Opals win
game between rich and
poor
Australian
basketball player Michelle
Brogan drives past
Zaire's Kakengwa Pikinini
and Mabika Mwadi.
Australia defeated Zaire
91-45. Pic by Sergio
Moraes REUTERS
By Martin Blake,
THE AGE, 25th July 1996
IN ZAIRE, nobody has
heard of the level
playing field.
The African nation has
a women's basketball team
at the Olympic Games at
the behest of the
national government,
which pays most of the
bills, and with the
considerable help of its
most famous benefactor,
NBA star Dikembe Mutombo.
But when somebody
asked coach Mongamaluku
Mozingo whether he looked
forward to the 2000
Games, he conceded that
he had no idea if Zaire
would be in Sydney.
"It's not up to
the coach," he said.
"It's up to the
Government."
Mutombo, recently of
Denver Nuggets but soon
to join Atlanta Hawks,
has provided most of the
team's equipment out of
his multi-million-dollar
salary, and he intends
attending Zaire's games
in Atlanta. But his help
only goes so far.
"There are many
Dikembes back home, but
there is a lack of
opportunities for
them," said forward
Lukengu Ngalula.
"There is no
money to send them here
to learn."
The gulf between rich
and poor can be just as
evident in sport as it is
out on the streets, and
Zaire-v-Australia at
Morehouse College was
precisely that.
The Opals,
well-organised,
professional, ruthless
and backed by substantial
government and
private-sector funding,
strangled the Africans
91-45.
Australian head coach
Tom Maher said: "We
played against a team
with good athletes but
lacking the experience to
do well and win at this
level."
Nevertheless, he
predicted that Zaire
could be a force within a
few years.
The Opals were the
epitome of a First World
team, disciplined almost
to the point of dullness.
Maher had scouted Zaire
and figured the Africans
would collapse under
aggressive defensive
pressure. He especially
thought a full-court
press would be effective
against them. He was
right.
Australia began the
game with a 13-0 run, and
Zaire did not record a
single basket until
almost five minutes had
expired. Michele
Timms, angry at her
performance in the first
game against Korea,
banged in a trio of
three-pointers. Shelley
Sandie (18 points) was
frenetic.
The margin was 33 at
half-time and even when
Maher rested his starters
after the long break the
support staff were
equally as effective. In
particular, Sandy
Brondello (17 points
on seven of 10 shooting
from the field) lit up
the offence, and Jenny
Whittle intimidated
Zaire with her
shot-blocking ability.
Maher has a team which
is big on democracy.
"If you evaluate
this team under the
normal guidelines you
would have a
misconception," he
said.
"Our strength is
our depth. In general
when you talk about
starters it means
something . . . the idea
of having a bench is to
have someone who can step
up. But we've got a
number of people who can
do that."
The Opals next meet
Cuba and then face off
with the United States,
also undefeated after two
games. Maher said:
"We've set ourselves
up to finish top two in
our pool. By that, I mean
it's not in someone
else's hands. It's in our
hands."
The Americans
delivered a clinic to
Ukraine 98-65 behind
Ruthie Bolton's 21-point
game, world champions
Brazil covered Russia
82-68 and Italy beat
Canada 59-54 to continue
their surprisingly strong
challenge.
The shock result was
Japan's 75-72 win over
world No 2 China, who are
without a win after two
games.
Australia 91 (Sandie
18, Brondello 17, Timms
12, Brogan 10, Fallon 10)
d Zaire 45. Half-time:
55-22.
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