Golden Rollers ready for title defence in London

The journey to back-to-back Gold begins now for the Australian Rollers Men’s Wheelchair Basketball Team, following a spectacular opening ceremony to welcome in the 2012 London Paralympic Games on Thursdays morning.

Confidence and expectation is high in the Rollers camp heading into London, with the team considered pre-tournament favourites as reigning Gold Medallists and World Champions.

All of that will stand for little when the team takes to the court for their first game of the Paralympics against South Africa on Friday morning at 6:15am AEST.

Leading from the front will be Rollers captain and inspirational leader Brad Ness, who will be eager to mark his fourth Paralympic appearance with a second Gold Medal.

The 37-year-old has been a mainstay in the national team setup for more than a decade, giving the team a focal and strong interior presence.

While a large majority of the squad that got the job done in Beijing will return for the opportunity to win a second Gold Medal, there are new faces who will be eager to make their mark on the biggest stage, namely Bill Latham and Jannik Blair.

The young duo, along with Dylan Alcott, represent the exciting future of the Rollers team, with the three emerging stars all under the age of 23.

This youthful exuberance will be completed by a core of experienced heads with a sack of international honours, led by the likes Ness, forward Justin Eveson, two-time Paralympians Tristan Knowles and Shaun Norris.

The Australian Rollers Pool Fixtures (All times AEST):

Get behind our Australian Rollers (@AussieRollers) and Gliders (@AusGliders) on Twitter, and follow Basketball Australia (@BasketballAus) for all the latest news and results from London.