Canada’s road to the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris wasn’t an easy one; in fact, Canada had to wait until the final buzzer of a 22-point comeback win from Spain over Hungary in the FIBA Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament to ensure they punched their ticket.
They look to avenge their early exit in Tokyo, failing to make the quarterfinals after tallying a 1-2 record in group play, losing to then-ranked No. 8 Serbia and No. 3 Spain in the group stage.
Now, they’ll face Australia, who knocked them out of Tokyo by point differential after defeating Puerto Rico by 27 points, as well as France, who were bronze medallists in Tokyo defeating Serbia.
Nigeria rounds out the group, a nation that made just their second ever appearance at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, but have won the last four editions of the FIBA Women’s AfroBasket.
Here’s a closer look at Canada’s opponents in Paris.
AUSTRALIA
FIBA World Ranking: 3
Tokyo 2020 result: 8th place (lost to USA in semifinals)
The Road to Paris 2024: Australia finished with a 3-0 record at the FIBA Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament 2024 in Belém, Brazil, defeating Germany, Serbia and hosts Brazil.
The team had a plus-40 point differential, with an 85-52 win over Germany their most convincing, though they narrowly beat both Serbia and Brazil, winning by five points or less in both games.
The Head Coach: Sandy Brondello
The Starting 5: Bec Allen, Ezi Magbegor, Sami Whitcomb, Jade Melbourne, Marianna Tolo
The X Factor: Magbegor averaged 12.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, and three blocks per game while leading Australia to an undefeated record, qualifying for the Olympics and being named MVP. She shot 63.6 per cent from the field, and recorded 18 points, seven rebounds and four blocks against Brazil.
The Scouting Report: Australia is a team that is comprised of both talented youth and seasoned veterans, with 21-year-old Jade Melbourne and 35-year-old Sami Whitcomb on either end of the age scale.
The Opals will rely on Magbegor to be recording double-doubles, with Allen a shooting threat, tallying 11.3 points per game shooting over 63 per cent from three. Tolo and George are both two-way players that will be able to boost Australia on both ends of the court, particularly defensively. The Opals are a deep team with multiple options, with their biggest weakness simply being in too many close games, something Brondello will look to eliminate in Paris.
FRANCE
FIBA World Ranking: 7
Tokyo 2020 result: Bronze medal (lost to Japan in semifinals, beat Serbia in bronze medal game)
The Road to Paris 2024: As the host nation, France reserved a direct quota place in women’s basketball.
They also finished first at the FIBA Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament 2024 in Xi’An, China, going 3-0 defeating China, Puerto Rico and New Zealand.
The Head Coach: Jean-Aimé Toupane
The Starting 5: Gabby Williams, Marine Fauthoux, Iliana Rupert, Marieme Badiane, Janelle Salaun
The X Factor: Williams averaged 16.3 points, four rebounds, 2.7 steals in the qualifying tournament in China, shooting 60 per cent from the three-point line over three games. In Tokyo, Williams averaged 10.7 points per game, and led France in both assists and rebounds, tallying 4.5 and 6.2 per game respectively.
The Scouting Report: France dominated China 82-50 in the qualifying tournament, beating the 2022 FIBA Women’s World Cup silver medalists with ease. Marine Johannes averaged 14 points per game during the qualifiers, being able to shoot from anywhere on the court, while Williams not only shot lights out on offence but applied the pressure defensively.
Add in Badiane commanding the boards and France has skill everywhere on the floor. Their biggest concern out of Xi’An came in the form of converting from the stripe and being more demanding on the offensive glass, especially with Australia, Canada and Nigeria all bringing size in the paint.
NIGERIA
FIBA World Ranking: 12
Tokyo 2020 result: 11th (went 0-3 in group play)
The Road to Paris 2024: Finished third at the FIBA Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament 2024 in Antwerp, Belgium (defeated Senegal 72-65 in only win)
The Head Coach: Rena Wakama
The Starting 5: Elizabeth Balogun, Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpanah, Amy Okonkwo, Sarah Ogoke, Blessing Ejiofor
The X Factor: Okonkwo was named MVP of the 2023 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket, averaging a team-high 17.2 points and tallying 8.2 rebounds per game, and was the only Nigerian to register two double-doubles in the competition. She averaged 15.3 points and six rebounds per game during the Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
The Scouting Report: Nigeria beat out their African rivals in Senegal to earn their Olympic qualification, but their games against the USA and Belgium exposed the gap to the top nations in the qualifying tournament, and have to face three countries in the top seven in their group.
Nigeria will need to work offensively as they averaged 59.7 points per game in Antwerp, with Okonkwo the only player to average double-digit scoring. Nigeria looked better against the Belgians, with Kunaiyi-Akpanah and Balogun stepping up to add 29 points together. However, one of their weaknesses is that the rest of their rotation added just 16 points, and they will need more strength in scoring from the full roster.
