Hi everyone. I’m back!

All I can say is, “Wow!” What an experience it was to play at the Olympics. It's hard to describe what it was like or where to start.

Our results were a bit up and down. We had the FIBA Diamond Ball tournament in Nanjing, China 2 weeks before the Olympics, which we played very well. We ended up in the final against Argentina and were up by 25 at one stage, but couldn’t hang onto the win. However we all walked away knowing we were on track for our next opponents, the USA in Shanghai. This was an exhibition match, so the result didn’t mean a great deal in the bigger picture, but we wanted to play well in our last game leading into Beijing. The game was a sell out and we performed exactly how we wanted to, only losing to the eventual gold medal winners by 9 points.

So leading into the ‘big dance’ we had faith in our abilities and team mates, but unfortunately we got stuck in our first two games against Croatia and Argentina. Luckily we rebounded and played 3 great games against Iran, Russia and Lithuania, which was enough to put us into the Quarter Finals, against Team USA.

It was an unbelievable experience to be play against the USA. They are best team in the world and although it’s a huge thrill to be involved in any international match, against the USA there's an extra level of excitement.

You have to raise your game when you’re going up against the likes of Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony - to name just a few. They are some of the most talented players in the world and I watch these guys all the time in the NBA so to run out on court to play against them is something I'll never forget.

Being part of the Olympics was a fantastic experience. There was a great atmosphere in the athletes’ village and it is amazing to see so many elite athletes from all over the world all in one place.

It was also a great experience to be part of the Australian team. I'll always remember hanging out with my fellow Aussies. We all stick together and there was a really good team spirit.

Now that the Olympics are over, all the Boomers are heading back to their regular teams. I'm looking forward to getting back for another season at St Mary's and taking up where I left off last season.

Thank you to everyone for all your messages of support during the Olympics. Even though I wasn't able to reply, they're always great to read. And hello to all my new friends out there. I hope you enjoy keeping up with my basketball news.

Until next time…

Patty