Erin Phillips feels she has unfinished business with the Australian Opals after being left out of the squad for the London Olympics.
The long-time guard controversially missed out on selection in 2012, despite having been part of the silver medal-winning team at the Beijing Games.
But after helping claim bronze at the 2014 world championships, Phillips is back in the fold - and her sights are firmly set on this year's Olympics.
"London was devastating," she told AAP from Rio, ahead of this weekend's three-game Olympic test event.
"I've had huge success and huge disappointments - London was just one of them.
"I'm definitely itching to make this team; I have some unfinished business by missing out.
"If I can just continue working on my own game and stay healthy, hopefully that will get me a ticket on the plane."
Until an unofficial scrimmage with Brazil on Thursday, Phillips hadn't played a game since July.
She injured her knee during her first WNBA season with the Los Angeles Sparks, and has spent the months since working on rehabilitation.
The 30-year-old said her body felt good and was confident she will be ready for when the Opals face Argentina early Saturday morning (AEDT), then Venezuela and Brazil on Sunday and Monday.
"I've done a lot of work with the Opals physio and staff and my rehab plan has been awesome," she said.
"I'm just really glad I'm back into the full swing of things."
The dual WNBA champion said she was impressed by the facilities at Carioca Arena 1, the main basketball venue for the 2016 Games.
Unlike some other larger arenas, Phillips said the 12,000-seat centre was "nice and tidy" and pretty close to completion after her first look.
"It's going to be pretty noisy and pretty electric once it's filled," she said.
The team squeezed in some sightseeing before hitting the court ahead of this weekend's games, including a trip to the Christ the Redeemer statue.
With that out of the way, Phillips reckons they will be more focused come Games time.
"Instead of having the itch to explore, we'll probably be resting and gearing up for the next game," she added.
"I think we have a young and enthusiastic team that has a lot of courage to take it right up to any team in the world. That's the real exciting thing about this."
Phillips plans to head back to the US for the 2016 WNBA season with the Sparks, following camps with the Opals in March and April.
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