Screen Sleeps Easy After Nervous Start Against Belarus
Newcastle Herald
Monday August 11, 2008
WITH nerves calmed and a good night's sleep under her belt, Jenni Screen hopes to get back in the groove when the Opals basketball team take on Brazil tonight.
Screen was a bundle of nerves before making her Olympic debut in the Opals' 83-64 triumph over a tenacious Belarus on Saturday morning."It is a totally different feeling to any other tournament," the 26-year-old Novocastrian said."I was OK until one of the girls asked if I was nervous, then I thought, 'Oh my God, this is the Olympics.' "The butterflies followed a restless night's sleep, interrupted by the opening ceremony fireworks which boomed across Beijing at 12.15am."It was the worst night's sleep I have ever had," Screen said.Poor preparation aside, the Italian-based shooting guard provided energy in 15 minutes off the bench."I just tried to do my job," she said."I missed a lay-up which pissed me off."Still, it was a great experience and good to have [husband] Neil [Mottram] and the rest of my family there."Against Brazil I will be a lot calmer."Like her fellow Novocastrian, Suzy Batkovic was also on edge before the game.But the powerhouse centre pushed the jitters aside in a dominant performance that yielded 14 points and 12 rebounds.The Opals were ushered over to meet Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd after full-time.After wrapping her arms around the nation's leader, Batkovic rushed to the sideline, climbed up the stands and into the arms of fiance Matt Brown who led the cheer squad which included her mother Mary."I was a bit emotional," Batkovic said. "I'm ecstatic to represent my country and be here [at an Olympics] for the second time."The Opals smashed Brazil in a two-game series in the lead-up to Beijing, but the Australians expect them to be much tougher this time.
© 2008 Newcastle Herald