Canadian women's basketball ready to compete for podium

By: Lori Ewing, The Canadian Press

Natalie Achonwa has worn a wide smile since touching down in Toronto on Thursday night.

The 22-year-old forward for the WNBA's Indiana Fever said there's a transformation that happens when she suits up for Canada, a sentiment echoed by her Olympic teammates on Friday.

"Everyone was laughing at me (Thursday) because I was tearing up seeing everybody, and the fact I was so excited to practise," Achonwa said. "You get chills, it doesn't matter how many games you've played in, it doesn't matter how many FIBA Americas you've been to. The passion. . . it's something deep.

"I was trying to think of how to put into words what this environment with Canada Basketball feels like, and you literally can't. It's something you just embody. The pride and passion that this group plays with, and they live in, is something that can't be replicated. And it's contagious."

Meet the team

Canada Basketball unveiled its 12-woman Olympic roster for Rio on Friday, a team that has built on the momentum that began with its quarter-final appearance at the 2012 Games in London, and continued with last summer's thrilling and historic gold at the Pan American Games.

The roster remains identical to the Pan Am squad. Achonwa joins six returning Olympians from London — Lizanne Murphy, Kim Gaucher, Shona Thorburn, Tamara Tatham, Michelle Plouffe and Miranda Ayim. Kia Nurse, Miah-Marie Langlois, Nirra Fields, Katherine Plouffe, and Neyo Raincock-Akunwe are the team's first-time Olympians.

Gaucher, the team's 32-year-old team captain from Mission, B.C., said it's an athlete's "hugest honour" to play for Canada.

"I get chills that run down my spine every time I hear our national anthem played before a game, and you have your hands around 11 of your greatest friends " Gaucher said.

'We want a medal'

Four years after the London Olympics, where Canada clinched literally the last women's basketball berth, just a month before the opening ceremonies, Canada's goal this time around is significantly more lofty.

"Oh, we want a medal," Achonwa said. "I've proudly said that to anyone who's asked me. We want a medal. In 2012, we were happy and excited to be there. But with the time and prep we've put in the past four years, we have a goal to win a medal, and a goal to wear our jersey with pride, no matter where we are or what we're doing."

A mix of veterans and youths

The team carries itself with a quiet confidence that Achonwa said has developed over the past few years, instilled by the veterans such as Gaucher and Murphy, and injected with some youthful "edge" from the likes of Nurse and herself.

"It's more of an edge now. We've always had that get-down-and-dirty, fight-no-matter-what idea," Achonwa said. "But now we have the confidence to go with it. We can see that the work that we put in brings results, and I believe that's where our confidence comes from."

12 players deep

Their strength, according to head coach Lisa Thomaidis, is both in their chemistry and depth.

"Any time you can have more time, more experience playing together, that's going to generate better chemistry and cohesion," Thomaidis said. "We have some very young players. Kia, four years ago, was a teenager still playing in high school. Every one of our players is a better individual player from last year, which then again makes our team that much better."

The depth has been obvious in their box scores.

"Our team is deeper," Thomaidis said. "I don't think anyone played more than about 23 minutes a game, so it speaks to our level of talent, and how deep our talent base is right now. And we have different people as high scorers each night. That's a real comforting factor, when you know that anyone could potentially go off for 20 (points) a night."

Nurse on the way back

Nurse, who shone at last summer's Pan Am Games, practised with the Canadian team for the first time Friday after undergoing surgery for a sports hernia.

"I'm feeling great, ready to go," Nurse said. "Obviously the timeline wasn't what we were looking for, a little bit longer than expected, but I had to take care of it before the Olympics and come out ready to go. It's just back to practice now, back to basketball."