Group Intro
Group B is comprised of sides that have dominated their continental competitions for large stretches of the past decade or more but haven’t always translated that onto the Olympic or World Cup stage. At least two of these teams can advance out of the group and make their stamps on history!
Game to Watch
As always, there are no bad games when the top 12 teams in the world compete, but we’re super excited to see how Australia and France match up. Both sides are looking to take gold for the first time and will be expected to make deep runs into the competition. Their contest at 21.00 (CEST) on 4/8/2024 should tell us a lot about their relative strengths as they look to advance to the next stage.
Australia
Team Biography
Historically, the giant of Oceanaian basketball, Australia, has made waves in the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup since starting to compete in 2017, with a silver medal in their first outing and three bronze medals since. Winning medals in five of their ten Olympic appearances, including three silvers in the 2000s and a World Cup championship in 2006, Australia has been one of the best teams in the world for the past thirty years or so.
Australia entered the last Olympics in disarray, and it showed in their performances. They finished with a 1-3, down in 8th position, and were eliminated in the quarters by eventual champions USA. Australia have since rebounded from this disappointment with Bronze medals at the 2022 World Cup and the 2023 Asia Cup. The Opals have built around a young core, including Jade Melbourne, Ezi Magbegor and Isobel Borlase, to go with the experience of Lauren Jackson and Sami Whitcomb; they will be a tough out for any team they face.
Roster list
| POS | # | NAME | AGE | HT | CLUB |
| G | 2 | Jade Melbourne | 21 | 5’10” | Washington Mystics (USA) |
| G | 3 | Kristy Wallace | 28 | 5’11” | Indiana Fever (USA) |
| F | 6 | Stephanie Talbot | 30 | 6’2″ | Los Angeles Sparks (USA) |
| G | 7 | Tess Madgen (C) | 33 | 5’11” | Sydney Flames |
| F | 9 | Rebecca Allen | 31 | 6’2″ | Phoenix Mercury (USA) |
| F | 11 | Alanna Smith | 27 | 6’3″ | Minnesota Lynx (USA) |
| F | 13 | Ezi Magbegor | 24 | 6’4″ | Seattle Storm (USA) |
| C | 14 | Marianna Tolo | 35 | 6’5″ | Bendigo Spirit |
| F | 15 | Cayla George | 35 | 6’4″ | Sydney Flames |
| G | 20 | Isobel Borlase | 19 | 5’11” | Adelaide Lightning |
| C | 25 | Lauren Jackson | 43 | 6’5″ | Southside Flyers |
| G | 32 | Sami Whitcomb | 36 | 5’10” | Seattle Storm (USA) |
Head Coach: Sandy Brondello
Olympic History
10th Olympic Games
Silver in 2000, 2004, 2008
Bronze in 1996, 2012
8th in 2020
Pathway to Paris:
Australia qualified for the Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) in Belem, Brazil, by finishing in the top four at the 2024 FIBA Women’s Asia Cup, drawn against the hosts Brazil and European sides Serbia and Germany. Australia, ranked third in the world at the time of the tournament, were rightly considered favourites and showed the world why by not dropping a game.
In their opening encounter, they edged past the hosts in a low-scoring contest, 55-60, Ezi Magbegor leading all scorers with 18 to accompany her seven boards. In their second game, Australia soundly beat Germany, scoring 54 points in the opening half to win 85-52. Tess Magden top scored with 15, a game where all the Opals scored at least two points. Their final contest in Brazil saw them edge past Serbia by two points, as Marianna Tolo bagged a team-high 13 points.
Australia has been competitive in their pre-Olympic tune-ups, winning over China and Spain but losing narrowly to Canada last week.
Key players
Australia will be without the talents of Bec Allen, who has been ruled out of the Olympics due to an injury sustained in their final warm-up game against Canada. Allen is no stranger to playing through injury, having won Bronze at the last World Cup despite playing with a partially collapsed lung and two broken ribs, but sadly for Allen, her hamstring injury is too severe.
Ezi Magbegor, Isobel Borlase, and Jade Melbourne are just three of the Australian stars ready to take on the best of the best.
