By Chris Wilson

Still dreaming of taking over Australian Opals

CANBERRA Capitals championship coach Carrie Graf says her dream is still to coach the Australian Opals, despite getting the gig to lead rivals New Zealand to the next Olympics.

Graf has been appointed head coach of the New Zealand women's team until the 2004 Athens Olympics, with the option to go through to the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games.

Graf, who will take back the reins at the Capitals next season, was an Opals assistant to current Capitals coach Tom Maher for six years.

However, Adelaide coach and Graf's rival Jan Stirling got the nod to take over the Opals after the Sydney 2000 Olympics.

Graf has Stirling's job in her sights, but said the New Zealand appointment would give her the ingredients to make that step.

"Certainly it's not a sell-out of the Opals program, my heart and soul has been part of the WNBL and the Opals program," Graf said. "But this was an opportunity that adds to my resume, gives me head coaching experience at an Olympics and I think that positions me well the next time the Opals job is available.

"My dream would be to win a gold medal as head coach of the Opals but who knows whether that opportunity will come up or if I even get a crack at it, so this was something I couldn't pass up ... one of the biggest things for me was to head coach at an Olympic Games."

The Opals have automatically qualified for the 2004 Olympics, claiming silver at the 2000 Sydney Games. That leaves New Zealand as the top-seed for the Oceania Olympic qualifers later this year and virtually a certainty for Athens.

New Zealand finished 11th at the Sydney Games, ahead of Senegal only. While the New Zealand men's program has made giant strides, beating the Australian Boomers to qualify for last year's World Championships, Graf said the women still had a lot of catching up to do.

"There's no pressure because the expectations aren't massive," Graf said. "So in that way I can give it a great shot because there's nothing to lose. There's that underdog mentality."

Graf recently missed out on head coaching jobs in the US but she will be an assistant coach for the Phoenix Mercury this year, her fifth in the WNBA, and will leave for Phoenix today.

She plans to return for the WNBL grand final in a fortnight, before her first national camp with the Kiwis in early March.