Australian U19 Gems squad chosen for FIBA U19 World Championship for Women
The Australian U19 Women's squad has been chosen for the 2015 FIBA U19 World Championship for Women, to be held in Chekhov, Moscow in Russia later this year.
Centre of Excellence coach Paul Goriss will be at the helm of this squad after a successful start to this year's SEABL season.
Photo credit: Basketball Fiji
Madeleine Dennis - WA
Montana Farrah-Seaton - NSW
Alicia Froling - QLD
Chantel Horvat - VIC
Ezi Magbegor - VIC
Anneli Maley - VIC
Mikayla Pirini - WA
Lauren Scherf - VIC
Alexandra Sharp - VIC
Alanna Smith - VIC
Tahlia Tupaea - NSW
Kristy Wallace - QLD
Headlining the squad are the current college athletes, with Kristy Wallace (Baylor) and Alicia Froling (SMU) coming off impressive seasons with their respective teams. Keely Froling – Alicia’s twin sister – unfortunately suffered an ACL, meniscus and cartilage tear in her left knee, making her unavailable for this campaign.
Australian junior stars Kristy Wallace (left) and Lauren Scherf (right) | Photo credit: Basketball Australia
Seven CoE scholarship holders have been selected to this squad: Chantel Horvat, Anneli Maley, Mikayla Pirini, Lauren Scherf, Ezi Magbegor, Alexandra Sharp and Alanna Smith.
Maley is coming off an impressive performance at the U18’s Australian Junior Championships last week, where her VIC Metro team won the tournament for the second year in a row. Chantel Horvat also put up some great numbers at that event, proving to be one of the most talented players in the tournament.
Ezi Magbegor | Credit: Basketball Australia/Kangaroo Photo's
One of the more exciting additions to the squad is 6’4 Ezi Magbegor, who is easily the youngest player in the squad at just 15 years of age. Magbegor is currently in her first year at the CoE, with an extremely bright future ahead of her.
Tahlia Tupaea and Lauren Scherf were both members of the Australian U19 squad for the 2013 FIBA U19 World Championship for Women, and will bring a lot of experience to this squad. Both players have dominated the junior basketball scene in Australia and have transitioned smoothly into WNBL play over the past few years.
The Gems will leave on July 3rd for a pre-Worlds tour, playing two games against the Netherlands in Amsterdam, as well as a short training camp. They will then head to Spain for a tournament against Spain, Canada and USA before arriving in Russia to begin their World Championship campaign.
The Australian U19 Gems were selected in Group D at the event, facing Korea, Serbia and Brazil in the group stages.