15TH AUGUST- 2012 -SPORT -STORY DAVID POLKINGHORNE- THE CANBERRA TIMES- PHOTO BY MELISSA ADAMS. Caroline Buchanan relaxes at home with her dog diesel .
Caroline Buchanan relaxes at home with her dog Diesel.
Canberra's Patty Mills believes he's now ready to lead an NBA team after his heroics at the Olympics Games.
Mills was one of a number of ACT athletes who landed at Canberra Airport yesterday after a long flight back from London.
The Boomers and San Antonio Spurs point guard was the highest average points-scorer in the men's basketball at the Olympics with 21.2 points per game.
And the 24-year-old showed he could lead a side against the world's best players in the Boomers' 33-point loss to the USA "dream team".
Mills has a two-year contract with the Spurs and is looking forward to working with incumbent point guard Tony Parker.
He credited retiring Boomers captain Matt Nielsen for developing himself as a leader, both on and off the court, and paid tribute to Nielsen for what he's done for Australian basketball in his 14 years in the national team.
It's left him in a position where he now feels he could become a captain himself.
"I think the challenge that I had for London this time around was great in terms of leadership, being able to run a team and be a captain," Mills said.
"I thank my captain Matty Nielsen for all the stuff that he's learnt, this is his last time round with the national team, and he's taught me a whole lot . . . he should be up there with the best captains Australia's had in any sport."
BMX bandit Caroline Buchanan is back in Canberra for 11 days before she heads off to the USA and then Canada to compete in the final round of the World Cup.
While she could have spent the day sleeping or catching up with friends and family, Buchanan instead went through a massive pile of fan mail that had built up while she was away.
She was distraught after finishing fifth in the women's BMX final at London, but told The Canberra Times yesterday the Olympic closing ceremony had helped ease the pain.
It was the first concert the 21-year-old has ever been to – not a bad way to start, mixing with the Spice Girls.
And it might not be long before she goes to her second one, with Aussie hip-hoppers Bliss n Eso inviting her to one of their gigs.
"There's only a few medals and a couple of people that get them and it's an amazing achievement just to be able to get to that level," she said.
"I feel like I'm part of something so much bigger than just putting on the Australian jersey to go to a world title, representing the Australian team it's been a dream come true."
Buchanan was already thinking about going to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for the 2016 Olympics.
Canberra rower Sarah Cook was unsure whether she would try to get there as well.
After nine years on the national team, the 27-year-old is considering taking a break from the sport.
But the lure of Rio is a big one.
Plus being part of the much-maligned women's eight crew Rowing Australia never wanted to send to London in the first place has casued her to be excited about the future of the sport in Australia.
"I definitely don't feel done with sport, especially being at the closing ceremony and seeing the whole Rio experience," Cook said.
"I definitely still feel the fire to go on to another Games, but I think I just need a bit of time out for now."
