'Build a culture': Shyla Heal opens up on Opals World Cup dreams
If there was one thing to take away from the Australian Opals' successful trip to the FIBA World Cup qualifiers last month, it was the word 'culture'.
Some may groan as one of the most overused words in Australian sport makes yet another appearance but cliched as it may be, Shyla Heal has quickly come to understand its importance.
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Left reeling after an ego-bruising Tokyo Olympics campaign that faltered before it really started and will likely be remembered for all the wrong reasons, the Opals had only a few short months to regroup after being unceremoniously knocked out in the quarter-finals.
After winning medals at five consecutive Olympic Games from 1996, the Opals fell agonisingly short of the podium at the Rio 2016 Games before the Tokyo campaign was derailed.
An incident involving Aussie WNBA star Liz Cambage during a practice game prior to the Olympics, which resulted in her departure from the team, left the Opals without their key focal point and at a loss to replace her impact.
It was a brutal end to what many had considered to be a great opportunity to return to the podium after the disappointment of 2016.
Yet with another Olympic cycle gone, the Opals have quickly looked to the upcoming FIBA Women's World Cup, which will be held in Sydney last year.
After missing out on selection for Tokyo, Heal made her debut for the Opals at the qualifiers in Serbia last month, where Australia qualified for the world cup, finishing second in their group behind hosts Serbia.
The daughter of famously passionate former Boomers star Shane Heal, Shyla said it was a thrill to don the green and gold.
"It was a really good experience, my first time playing with the Opals and being a part of that program," she said.
"They’re really trying to build a great culture now we’re in a rebuilding phase, so it's really cool to be a part of that from the start."
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Heal missed out on the Tokyo Olympics team, with selectors tasking the 20-year-old point guard with gaining more experience through the WNBL.
The she and the Sydney Uni Flames are in the midst of a difficult WNBL campaign, her performances since the Tokyo Games last year earned her a place in the side for the qualifiers in Serbia.
There, Heal said it had been easy to learn from legendary coach Sandy Brondello, as well as WNBA point guard Sami Whitcombe, whom she backed up for most of the tournament.
"It was super important to get off on the right foot in Serbia, there’s a rebuild happening and it starts with culture," Heal said.
"The group we had in Serbia was great, all good people, and we really gelled well on the court as well.
"I took the most away from Sami, playing the point guard, that was my first time playing with her.
"I know what she can do, she's amazing, but I took mostly off court stuff away from the experience.
"Sami is a great leader, she brought energy every day that spread through group like wildlfire, every team needs that."
Still, Heal knows forging that strong culture now, well before the World Cup in September, will be crucial to any success the Opals might have.
"The big thing I noticed at camp, the main thing was culture," she said.
"Really focusing on good off-court culture, and transferring that on court.
"We have good people part of the group, nobody that’s all for themselves, we can just play team basketball and care for each other.
"If the Opals have that, then we'll go a long way.
"It's going to be insane having the World Cup on home soil. Not every day you have chance to do that.
"These are opportunities you don’t want to miss, we want as many people to come support as and watch some of the best players in the world play."
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