Ezi Magbegor averaged 13.2 points per game for USK Praha in EuroLeague Women this year and is averaging 13 points per game so far in the WNBA for the Seattle Storm this season. The 24-year-old Magbegor, who started her career playing for the Canberra Capitals, has been a mainstay of the Australian national team since her debut in the 2018 Commonwealth Games, in which she took home a gold. In the OQT, Magbegor averaged a team-high 12.7 ppg with 4.3 rebounds.
2023 WNBL Breakout Player of the Year Isobel Borlase is making her Olympic debut this summer at 19, already with two pro seasons of WNBL basketball under her belt. Borlase will be suiting up in the WNBA next season, having been drafted in the second round by the Atlanta Dream in 2024, but opted to spend the year playing in Adelaide and for the Forestville Eagles in NBL 1. Borlase made her senior bow at the OQT and made an immediate impact, averaging 11 points per game in her two games.
Jade Melbourne made her WNBA debut last season for the Seattle Storm; at 20 years of age, she was the youngest player to make a WNBA roster. Melbourne has been playing for Washington this season and is averaging 5.6 points per game in 13 minutes. She averaged 16.3 points per game in 32 minutes for Canberra in the WNBL. In the OQT, Melbourne averaged 5.3 points per game in 13 minutes per game, but with Bec Allen’s forced withdrawal from the Opals, don’t be surprised if Melbourne doesn’t shoulder a heavier load in Paris.
Schedule (all times local)
29.7.2024 (11.00) vs Nigeria
1.8.2024 (13.30) vs Canada
4.8.2024 (21.00) vs France
Trivia
Australia dominated the FIBA Oceania Women’s Championship, winning it in 15 of 15 attempts before moving to the FIBA Asia Cup. New Zealand did win it in 1993 because Australia had already qualified for the 1994 World Cup as hosts and, therefore, didn’t compete. Australia missed the Olympic qualification just once since 1984, and immediately responded to this disappointment with five straight medal-winning performances.
Also, Caz and Daz of FocusHoops fame have been featured multiple times on the top Australian basketball podcast, Shooting the Breeze. (Less trivia and more plug for our Aussie mates!)
Reason to Root for
Although they are missing one of their top stars, Australia is entering the tournament with many young, exciting prospects ready to take on the world! Despite being one of the top teams in the world for the past 30 years, Australia has never won the Olympics. Could this be the year?
CANADA
Team Biography
The nation that gifted the world the sport has been a consistently high performer in the FIBA Women’s AmeriCup and has even medalled in the World Cup, but it has never earned a medal at the Olympics in its eight attempts. Canada has recorded three Gold medals, including back-to-back titles in 2015 and 2017 in the FIBA Americup Women. In 17 appearances, they’ve medalled 13 times.
Despite not having a domestic professional league, Canada has produced many top talents who have shone in the WNBA and worldwide. Canada will gain their first WNBA team in Toronto in the 2026 season.
Roster list
| Pos. | No. | Name | Age | Height | Club |
| G | 2 | Shay Colley | 28 | 5 ft 9 in | Tango Bourges Basket (FRA) |
| G | 4 | Sami Hill | 29 | 5 ft 10 in | Araski (ESP) |
| G | 5 | Kia Nurse | 28 | 6 ft 0 in | Los Angeles Sparks (USA) |
| SF | 6 | Bridget Carleton | 27 | 6 ft 1 in | Minnesota Lynx (USA) |
| G | 8 | Cassandre Prosper | 19 | 6 ft 2 in | Notre Dame Fighting Irish (USA) |
| PF | 9 | Yvonne Ejim | 22 | 6 ft 0 in | Gonzaga Bulldogs (USA) |
| C | 11 | Natalie Achonwa (C) | 31 | 6 ft 3 in | Free agent |
| G | 12 | Syla Swords | 18 | 6 ft 0 in | Michigan Wolverines (USA) |
| C | 14 | Kayla Alexander | 33 | 6 ft 4 in | Valencia Basket (ESP) |
| F | 15 | Laeticia Amihere | 23 | 6 ft 1 in | Atlanta Dream (USA) |
| G | 21 | Nirra Fields | 30 | 5 ft 9 in | Emlak Konut SK (TUR) |
| F | 24 | Aaliyah Edwards | 22 | 6 ft 3 in | Washington Mystics (USA) |
Head Coach: Víctor Lapeña
Olympic History
8th Olympic Games
4th in 1984
9th in 2020
Pathway to Paris:
Canada’s path to Paris was not the most straightforward. Thanks to their third-place finish in the 2023 FIBA Women’s AmeriCup, they entered the Americas Pre-Qualifying Tournament, hosted in Medellin, Colombia. They matched up with Puerto Rico, Colombia, and Venezuela. Canada was a class above the competition, finishing with three wins, a +68 points differential, and the best offensive and defensive numbers.
