TORONTO, Ont. - Canada Basketball announced the players who have been invited to attend the Senior Women's National Team tryout and an incoming Gonzaga University women's basketball player and former Bulldog are among the invitees.
Among the 29 invited athletes are Emma Wolfram, who will don a Gonzaga uniform in 2013-14, and Janelle Bekkering who played for the Zags from 2006-2011.
Both Wolfram and Bekkering will join the Senior Women's National Team (SWNT) staff and Canada Basketball personnel at McMaster University's David Braley Athletic Centre for the May 17-19 tryout.
Wolfram is a 6-5 center/forward from Kamloops, B.C. who played for South Kamloops Senior Secondary. This past summer, Wolfram helped lead the Canadian U17 national team to a bronze medal in the World Championships in Amsterdam, collecting 15 points and 15 rebounds in the bronze medal game. She was also on the U16 Cadet team that qualified for the World Championships in the FIBA Americas as well as was the youngest member on the Pan American team in 2011 in Mexico.
Bekkering, a 6-0 guard/forward from Taber, Alberta, Canada, was a member of the Canadian Women's National Team that won Bronze at the 2009 FIBA Americas Championships and the squad that participated in the 2010 FIBA World Championships. This past season Bekkering played for the Kangoeroes-Boom in Belgium and averaged 15.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.3 steals and 1.5 assists per game. Bekkering ended her Gonzaga career scoring 1,050 points, grabbing 512 rebounds, dishing out 148 assists and making 142 steals.
The SWNT is coming off a very successful season having played against several of the best teams around the globe. On Canada Day, the team qualified for the London Olympic Games through a thrilling 71-63 victory over Japan at the FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Women. The victory paved the way for Team Canada's return to the Olympic stage following a 12-year absence.
At the helm of the program will be a familiar face in an unfamiliar role. After 11 years as head coach of the SWNT, Surrey, B.C. native Allison McNeill retired from the program last December. Long-time SWNT assistant coach Lisa Thomaidis was named the new head coach in March after Canada Basketball's thorough search for the right individual to build upon McNeill's success. In the end, the Dundas, Ont. native proved to be the leader they needed and the voice they wanted.
The first test for the 2013 edition of the team will come in the form of an exhibition series as the SWNT travels to Prague to face the Czech Republic National Team. The team's preparatory summer tour will span the globe with tournaments in Serbia, France, China and Brazil featuring some of the best teams in the world. The busy summer season will build toward the 2013 FIBA Americas Championships as the team begins its journey to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
2013 Senior Women's National Team Tryout Invitees
Name | Position | Hometown | 2012-13 Club/School |
Natalie Achonwa | Forward | Guelph, Ont. | Notre Dame (NCAA) |
Kayla Alexander | Centre | Milton, Ont. | Syracuse (NCAA) |
Miranda Ayim | Forward | London, Ont. | Orduspor (Turkey) |
Janelle Bekkering | Forward | Taber, Alta. | BBC Kangoeroes-B (Belgium) |
Krysten Boogaard | Centre | Regina Sask. | Training in Canada |
Justine Colley | Guard | East Preston, N.S. | St. Mary's (CIS) |
Nirra Fields | Guard | Montreal, Que. | UCLA (NCAA) |
Ruth Hamblin | Centre | Houston, B.C. | Oregon State (NCAA) |
Kalisha Keane | Forward | Ajax, Ont. | Training in Canada |
Miah-Marie Langlois | Guard | Windsor, Ont. | Windsor (CIS) |
Lizanne Murphy | Forward | Beaconsfield, Que. | Aix-en-Provence (France) |
Kia Nurse | Guard | Hamilton, Ont. | St. Thomas More C.S.S. |
Krista Phillips | Centre | Saskatoon, Sask. | Dandenong (Australia) |
Courtnay Pilypaitis | Guard | Orleans, Ont. | Training in USA |
Katherine Plouffe | Forward | Edmonton, Alta. | Marquette (NCAA) |
Michelle Plouffe | Forward | Edmonton, Alta. | Utah (NCAA) |
Emily Potter | Forward | Winnipeg, Man. | Glenlawn Collegiate |
Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe | Forward | Vernon, B.C. | Simon Fraser (NCAA-2) |
Karly Roser | Guard | Hamilton, Ont. | Northwestern (NCAA) |
Kendell Ross | Forward | Sarnia, Ont. | Training in USA |
Stephany Skrba | Forward | Thornhill, Ont. | Bourges (France) |
Kim Smith | Guard | Mission, B.C. | Tarbes (France) |
Alisha Tatham | Guard | Brampton, Ont. | Basel (Switzerland) |
Tamara Tatham | Forward | Brampton, Ont. | Halle (Germany) |
Shona Thorburn | Guard | Hamilton, Ont. | Aix-en-Provence (France) |
Jamie Weisner | Guard | Clarkston, Wash. | Oregon State (NCAA) |
Taryn Wicijowski | Forward | Regina, Sask. | Utah (NCAA) |
Korissa Williams | Guard | Amherstburg, Ont. | Windsor (CIS) |
Emma Wolfram | Forward | Kamloops, B.C. | South Kamloops Senior Secondary |
2013 Senior Women's National Team Schedule
Event | Dates | Location |
Tryout by Invitation | May 17-19 | Hamilton, Ont. |
Training Camp | May 20-24 | Hamilton, Ont. |
Exhibitions vs. CZE | May 28-29 | Prague, Czech Republic |
Tournament (SRB, ITA, MON) | May 31 - June 2 | Belgrade, Serbia |
Tournament (FRA, ESP, TUR) | June 7-9 | Paris, France |
Tournament (CHN, BRA, PUR) | July 5-12 | TBC, China |
Tournament (BRA, PUR, TBC) | August 15-18 | TBC, Brazil |
FIBA Americas Championships | September 21-28 | Xalapa, Mexico |
Senior Women's National Team May Training Location
McMaster University - David Braley Athletic Centre |
1280 Main St. W |
Hamilton, Ont. |
L8S 4K1 |
