Back To News
Paralympic representative and newly-selected Australian 3×3 basketballer Ella Sabljak believes the inaugural Commonwealth Games 3×3 tournament this month could alert scores of potential new players to the possibilities available in the sport.
Sabljak was one of 16 players selected to represent Australia across wheelchair and able-bodied men’s and women’s competitions in the abbreviated format at Birmingham 2022, starting on July 28. The women’s wheelchair basketball team features Sabljak alongside two other Australian Gliders stars, Amber Merritt and Hannah Dodd, as well as former U25 World Championship silver medallist Georgia Inglis. It’s the first time wheelchair basketball will be played at the Commonwealth Games.
“We’re putting our strongest team forward and I know, for our girls’ 3×3 team, we’re definitely going to do our best to compete for a medal,” Sabljak said.
The 3×3 game is played on a half-court, there’s a 12-second shot clock and it’s the first team to 21 or whoever scores the most points in 10 minutes. The game requires fundamental basketball skills but is fast, relentless and exciting.
“I think the difference is that you have really quick turnarounds and you have to be super smart and read the game. Your reaction times need to be a little faster because there’s no time to have a break,” Sabljak said.
“It’s also about being a scoring threat. Everybody on the team needs to be able to score because there’s only three of you, so you can’t just rely on one or two players to do the scoring. Everybody who’s selected has to have a range of shooting skills – three point range, mid range and high execution around the rim.”
The AUS Women & Men's 3×3 #WheelchairBasketball teams for @birminghamcg22 have been named.
— AUS Paralympic Team (@AUSParalympics) July 13, 2022
The fast, relentless & exciting format will be making its debut at #Birmingham2022.
We caught up with Ella Sabljak to get the inside word on the format: https://t.co/PRokJJ4nY4
#B2022 pic.twitter.com/BBSgbtG4lW
Sabljak – who is a school teacher by profession and works as Paralympics Australia’s Education Manager – said the Commonwealth Games tournament would showcase the sport to a new audience.
“It’s the first time wheelchair basketball has been involved in any format at the Commonwealth Games, so this is a great opportunity for us to promote the Para-sport movement and our sport,” she said.
“There will be a lot of people watching who haven’t seen wheelchair basketball before, which is great. We’ll be showcasing it in a really exciting way as well.
“People will be easily able to keep up with what’s going on because there’s only three people on the court and our skills will definitely be highlighted because there’s nowhere to hide in this format of the game.”
Six-time NBL champion Jesse Wagstaff will lead Thomas Wright, Daniel Johnson and Greg Hire in the men’s able-bodied team, while dual WNBL champion Alex Wilson will play alongside Marena Whittle, Lauren Mansfield and Lauren Scherf in the women’s able-bodied team. The men’s 3×3 wheelchair basketball team includes Australian Rollers player Luke Pople, with Lachlin Dalton, Kurt Thomson and Jake Kavanagh.
Sabljak said she was looking forward to being part of a “really inclusive and supportive” team at the Games.
“The men’s and women’s able bodied and wheelchair 3×3 teams are all one Australian team, which is really lovely,” she said.
“We’re there with each other the whole time, we’re not going off separately, even though we’re playing separate games. That makes it a lot different to five-a-side, where it’s all your team focused. We are one big 3×3 team, which I think is super exciting.”
By: David Sygall, Paralympics Australia
Posted: 13 July 2022
