, one more series, another time leading our nation out on court.
This is not the ending she deserves, so perhaps that will drive the tenacious Taylor to go around again.
Another world championship tilt, returning to Australia in the WNBL … but if it’s not to be and this truly is it, then we were lucky to have her in the first place.
Thank you Penny.