In the OQT in Sopron, Hungary and Canada entered behind only Spain in the world rankings, with Japan and Hungary also in the tournament. Canada would finish the tournament with a 1-2 record, but a 55-67 victory over the hosts in round one ultimately secured their passage to Paris. In the win over Hungary, Bridget Carlton led Canada in scoring with 18 points in the contest. Canada lost their remaining games, narrowly falling to Spain 55-60 and then to Japan 82-86. Carleton once again led the Canadians in scoring against Japan, with 19 points, and Kayla Alexander had a 17-14 double-double against Spain.
Canada has had a mixed time in the pre-Olympic friendlies, recording wins over Portugal and Australia but losing twice to Spain and Belgium.
Key players
Canada has a lot of talent and intriguing stories. For example, they are fielding the youngest player at the Olympic Basketball Tournament in Syla Swords. It is difficult to narrow it down to three players. Still, the captain Natalie Achonwa, leading scorer from the OQT Kayla Alexander and second-leading scorer Bridget Carleton are three players you need to pay attention to.
Natalie Achonwa didn’t play during the 2023-24 season for a club, having given birth to her son Maverick in April 2023, but has been an ever-present for her country, averaging 9.7 points per game in the OQT and 7.3 points per game in the POQT. Achonwa will be retiring from Team Canada after the Olympics, so they will have a little extra incentive to bring home a medal for Canada.
Kayla Alexander averaged a 16-point, 13.7-rebound double-double for Canada in the OQT, shooting 63% from the field and hitting 83% of her free throws. Alexander will play her basketball for Spanish powerhouse Valencia Basket in 2024-25, having played the last two seasons for Tango Bourges Basket and, before that, ASVEL Feminin. The calibre of teams she’s played for gives you a clue to her value to Canada in Paris.
Bridget Carleton had 14 points per game in the OQT, the second-highest on the team, with 5.7 rebounds and two dimes. Carleton was a key figure for her EuroLeague side, UNI Gyor, putting up 17 points per game and scoring just shy of 10 points per game for Minnesota in the WNBA in the first 25 games of the campaign. The 27-year-old is playing in her second Olympic games and will be expected to carry a significant load for a Canadian side looking to improve on their 2020 showing.
Schedule (all times local)
29.7.2024 (17.15) vs France
1.8.2024 (13.30) vs Australia
4.8.2024 (13.30) vs Nigeria
Trivia
A Canadian named James Naismith invented the sport of Basketball in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA. Canada won its first two FIBA AmeriCup women’s titles, 20 years apart, in 1995 and 2015. On both occasions, it defeated Cuba in the final. It also hosted both of these tournaments! In 2017, it won its third title in Argentina, beating the hosts in the final, with Nirra Fields taking the tournament MVP.
Reason to Root for
A team chasing their first-ever Olympic medal, with the very noisy neighbours south of the border dominating the Olympics for much of the competition’s history—who can’t get behind that? In addition, a few of their roster will likely not feature at another Olympics, but the youngsters coming through are extremely exciting indeed.
