Nurse and new faces headline final Canada roster
TORONTO (FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2018) - Canada have announced an exciting final 12 player line-up for the forthcoming FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2018 in Tenerife.
TORONTO (FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2018) - Canada have announced an exciting final 12 player line-up for the forthcoming FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2018 in Tenerife.
In the wake of several post-Rio retirements, Head Coach Lisa Thomaidis has turned a page with the inclusion of several rising stars, who will all make their senior debuts at the global level.
| Canada roster for FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2018 | |||
| Natalie Achonwa | Kayla Alexander | Miranda Ayim | Bridget Carleton |
| Shay Colley | Nirra Fields | Kim Gaucher | Ruth Hamblin |
| Miah-Marie Langlois | Kia Nurse | Michelle Plouffe | Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe |
Bridget Carleton, Shay Colley and Ruth Hamblin have all been given a seat on the plane to Spain, while the team will be led by the likes of WNBA star Kia Nurse and her dynamic backcourt partner Nirra Fields.
All eyes will be on Nurse who has just completed her rookie WNBA season, while there is also a space for other WNBA players in the shape of Kayla Alexander and Natalie Achonwa.
Congratulations to @WNBA players @KayNurse11, @kjalexan40, & @NatAchon on being named to the Team Canada training camp roster! 🇨🇦👏 pic.twitter.com/X5gfzKeoDb
— NBA Canada (@NBACanada) September 4, 2018
“After a very competitive training camp, we have a roster that we’re really excited about,” said Thomaidis.
“We’re looking forward to this next stage of training and competition, where we’ll be able to measure ourselves against some of the best teams in the world prior to competing at the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup.”
Veteran Kim Gaucher is also back on board which will provide a nice dose of experience - as will the presence of Miranda Ayim and Michelle Plouffe. Meanwhile Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe has been highlighted as one of the debutantes to watch at the event.
Two-time Olympian Kim Gaucher happy to be back guiding Canada’s basketball women /via @globeandmail https://t.co/IYvMefPdGZ
— Canada Basketball (@CanBball) September 5, 2018
Canada have qualified for their fourth consecutive FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup and ninth in total, having won their second consecutive FIBA Women's AmeriCup title last summer.
They will compete in Group A and face Greece, Korea and France. Prior to the action in Tenerife, Canada will travel to Connecticut for a two-game exhibition series against Japan and USA. They will then will face France, USA and Senegal in a four-team tournament in Antibes between September 15-17.
FIBA