'Tears of joy': Gem's NBL father is filled with pride

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Three-time NBL champion Matt Shanahan donned the green and gold more than three decades ago at the FIBA Under-19 World Championships and now he can't help but have tears in his eyes watching his daughter star for the Australian Gems 31 years later.

Shanahan, whose NBL career stretched across 15 seasons, is in Malaysia as Eliza Shanahan's competes for the Gems at the FIBA Under-18 Asia Cup - where Australia are in the box seat for another gold medal heading into the tournament's semi-finals tonight against China.

The 50-year-old, who attended the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra just like his daughter is doing now with the Basketball Australia Centre of Excellence, said he has an "enormous sense of pride" seeing Eliza's dream of representing her country come true and their whole felt the same.

"I think I’ve had tears in my eyes during every national anthem and every game so far this tournament. They’re tears of joy, knowing she’s achieved a goal she’s worked so hard towards," Shanahan told basketball.com.au.

"As her dad, seeing Eliza out there wearing the green and gold is incredibly special. It’s also pretty cool that she’s wearing No.13, which was my playing number. I don’t think it was deliberate, just a funny coincidence, but it makes it even more special for me."

While Eliza's talent is clearly evident, having helped Victoria Metro to a National Under-18 Championship earlier this year and making her way to the CoE, her dad said reaching this achievement meant so much because of the tough road she travelled to get there.

"It means so much because her journey hasn’t been straightforward. Eliza only played in her first national championships this year as a top age under 18 player, after being cut from several teams over the years," Shanahan said.

"She’s flown under the radar for much of her junior career, but she’s kept working and persevering.

"As a dad, those setbacks are hard to watch because you want your child to get an opportunity. They’ve also taken me back to my own professional playing career and the setbacks I faced along the way.

"Those disappointments always motivated me to work harder and try to prove people wrong, and I see that same determination in Eliza.We’ve always told her she has a choice when she faces disappointment; give up or work harder and try to prove people wrong.

"She’s consistently chosen the latter, and we’re extremely proud of her for that. She’s one tough kid, and seeing her now represent Australia makes all that persistence even more special for our family.

"What makes me most proud is how she’s responded to disappointment. She keeps putting her head down and doing the work, both on and off the court.

"She’s diligent, driven and willing to keep going when things don’t go her way.Missing selection in the Australian Sapphires team was another tough setback. She could have let that knock her down, but she used it as motivation to work even harder. As a family, we’re incredibly proud of the player she’s becoming, but even more proud of the person she is."

Eliza has impressed at the Asia Cup, averaging more than nine points a game while shooting 44% from the three-point line, and her dad credits her growth in confidence at the CoE for her recent growth.

"Her development has been enormous, particularly since moving to the Centre of Excellence earlier this year. As her dad, I can see the growth in her confidence," he said.

"As a coach, I can see how much her basketball IQ, decision making and understanding of the game have improved.mShe’s stronger and quicker, and she’s developing the versatility to play both guard positions.

"Her shooting is a real strength, but her defence is also becoming a major part of her game. I’ve always spoken to her about developing elite skills she can hang her hat on, and shooting and defence are two areas where she can really make an impact."

Despite having a successful career of his own, Shanahan said Eliza hadn't seen many highlights of him from the 1990s and early 2000s but did admit the sharpshooting ability did run in the family.

"She actually hasn’t seen too much of me playing, which is probably a good thing. I haven’t forced too many old highlights on her," he laughed.

"What’s been really cool is seeing her at the AIS alongside the children of former teammates. Glenn Saville and I were AIS teammates, and now his son Riley and Eliza are there together. It brings back some great memories and makes it feel like things have come full circle.

"I’d like to claim some credit (for her shooting). Being a shooter myself, it’s something I’ve always valued and encouraged. I knew that if Eliza could shoot at a high level, it would open doors for her wherever she wanted to play.

"I think shooting is becoming a bit of a lost art, particularly the ability to consistently knock down an open shot. She’s developing that really well, and the next step is continuing to build her shooting off the dribble and coming off screens and pin downs.

"It’s been a focus since she was young, but the credit belongs to her for the work she’s put in. She’s already a better shooter than I was, so hopefully she keeps building on that."

While Shanahan is loving Eliza showing what she can do on the world stage, he said the experience of playing at the Asia Cup would be invaluable for his daughter as she progresses in her career.

"Being the youngest player in the team, there’s so much for her to take from this experience. Travelling overseas, playing against different countries and experiencing international basketball will help her grow, both as a player and as a person," he said.

"I hope it gives her confidence that she belongs at this level, while also showing her what she needs to keep working on.

"She’s made enormous progress at the Centre of Excellence, and hopefully this experience motivates her to keep pushing herself.As a family, we’re excited about her future, but we’re also incredibly proud of what she’s already achieved.

"Wearing the green and gold is something she’ll carry with her forever. No one can ever take that away from her."

The Gems take on China in the semi-finals at 10pm AEDT.