| Roster | |||||
| POS | # | NAME | AGE | HT | CLUB |
| C | Natalie Achonwa | 31 | 6’3″ | ||
| C | Kayla Alexander | 33 | 6’4″ | Valencia Basket (ESP) | |
| F | Laeticia Amihere | 23 | 6’1″ | Atlanta Dream (USA) | |
| F | Bridget Carleton | 27 | 6’1″ | Minnesota Lynx (USA) | |
| G | Shay Colley | 28 | 5’9″ | Tango Bourges Basket (FRA) | |
| F | Aaliyah Edwards | 22 | 6’3″ | Washington Mystics (USA) | |
| F | Yvonne Ejim | 22 | 6’1″ | Gonzaga Bulldogs (USA) | |
| G | Nirra Fields | 30 | 5’9″ | ||
| G | Sami Hill | 29 | 5’10” | Araski (ESP) | |
| G | Kia Nurse | 28 | 6’0″ | Los Angeles Sparks (USA) | |
| G | Cassandre Prosper | 19 | 6’2″ | Notre Dame Fighting Irish (USA) | |
| G | Syla Swords | 18 | 6’0″ | Michigan Wolverines (USA) | |
FRANCE
Team Biography
France will host the 2024 Paris Olympics and has medalled in two of their previous four appearances. Despite being an ever-present at EuroBasket since the inaugural 1938 tournament hosted by Italy, France didn’t medal until 1970 (silver) and would not win EuroBasket until 2001, a tournament they hosted. France has been a dominant force in the last decade, medalling each EuroBasket from 2009 to 2023. This started with gold in ‘09, bronze in ‘11, and five straight runner-up medals before a bronze medal last year.
France is home to one of Europe’s strongest domestic leagues, and many players and teams are making deep runs in the EuroLeague and EuroCup.
France enters the Olympics on an 11-game win streak starting in June 2023.
Roster list
| Pos. | No. | Name | Age | Height | Club |
| PG | 4 | Marine Fauthoux | 23 | 5 ft 9 in | Çukurova Basketbol (TUR) |
| PF | 6 | Alexia Chery | 25 | 6 ft 3 in | ASVEL Féminin (FRA) |
| SG | 10 | Sarah Michel (C) | 35 | 5 ft 11 in | Bourges Basket (FRA) |
| SF | 11 | Valériane Ayayi | 30 | 6 ft 0 in | USK Praha (CZE) |
| C | 12 | Iliana Rupert | 23 | 6 ft 4 in | Çukurova Basketbol (TUR) |
| F | 13 | Janelle Salaun | 22 | 6 ft 2 in | PF Schio (ITA) |
| C | 14 | Dominique Malonga | 18 | 6 ft 6 in | ASVEL Féminin (FRA) |
| F | 15 | Gabby Williams | 27 | 5 ft 11 in | Fenerbahçe (TUR) |
| C | 22 | Marième Badiane | 29 | 6 ft 3 in | Fenerbahçe (TUR) |
| SG | 23 | Marine Johannès | 29 | 5 ft 10 in | ASVEL Féminin (FRA) |
| G | 42 | Leila Lacan | 20 | 5 ft 11 in | Basket Landes (FRA) |
| PG | 47 | Romane Bernies | 31 | 5 ft 7 in | BLMA (FRA) |
Head Coach: Jean-Aimé Toupane
Olympic History
5th Olympic Appearance
2nd in 2012
3rd in 2020
Pathway to Paris:
France automatically qualified for the tournament as hosts. However, they are still allowed to compete in the OQTs – it would be a disadvantage to them and the USA (as World Cup Champs) not to play against the best in the world in preparation for the Olympics.
France entered the China OQT as the seventh-best-ranked team in the world and was paired with hosts China, Puerto Rico and New Zealand.
In their opening contest, France hammered Puerto Rico 88-40, with Marine Johannes leading the way with 17 points, before beating China by 32 points in an 82-50 victory over the 2nd ranked team in the world. Johannes and Gabby Williams bagged 17 points in the victory. In their final game, they took down New Zealand with a 94-39 win, with Williams top-scoring with 21 points. A 61-17 first half set the table for an emphatic victory.
France have been in fantastic form heading into the Olympics, with wins over China, Japan, Serbia and Finland in their tuneup games. France hasn’t lost a game since falling to Belgium in the EuroBasket 2023 Semi-Final last June.
Key players
Gabby Williams, Marine Johannes, and Dominique Malonga led France at the OQT in China and can reasonably be expected to do the same for France in their home Olympics.
