Isobel's Story
When Isobel Borlase was born in 2004, Australian basketball legend Lauren Jackson was already a two-time Olympian, a triple WNBA All-Star and a WNBA MVP.
In February 2024, the oldest player in the Opals and the youngest combined to help Australia to a clean sweep of an Olympic qualifying tournament in Belem, Brazil – scoring wins over Germany, Serbia and the host country.
As the Opals nailed down a place at the Paris Olympics, Isobel averaged 11 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists. It was perhaps symbolic of a changing of the guard in Australian women’s basketball – something not lost on Nat Hurst, Isobel’s coach at the Adelaide Lightning and a former Opals teammate of Lauren.
"Players like Izz are in awe of Lauren,” Nat said. “They actually call her the GOAT; they don't call her Lauren Jackson. It's really funny. Getting to spend time around her in the Opals program is just going to help her out so much."
Isobel, an athletic guard who burst onto the scene in the WNBL in the 2022-23 season, has been one of Australian basketball’s biggest and brightest young stars.
It is perhaps no surprise, considering her sporting pedigree. Isobel grew up in Adelaide, the daughter of Darryl Borlase, who played 246 games for Port Adelaide in the SANFL, and Jenny Kennett, who played netball for Australia, winning world championship and Commonwealth Games gold. Her brother James is a key defender for the Adelaide Crows and her older sister Ella represented Australia in surfboat rowing.
Isobel first represented Australia at the 2021 FIBA Under-19 World Cup in Hungary, where the Gems won silver. She was also in the Gems team that won gold at the 2022 Under-18 Asian Championships in India, averaging 14.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 2.8 steals per game and being named in the tournament’s All-Star Five.
Isobel signed with the Lightning in 2021, and had a terrific 2022-23 season, winning the Betty Watson Breakout Player of the Year award.
Opals coach Sandy Brondello describes Isobel as a “huge talent.”
"She sees things before they happen and as a young player than usually takes time, but it shows she's confident, she's skilled, she can handle the ball and make pretty good decisions,” Sandy said. “She can shoot, she can get to the rim, she's got an all-round game and is defensively solid, but can keep getting better."
At the Paris 2024 Olympics Isobel and the Opals recovered from a first up loss to a physical Nigeria team (75-62) to beat Canada (70-65) and the host nation France (79-72), which meant they automatically progressed to the knockout rounds.
A big win over Serbia in the quarter-finals (85-67) put them in a semis showdown against the USA.
Isobel, who played in every game of the tournament, flashed her potential in extended minutes against the Americans to score 11 points in 14 minutes. The Americans' victory (85-64) sent the Opals to the bronze medal match against Belgium.
The Opals won the match 85-81 for the team's first Olympic medal since London 2012.
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