Basketball On The Internet.

AS grateful as I am - and I'm sure are many of you - at the ABC's coverage of our Boomers and Opals this year, I have to take exception at a couple of obvious improvements the network could have made.

Firstly, thanks to the ABC for giving us all of the Boomers games at the World Cup and now the Opals' matches at the World Championship.

Stephanie Brantz in the studio here in Adelaide always is the consummate professional.

But during the World Cup, her in-house analysts were Phil Smyth, along with Andrew Gaze, then Tommy Greer, Rachael Sporn, Brett Maher.

What a mish-mash.

If the network was prepared to go to the trouble of flying in Gaze or Greer - whose prior commitments obviously meant they couldn't do the entire championship - then why not instead bring along Australia's most successful Boomers coach Barry Barnes for genuine analysis?

Or Andrew Vlahov. Or Mark Bradtke. Or ... or ... or...

You get the point.

At the matches, it was almost comforting to again hear John Casey's dulcet tones and familiar lines, while some of Shane Heal's insightful color was obliterated by his non-stop bromance with Joe Ingles.

Hey, I love Joe Ingles as much as the next guy - especially now he has landed with my favorite NBA team, the Los Angeles Clippers. But when he hasn't taken a shot in three-and-a-half quarters of a game, it might be more than a curiosity, no?

(If anyone catches up with Shane anytime soon, perhaps they could mention "Ostraya" has the letter "L" in it somewhere too.)

So fast forward to the Women's World Champs and Case is back in harness - though needing now to let go of the "Opals are polished" line - along with Narelle Fletcher.

No big issue there but why not grab Jan Stirling, who coached the Opals through their most successful period, including the 2006 Gold Medal Worlds, to add quality depth to the call?

Stirling is there in Turkey, running a series of coaching clinics for FIBA.

Opportunity lost, or wasted?

You bet.

And no disrespect to Phil Smyth, but why is he back in the studio talking Opals when recent Australian captain and international retiree Jenni Screen lives in Adelaide?

As much as his byplay with Brantz clearly has captivated the coverage's boffins, Screen was in the Opals program right up to her retirement a couple of months ago.

Surely she could give us bona fide insights? And maybe she wouldn't call Liz Cambage "Cambridge".

It wouldn't have taken too much just to make the ABC cover even better.

In the meantime though, I shall stay thrilled we can watch the games live. Even if more thought could have gone into the overall package.

MY take at News Corp today on where our Opals rate: http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/basketball/australias-opals-are-the-international-sporting-team-nation-should-rally-behind/story-fnii09gt-1227075377307

AND their expectations tonight against Belarus: http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/basketball/unbeaten-storming-opals-now-only-must-beat-belarus-to-go-through-to-fiba-womens-world-championship-quarterfinals/story-fnii09gt-1227074104117