BASKETBALL: He might have endured a tough season with the Chicago Bulls but Cameron Bairstow has plenty of reason for optimism heading into Rio 2016.
The 6”9’ big man featured in 18 of the side’s 82 games for the second straight season and despite only hitting the court sparingly this year, the 25-year-old knows the opportunity to play in the toughest league in the world is helping his progression as a player.
“It was a challenging season both for the team and individually,” said the Brisbane native who suits up alongside superstars Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler and Pau Gasol at the Bulls.
“It wasn’t the best season for me in terms of playing time and me out on the court and I also had some back problems at the end of the season which didn’t help matters.”
“I think I have learnt a lot as a player so it’s been beneficial to have an opportunity to see what the NBA is like first hand and with the limited practice time we do have to get out there and line up against the best. I definitely think I’m a better player for it.”
With the Bulls missing the playoffs, the Queenslander has returned home and has now turned his focus to donning the green and gold and getting some time back on the court in the lead-up to Rio.
“I’m definitely now excited to play more basketball in a month or two for the national side.
“There is a camp in China so my plan is to be a part of the second stage of that tour and get some game time under my belt and some form heading into the Olympic trials.”
The Australian side last played together in August when they won the 2015 Oceania Championships to qualify for Rio, but despite a hectic recent schedule Bairstow and his NBA compatriots did manage to catch up earlier this year.
“We all got together on the All-Star break in San Diego which was enjoyable.
“I got to see how each guy was progressing throughout the season.
“The NBA playoffs are winding down now so more and more guys are getting focused on training camp and Rio within the next month or two.”
Once the NBA season wraps up then all attention will turn to the Australian men’s Team doing what its never done before at a Games – win an Olympic medal.
Bairstow is confident that the history books can be rewritten in Rio.
“I think we definitely have the talent to accomplish that. Obviously Australian teams have come close with a couple of fourth place finishes at the Games before.
“It comes down to the bounce of the ball and a single possession.
“It is definitely something that we are aiming for but it is going to take more than just talent, it is also about how we can come together as a team in the lead-up and during the tournament.”
The last reference point for just how well the side can gel as a unit was last year’s series with New Zealand where, despite limited preparation, the side won both of their matches against the determined Kiwis.
“We had a good series against New Zealand last year where we came together as a team and got the desired results.
“Hopefully we can continue to progress and build that team cohesion so that we can make a really good run at it in Rio.”
Just how good that run will be will come down to how Australia progress through the round-robin group stage of the competition.
Australia was drawn alongside gold medal favourites USA, as well as China, Venezuela and two more teams that will be added in early July.
“I think with the Olympics there are only 12 teams so whichever pool you are in it’s going to be a tough competition.
“Both of the teams that are yet to be determined that are coming out of the Olympic qualifiers will be exceptional sides.
“We know we have to go out there and perform to make sure that we get a good crossover for the finals against a weaker team.”
The benefit of being in the USA’s pool is that, after playing them in the group stage, Australia cannot face the likes of Lebron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant until the semi-finals, potentially setting up a better run to a medal.
“We ran into the US early at the World Championships and that has also happened at the previous two Olympic Games where the side has met them in the quarter-finals.
“It’s definitely a tough match up but we’d need to go into it believing we can win. In saying that the longer we can avoid them the better chance we will have of winning a medal in Rio.”
That side that will face the US and many more of the world’s best will be selected in early July.
After warm-up games in Europe, Australia will begin their Rio 2016 campaign against the first of the teams to come out of the Olympic qualifiers on Day 1 of competition in Rio.
Check out the full schedule, complete with AEST adjusted times here>>>
Matt Bartolo
olympics.com.au
