The Rollers take off next week for the Paris 2024 Paralympics and will play practice games against Canada & France ahead of their opening game against the Netherlands on the 29th of August.
Playing out of the Bercy Arena in Paris, the Rollers will then face Spain & the USA in Group B of the tournament before a quarter final cross-over with Group A which includes Canada, Great Britain, Germany & France.
The Rollers have had a strong window of preparation under Head Coach Brad Ness, who gained a world of experience as a player across five Paralympics. Ness was a part of the team that won gold in Beijing in 2008 & two silver medals at the 2004 Athens & 2012 London games.
The athletes have responded well to a new style of play and Ness’ personal approach to leadership and coaching, which was on display at the recent Ford Ballin’24 series in Melbourne where the Rollers went undefeated against Japan.
Leigh Gooding, Basketball Australia’s Head of National Programs is looking forward to showcasing what the Rollers can do.
“There are no easy games at the Paralympics with the new 8-team format put in place by the IPC (International Paralympic Committee), which is a reduction from the 12 in Tokyo,” said Gooding.
“So, every game will be a real test and with very differing styles across the Dutch, Spanish and World Champion Team USA, “
“Our strength will be in our numbers and depth, while ensuring we are extremely well organised and disciplined on the defensive end and getting a good spread of contributors on the offensive end, using our speed and agility to create some easy transition opportunities,”
“As we have seen in the most recent Olympic Games competition, there are no easy games and therefore taking care of the ball, limiting turnovers and making free throws will be essential.”
| Australian Rollers – Paris 2024 Paralympic Team | |
| Jannik Blair | Thomas McHugh |
| Jaylen Brown | Shaun Norris |
| Phil Evans | Tom O’Neill Thorne |
| Tristan Knowles | Luke Pople |
| Bill Latham | Frank Pinder |
| Eithen Leard | Samuel White |
| Head Coach | Assistant Coach | Assistant Coach | Assistant Coach |
| Brad Ness | Brett Stibners | Darren Allie | Luke Mitchell |
| Practice Games | ||
| Wednesday 21 August | Australia v Canada | 12:00am AEST |
| Friday 23 August | Australia v France | 6:30am AEST |
| Group B – Pool Games | ||
| Friday August 30 | Australia v Netherlands | 5:30am AEST |
| Friday August 30 | Australia v Spain | 8:45pm AEST |
| Sunday September 1 | Australia v USA | 6:30pm AEST |
Before the Rollers head off to Paris, you’ll find the majority of the players suiting up in the WBA National League this weekend as the finals commence in Shellharbour, NSW.
The finals can be watched on Kayo Freebies, more information found here.
