Tara Murray
Maddison Rocci’s dream of becoming an Australian Opal is now a reality.
Having been part of a larger squad ahead of the Olympics, the Werribee-product will get her opportunity with the Opals team for the Asia Cup.
“It’s always super exciting to represent your country,” Rocci said before the team headed off.
“It’s an honour and I’m super excited to play for the Opals.
“We had the squad list come out and then we got an email when the team was announced.
“We leave for Jordan on the 23rd and the tournament starts on the 27th. We were meant to have a camp and play against New Zealand in the lead up but obviously with COVID-19 and the border stuff it didn’t happen.
“I think we’re going to go straight to Jordan and maybe get one or two training sessions in before we will play our first game.”
Rocci said the opportunity to train with some of the senior Australian players in the lead up to the Olympics would help her at the tournament.
The 23-year-old said she learnt so much in a short period of time.
“I think we only had three camps, but just those camps I went to, I learnt so much from those older girls and what they did on and off the court.
“I think I learned the style the Opals like to play as well.
Rocci isn’t a stranger to representing her country, having played in both the under-17, under-19 and emerging Opals teams.
She said while those times were special, this Opals experience would be something completely different.
Rocci will head into the tournament with some strong form behind her.
Her team, Southern Districts Spartans in NBL1 North in Queensland. just finished up their season, where they finished runners-up.
Rocci was named in the all-star 5 team averaging more than 18 points, nearly five assists and more than six rebounds a game.
Rocci has spent the last few Women’s National Basketball League off-seasons up north.
“My boyfriend lives in Queensland and plays with the Brisbane Lions, so I think that was a massive factor for me,” she said.
“Being in Queensland it’s given me a really good opportunity to keep playing basketball and be in a training environment every single day.
“I’ve really enjoyed playing in the Queensland competition, I think it’s at a standard where we have a few WNBL players in it now.”
Rocci won’t have much rest when she returns to Australia from Opals duty, with the WNBL season fast approaching.
No date has been announced for the competition, or whether it will be played in a hub like last year.
Rocci will be pulling on some new colours this season, having signed with the Victorian-based South Side Flyers.
The guard said it was a difficult decision to leave the Canberra Capitals where she had played the last four years.
In that time, Rocci has been part of back-to-back premierships with the Capitals. With no imports last season, Rocci took an a bigger role averaging 16 points a game.
She finished top five in the Suzy Batkovic Medal for the league’s most valuable player, top three in the youth player of the year and was named in the all-WNBL second team.
“Leaving Canberra was a really hard decision as I really enjoyed playing there for my past four seasons,” she said.
“I never really imagined my life in Canberra for six years [having spent two years at the AIS] but I look back on the last six years as a really good experience and it’s something that really helped me moving forward into the next part of my basketball journey.
“For me I came in there [the Capitals] so young as an 18-year-old. I was learning from the veterans. I played with such amazing leaders in front of me Leilani Mitchell, Kelly Wilson, Kelsey Griffin and Marianna Tolo… and Kia Nurse…. playing with experienced players has really helped me.”
The desire to return to her home state played a major factor in her decision.
Rocci said her parents were already getting her room ready at home in Werribee for when she moves back. She said she was excited to play in front of her family again, who haven’t seen many of her WNBL games.
“I’m excited, the team we have at Southside is pretty special and I think playing with those Opals players will be really good for me and I’m really excited to learn off Jenna O’Hea. Just being with her in those camps, I can see how good she is as a leader and now I get to learn off someone like that.”
Rocci said her next aim was to make next year’s Australian World Cup side, with the Olympics firmly in her sights as well.
