The GB women will be leaning on the vast experience of Tom Maher as they go into their first Olympic Games.
Maher's resume will counter-balance team's lack of experience
The Great Britain women will be leaning on the vast experience of their coach Tom Maher when they go into their first Olympic Games this weekend.
This will be the first Games at which Britain has ever been represented in the sport of women's basketball, and only the second major tournament the team has played in after last year's European Championship.
However, that lack of experience is counter-balanced by the resume of Maher, who will be coaching in his fifth Olympics, and his third in charge of the home nation.
Maher led his native Australia in 1996 and 2000, New Zealand in 2004 and China in 2008, winning bronze and silver in Atlanta and Sydney respectively while guiding China to fourth place in Beijing.
With emotions bound to be running high in the squad ahead of Saturday's opener, Maher's message to the players has been simple.
Preparing
Azania Stewart, a 23-year-old Londoner, said: "He's just pressed upon us the need to prepare the same way, to do everything the way we've always done.
"He tells us, 'Do everything you've done to get to this point, don't change it or get your mind in the wrong place now'.
"We've been preparing for four years and had a great training camp so we have to trust our bodies, trust our daily routines and not all of a sudden flip out and try something new."
Britain's star guard Jo Leedham plays her club basketball for Maher with the WNBL's Bulleen Boomers in Australia so knows the coach's methods backwards.
Extra people
She said: "At the end of the day it's still just a basketball tournament that happens to have loads of other tournaments around it.
"We're going to play another basketball game but there might be a few extra people watching.
"You have to stay mentally strong and focus on playing the game the way it's supposed to be played."
Yet while that message is all business, Maher also wants his players to have fun.
If you ask the 59-year-old about his Olympic experiences, he will tell you this is actually his seventh.
Legacy
"I think it's such a good thing just to be at one that I count the two I was a spectator at as a young man," he added, adding that he has been particularly impressed by what he has seen of London so far.
"For the legacy they seem to have got everything right here.
"They've done their homework and looked at the previous Olympics, I can't fault it."
To that end, he will be encouraging his players to get out into the park during their days off to make sure they soak up the full extent of the event.
Stewart added: "He's also told us just to enjoy it. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
