EIGHTEEN months ago, South Australian basketballer Tess Madgen was undergoing rehab following knee and ankle reconstructions.

But on Monday morning Madgen defied even her own expectations to be part of the Australian Opals’ silver-medal winning team at the FIBA World Cup in Spain.

Madgen’s mother — Deb — spoke with The Advertiser in the early hours of the morning from Spain following Australia’s 73-56 loss to the United States in the gold medal decider, saying that her 28-year-old daughter had been thrilled to be part of the team and had been happy with the role she had played in the side.

Working as a feeder to superstar Opal Liz Cambage, Madgen scored four points and contributed with three rebounds in her 13 minutes of court time.

“Considering her double reconstructions and not playing for 18 months, she did really well; she played her role,” Deb said.

Deb said in the gold medal decider, while the Opals’ defence proved its worth by holding the US to 73 points, it was a game where their open shots just didn’t drop.

“It was unfortunate,” she said. “Our three-pointers didn’t drop, our two-pointers didn’t drop. We did have good offensive plays … it was one of those days.”

But Deb said that the camaraderie of the group was incredible and it bode well for a successful future, with the 2020 Tokyo Olympics looming large on the horizon.

“They are definitely a gold medal mob,” she said.

Madgen — who now plays for the Townsville Fire in the WNBL — had court time in each of the Opals’ six World Cup games and had a tournament-high five defensive rebounds in Australia’s group phase win over Argentina.

The 2018 World Cup Opals included two other South Australians — Steph Talbot and Cayla George — who, like Madgen, grew up playing basketball in country SA.

Fellow SA player Lauren Mansfield was injured in the lead-up to the World Cup and didn’t play.

Deb’s youngest son — Jack — played four AFL games for Collingwood this season, but was dropped from the side’s emergency list for last Saturday’s Grand Final. Her eldest son — Ben — is currently playing with the Crailsheim Merlins in the German Basketball Bundesliga.