Gabby Williams averaged 16.3 points per game, 4 rebounds and 2.7 steals in the OQT and has just inked a contract to join EuroLeague champs Fenerbahce, thanks in part to 12.9 ppg for ASVEL in EuroLeague this season. Williams averaged just shy of 16 points per game at the World Cup, demonstrating, in case you weren’t aware, that she’s the big player for the big game.
Marine Johannes just signed for Mersin as they’re assembling a superteam to take on Fenerbahce, both at home and in Europe, and it makes perfect sense to go after one of Europe’s premier Guards. Johannes averaged 14.4 points and 4.3 assists in EuroLeague last season as she played alongside Williams for ASVEL and averaged 14-4 for France in the OQTs. The 2023 EuroCup Women Finals MVP is in the prime of her career and will be looking to lead her French side to go at least one better than in 2020.
18-year-old Dominique Malonga made her French senior debut at the OQT, averaging 9 points and 3 rebounds per game, including a 13-point showing against New Zealand in just 17 minutes of court time. Playing for Tarbes in France last season, Malonga was one rebound short of averaging a double-double in her 25 games (11.8-9.2) as she helped her side make the playoffs. Malonga made the Eurobasket.com French LFB All-Domestic Players Team of the Year last season, which, at just 18, goes some way to show how talented a prospect she is; she is certainly a player to watch out for in Paris.
Schedule (all times local)
29.7.2024 (17.15) vs Canada
1.8.2024 (17.15) vs Nigeria
4.8.2024 (21.00) vs Australia
Trivia
This is one for the kit-geeks amongst us. Each player jersey has different armhole trim in a different gradient of the French tricolor. Are players issued with only one home jersey? If not, do both their jerseys have identical trim? Again, this is one for the kit-geeks!
Aside from Italy, no other side has featured as much as France has at Eurobasket, and few teams have been as successful. However, despite being a dominant European force, they haven’t medalled in the World Cup since Chile in 1953.
Reason to Root for
France has never won the Olympics and enters in exceptional form. If you’re looking for a contender against USA domination in front of a passionate home crowd, France could be what you’re looking for!
Can Les Braqueuses rob another international victory?
Nigeria
Team Biography
D’Tigress is entering its third Olympic games and is looking to advance out of the Group Stages for the first time, having debuted in 2004. Nigeria has competed in two World Cups, getting their first wins in 2018, where they had a memorable run to the Quarter-Finals. However, they withdrew from the 2022 World Cup as the National Federation was dissolved by the Government. Despite tensions between the Federation and athletes, Nigeria have dominated AfroBasket, winning all four tournaments since 2017 and taking the bronze in 2015. Of the 15 AfroBaskets Nigeria have entered and qualified for, they have six gold medals and two bronze.
Nigeria are the sole African side to compete at this year’s Olympic games, as Senegal failed to make it out of the Belgian OQT, in which they faced off against Nigeria.
Roster list
| Pos. | No. | Name | Age | Height | Club |
| F | 0 | Amy Okonkwo (C) | 27 | 6 ft 2 in | Tango Bourges Basket (FRA) |
| C | 3 | Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpannah | 27 | 6 ft 2 in | Magnolia Basket Campobasso (ITA) |
| G | 4 | Elizabeth Balogun | 23 | 6 ft 1 in | CB Bembibre (ESP) |
| SG | 5 | Olaoluwatomi Taiwo | 24 | 5 ft 10 in | Esgueira Basket (POR) |
| C | 6 | Lauren Ebo | 24 | 6 ft 4 in | Turgutlu Belediyespor (TUR) |
| G | 9 | Ifunanya Okoro | 25 | 6 ft 0 in | Tindastóll (ISL) |
| PG | 10 | Promise Amukamara | 31 | 5 ft 9 in | Dynamo Kursk (RUS) |
| F | 20 | Murjanatu Musa | 24 | 6 ft 2 in | Celta de Vigo (ESP) |
| C | 22 | Blessing Ejiofor | 25 | 6 ft 5 in | Celta de Vigo (ESP) |
| PG | 23 | Ezinne Kalu | 32 | 5 ft 8 in | Basket Roma (ITA) |
| SF | 25 | Adebola Adeyeye | 24 | 6 ft 2 in | Kentucky Wildcats (USA) |
| F | 33 | Nicole Enabosi | 27 | 6 ft 0 in | C’ Chartres Basket Féminin (FRA) |
Head Coach: Rena Wakama
Olympic History
3rd Olympic Games
11th in 2020
Pathway to Paris:
As finalists and eventual winners of the 2023 Women’s Afrobasket, Nigeria competed in the Belgian OQT in Antwerp with hosts Belgium, the World Champion United States, and fellow Afrobasket finalists Senegal. With the USA already qualified for Paris as World Cup winners, just two qualifying spots were left for the three other sides.
