It’s been a long and fascinating journey to Paris for the Australian Gangurrus women who make their Olympic Games debut in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Lauren Mansfield, Ally Wilson, Marena Whittle and Anneli Maley will make history as the first Australian 3x3 team to compete at an Olympics with the modified form of the game coming a long way since Australia first fielded a team in 2012.
Now known as the Gangurrus, Australia’s women have three FIBA Asia Cup titles, two FIBA World Cup bronze medals and one Commonwealth Games bronze medal in their collection.
The very first team to represent Australia in 3x3 was in 2012 at the World Cup in Athens.
Interestingly, it featured Tess Madgen, Katie-Rae Ebzery and Sara Blicavs, who would go on to represent the Opals at the Tokyo Olympics, as well as Alice Kunek.
A host of players would suit up for their country in the years to come with experienced WNBL campaigners and young guns donning the green and gold.
In 2016, dual Olympic medallist Jenni Screen brought her wealth of her experience to a team featuring Maddi Rocci, Kelly Bowen and Isabella Brancatisano at the World Cup in China.
Now a rising WNBL star with Adelaide Lighting, Isabelle Bourne played in the 2017 team which won gold at the Asia Cup in Qatar.
Bourne, who went to college at the University of Nebraska following the tournament in which she was crowned MVP, suited up alongside four-time WNBL champion Chantella Perera, Carlie Smith and Sarah McAppion.
Bec Cole, Maddie Garrick, Keely Froling and Kunek formed a new frontier over the coming years and contested the 2019 World Cup in Amsterdam where the Aussies finished fourth.
A change in playing personnel would see Opals 2022 World Cup bronze medallist Maley, Whittle, Mansfield, Wilson and Lauren Scherf enter the fold.
The program’s crowning glory came at the 2022 Commonwealth Games where the team of Mansfield, Scherf, Whittle and Wilson reached the podium claiming a bronze medal in Manchester.
The Gangurrus backed it up the following year with another bronze medal at the 2023 FIBA World Cup in Vienna, with Maley coming into the line-up for Scherf.
Australia came second at this year’s Asia Cup in Singapore and have played all over the world as part of their qualification for Paris.
When the Gangurrus take to the court against Canada in their tournament opener they’ll be making a little bit of history for themselves, Australian basketball and the women who came before them.
