Sami Whitcomb has finally taken some time out to enjoy what has been a hectic year. Speaking on ESPN's The Jump, the Opal said she went on holiday and was able to digest the last few months which have included the WNBA season, Australia's bronze medal at the FIBA World Cup on home soil, and now WNBL preparation.
Whitcomb and her Perth Lynx will open the new season at home against the Melbourne Boomers in the grand final rematch. For Whitcomb, losing that series is not something that sits well with her or the team but the immediate chance for redemption is hugely motivating.
"It's something that will be very, I think, instrumental in motivating us throughout the whole season, not just against Melbourne. But that's really exciting. I think it's really fun that we get to play a really good team straight up as well. We'll get to have a little bit of a barometer early on for where we're at, where we want to be," she said.
"Hopefully, it's exciting for the fans as well to, again, get to come out and they didn't get to see us play a lot at home last season, so this is really exciting to get to do that again. But bring it on, I think it'll be a great start to the season that way."
Eight Opals will take to the court across the competition. While the camaraderie and closeness between the Aussies helped propel to them to that bronze medal finish, all of that will be put aside once the season starts. Among those players is Lauren Jackson, who starred in the bronze medal match and will suit up for the Southside Flyers in her return to the league.
"Look, I just think it's such a treat that we get more of Lauren Jackson though. So, selfishly, I'm really excited about it," Whitcomb said of her Australian teammate.
"Obviously, you know, when you play her, it's gonna be really tough because she's just, she can do it all. So we're just gonna have to game plan for that, but I think the longer we could get her out there, the better for basketball in general. So, I'm really excited."
The WNBL game of the week will be live on ESPN starting with the season opener and grand final rematch on November 2, a move Whitcomb is a big fan of.
"People can't support, can't enjoy, can't watch or talk about things that they can't see, that they don't have access to. So first and foremost that is the first step, I think just the exposure. I guarantee, if you come to a game, you watch a game and you would have seen it at the World Cup. People will come back, more people will come. It's a really good product. We're fantastic basketball players. Fantastic athletes. So we just need those outlets to demonstrate that, to show it, to put it out there and I think the product really speaks for itself. So I think hopefully we can get more of that. It's really exciting that ESPN's doing that."
The Lynx host the Melbourne Boomers in the WNBL season opener -- tip-off is at 9:30pm (AEDT) LIVE on ESPN and Kayo.