Nigeria entered Antwerp 11th in the world and was the favourite to qualify ahead of 20th-placed Senegal. The contest between the two would likely act as a play-in game.
Nigeria faced Senegal in their opening contest and were forced to dig deep as they trailed heading into the final period. However, they came up with a huge 23-8 quarter to take a 72-65 win, with Amy Okonkwo recording a 21-10 double-double.
Nigeria fell to the USA 46-100 in their second game, Murjanatu Musa leading the way with 13 points and battled hard against Belgium before falling to a 78-61 loss to the hosts, Elizabeth Balogun leading Nigeria with 17 points personal.
Nigeria have struggled in their warm-up games, losing to both Serbia and Germany in the lead into Paris.
Key players
Amy Okonkwo, Elizabeth Balogun, and Murjanatu Musa were three big performers for Nigeria at the OQTs and will be expected to perform in Paris this time around.
Amy Okonkwo plies her trade in the top French league for Bourges, having just signed after a fantastic season for Bretagne, which saw her averaging 17 points per game in the LFB, which included a 30-point performance over her new club, one of the top sides in the country. Okonkwo was the points-per-game leader in France last season and ninth in rebounding, earning Eurobasket.com All-French LFB Second Team 2024 honours. In the OQT, Okonkwo scored an average of 15.3 points per game and had a high score of 21 over Senegal and 16 against Belgium.
Elizabeth Balogun had an average stat line of 9-4-3 in the OQT and shot 43% from beyond the arc in her three games. The 23-year-old from Lagos represented Bembibre in Spain’s top tier last season and averaged 8.8 points and 5.3 boards per game in league play. After an excellent career representing Georgia Tech, Louisville, and Duke, 2023-24 was Balogun’s first season as a professional, but she already has an AfroBasket gold medal to her name, earned in Rwanda in 2023.
Murjanatu Musa played a valuable role off the bench in the OQTs, scoring 7.7 points per game and pulling down 4.3 rebounds in just 19 minutes of court time. Musa grew her game in Nigeria, starring for the league champions Air Warriors and being voted MVP in 2019. Musa has played for Celta Zorka since the 2012/22 season and helped them gain promotion to Spain’s top tier last season. In her first year in Liga, Endesa Musa averaged a near-double-double of 12.6-9.4 in one of the world’s top leagues. Musa has already won two AfroBrasket gold medals and has played 3×3 for Nigeria in the 2019 African Games, showing her versatility and direct nature.
Schedule (all times local)
29.7.24 (11.00) vs Australia
1.8.2024 (15.15) vs France
4.8.2024 (13.30) vs Canada
Trivia
Nigeria is only the second team to win the Afrobasket four times in a row, the first being Senegal in the 1970s and 1980s. Head Coach Rena Wakama, who is just 32 years old, played for Nigeria in their 2015 Women’s Afrobasket, winning a bronze medal for her country before taking her talents into coaching college basketball in America. Wakama is the first female head coach to win AfroBasket in the tournament’s history despite only joining the team as Head Coach two weeks before the tournament.
Nigeria’s continental dominance now extends to a 24-0 winning streak. How long can it continue?
Reason to Root for
Nigeria is Africa’s only entrant into the Women’s Basketball competition at the 2024 Paris Olympics and is looking to advance past the group stages for the first time in its history. A relative underdog with some high-quality talent, how could you not root for D’Tigress?
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