Australian basketball great Lauren Jackson has backed Elizabeth Cambage to make a comeback "bigger, better and stronger" after the Opals were hit with a cruel injury blow on the eve of the world championships.
Opals star Cambage will miss up to a year after the 203-centimetre centre ruptured her Achilles tendon in a warm-up match against the United States last week.
Canberra Capital Abby Bishop looms as a perfect replacement if the Opals send an SOS to the 25-year-old to join them for the tournament in Turkey next week.
Bishop quit the Opals world championship campaign earlier this year to focus on looking after the one-year-old baby in her care, niece Zala, when Basketball Australia introduced a controversial parental policy.
But with linchpins Cambage and Jackson both out injured, Olympian Bishop's experience and talent could be the answer to the Opals' tall-timber woes.
It's unclear whether coach Brendan Joyce will call in a replacement from outside the emergency players he named before leaving Australia.
Bendigo's Gabe Richards was the only centre as part of that group while Bishop has been training with the Capitals.
Jackson spoke to Cambage after her injury and declared the duo would use their extended stint on the sideline as extra motivation to lift the Opals to Olympic Games glory in Rio in 2016.
"Rio is so far away, but the fire will definitely be there for all of us," Jackson said.
"Liz's injury is particularly cruel with the way it happened, the phenomenal amount of preparation she put in, and she was playing well. I'll do everything I can to support her here."
Bishop volunteered to take custody of Zala when she was just two days old for personal reasons. She effectively became an overnight single mum and made Zala her No.1 priority.
Her unique situation prompted Basketball Australia to introduce a parental policy and Bishop withdrew from the world championship when told she would have to pay for a nanny and Zala's accommodation and flights while on tour.
Cambage is the latest injury blow to the Opals as they begin their bid for a medal at the world championships without Olympians Jackson and Bishop.
The 23-year-old will return to Australia in the coming week for more tests and Joyce is set to name a replacement as soon as possible.
Cambage went down with the injury in the second quarter of the Opals' pre-tournament game against Team USA in Paris on Friday night.
Cambage's injury is also a blow to the WNBL season, where she had signed with Dandenong Rangers and was a major selling point for the league. Now the anticipated clash between Cambage and Jackson will no longer go ahead.
"For this to happen right before the world championships ... I've spoken to her and she was devastated," Jackson said.
"I'm devastated for her, there's no question that she'll come back bigger, better and stronger. It's just one of those things ... a blowout, and it's horrible.
"I definitely had a few tears for her and the girls. I'm just devastated for her."
