New Zealand ready for historic mission as they unveil final roster
WELLINGTON (FIBA U17 Women’s Basketball World Cup 2018) - New Zealand have announced the 12 players who will be trailblazers at the FIBA U17 Women's Basketball World Cup 2018 next month.
WELLINGTON (FIBA U17 Women’s Basketball World Cup 2018) - New Zealand have announced the 12 players who will be trailblazers at the FIBA U17 Women’s Basketball World Cup 2018 next month.
It will not only be the first time that New Zealand have appeared at the event, but those who step out in Minsk will do so as the first ever team from their country to play at a global FIBA age-group event.
| New Zealand roster for FIBA U17 Women's World Championship 2018 | |||
| Ella Bradley | Isabelle Cook | Tayla Dalton | Madison Hema |
| Jazzmyne Kailahi-Fulu | Charlisse Leger-Walker | Tara Manumaleuga | Helen Matthews |
| Kyra Paniora | Sharne Pupuke-Robati | Shauna Povey | Emilee Tahata |
Already a Tall Fern, it will be Charlisse Leger-Walker who will be the most experienced member of the team and she is ready to enjoy what will be a new chapter for her nation.
“I’m really excited about this opportunity especially as no other New Zealand women’s age-group team has been to the World’s before. It will be fun,” she said.
Meanwhile head coach Lori McDaniel is delighted to have finalised the team ahead of the championships, but admitted the selection process had not been easy.
She stated: “One of the things I like most about this team is how difficult selection was. We have a pool of players to choose from that are growing in depth and skill.
“Those selected have been driven hard by those that were not picked and that level of competition for selection will only become harder as we have more young women committing to the sport of basketball.
“The team that has been selected is made of a group of young women who have embraced our values and philosophies; and are adjusting well to the New Zealand style of play. I really like the depth of skill, fitness and length this group has to offer. They also have the ability to adapt quickly and be change resilient.
“The coaching staff and myself are looking forward to seeing this group on the world stage as we introduce Europe, the Americas, and Africa to our up and coming basketball talent.
“Building upon our camps this year that covered our style of play and expectations, all the players will have shooting programmes to follow and standards of fitness to achieve,” continued the play-caller.
Congratulations to the girls named in the Aon New Zealand team to play at the @FIBA Under 17 World Cup in Belarus in July. This is the first time a New Zealand team will feature at that huge event! More here: https://t.co/15oEinq0cT pic.twitter.com/vc8OfdxrDj
— Basketball NZ (@BasketballNZ) June 8, 2018
“They will also have some scouting reports to submit on the teams in our pool that played in the European and American qualifiers to help get them up to speed on the style of play of the opposition.
“Upon arrival in Belarus, we are fortunate to have two warm up games scheduled against teams not in our pool along with some on court practice sessions, and film work.”
"Attending the World Cup is a great opportunity for both our players and our coaches. We are expecting to be challenged as a coaching staff to adapt to a variety of styles of play in a short period of time.
"I also expect to see growth in our players as they learn and develop game to game against the best competition the world has to offer,” she concluded.
New Zealand will play Argentina, Hungary and Spain in the Group stage.
FIBA