<
>

A stellar basketball career awaits Lightning star Isobel Borlase

She's got poise, the skill set and the attention of Opals coach Sandy Brondello.

She is Adelaide Lightning's teen star Isobel Borlase.

The 19-year-old, who's just 25 games into her WNBL career, has not only been identified as a future Opal, and is in the selection mix for February's FIBA Olympic Qualifiers, but a first-round WNBA draft pick in 2024.

"She's going to definitely be an Opal we know that, I'm confident in saying that," Brondello, who also coaches WNBA outfit New York Liberty, tells ESPN.

"In terms of WNBA, as an international player you have to turn 20 in that draft year so she's eligible, and I imagine teams are looking at her and right now I think she's a first-round pick.

"Izzy's right up there with some of the best players in the draft.

"It's exciting the potential she has and the future she's going to have, not just for the Opals but WNBA and WNBL."

Borlase hit the court for a tick under nine minutes in her 2021-22 debut before bursting onto the scene in Round 1 last year with a game-high 25 points.

Her display, and campaign that followed, which included Sixth Player and Betty Watson Breakout Player of the Year awards, turned heads, including Brondello's.

"She's a huge talent, I thought that last season, the way she came into the league. I knew about her a little bit but that first game I was like 'Who is this kid? What is she doing here?', Brondello says.

"The sky's the limit, the potential that she has, what she's already shown and for someone so young I think Izzy's very poised.

"She sees things before they happen and as a young player than usually takes time, but it shows she's confident, she's skilled, she can handle the ball and make pretty good decisions. She can shoot, she can get to the rim, she's got an all-round game and is defensively solid but can keep getting better."

For Borlase, who rose through the ranks at Canberra's Centre of Excellence and starred in national junior teams, the dream of representing the Opals was ignited as she sat courtside at the FIBA World Cup in Sydney last year.

"Like with the Gems, any opportunity I get to represent Australia would be amazing. I kind of know where I sit in the Opals, I'm one of the young ones and any chance I can get to learn I will take," she says.

"I'm trying not to think ahead and just do whatever I can to help my Adelaide team win at the moment."

Borlase co-captained the Gems at the FIBA Under-19 World Cup this year and back home in South Australia is working on physical and mental elements of her game.

"On court it's on-ball defence, offensively my three-point shot and then probably creating my own shots with mismatches and getting my teammates into the game," she explains.

"I get really high and then get really low. If we're playing well, I get excited and it's all good and then I'm probably not as good at coping with losing and that's part of the mental game I'm trying to get better at.

"It's something Nat (Adelaide coach Nat Hurst) and I are working on and Talby (Steph Talbot) is helping too and I think it's quite normal for someone my age. Just trying to find different strategies, whether it's a word I can say to myself, I haven't quite figured it out yet, and definitely not being too hard on myself, which I am, but I think a lot of us are as we're striving to be our best."

The basketballer is the youngest child of South Australian sporting royalty Jenny Borlase (nee Kennett) who represented Australia in netball and Port Adelaide Magpies SANFL great Darryl Borlase.

Brother James, 21, is on the Adelaide Crows AFL list, while sister Ella, 23, this year represented Australia in surf boat rowing.

"Mum and Dad have been super helpful this last year and a bit. Dad claims he knows a lot about basketball, but he doesn't," Borlase laughs.

"It's kind of nice that they aren't basketball people because they can help me with the off-court stuff and I'm really close to my brother and sister too, so being at home is a nice place to be.

"My older sister doesn't really care about basketball which is great because that brings me back to earth. My brother and I were probably the most competitive growing up - table tennis, soccer, we would play anything. I was just chasing him around. I think I can beat him in one-on-one basketball, but he's a lot stronger than me so in anything else he'd probably smack me."

Borlase led Adelaide's fightback against Bendigo last round, the Lighting fell short in overtime, and with Opals star and team captain Steph Talbot (ACL) sidelined, is shouldering more responsibility.

At 2-5, the Lightning are desperate for a win in Wednesday's ESPN's game of the round against Sydney.

"I like playing a role in a team. I'm a scorer so I like to have the ball in my hands. Play-making is an area I'm working on. It's nice to have a little bit of responsibility and I've got some good players around me like Loz (Lauren Mansfield) and the experience of (imports) Breezy (Brianna Turner) and Joce (Jocelyn Willoughby) to assist me in that," Borlase adds.

"I'm trying to make sure I step up in every way to help my team win and I'm sure the wins will come soon."