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Janelle Bekkering Invited To Team Canada Tryouts
May 27, 2009
TORONTO, Ont. – Canada Basketball announced Tuesday the 2009 Senior Women’s National Team (SWNT) tryout and training roster. Among the 16 players vying for a spot is current Gonzaga University women’s basketball forward Janelle Bekkering. Bekkering is only one of two players trying out that is currently playing at an NCAA institution. Tryouts and training camp will take place at the University of Toronto campus in Mississagua, Ont. Top female athletes across Canada will be competing for a roster spot on the 2009 SWNT, starting with the invitational tryout May 27-29, followed by an intense training camp May 30-June 5. The SWNT will then square off against the national teams of China, Cuba, and Brazil in eight exhibition games in preparation for the FIBA Americas Championships for Women Sept. 23-27 in Cuiaba, Brazil. Bekkering, from Taber, Alberta, Canada and junior-to-be, played in all 34 games for the Zags, getting the starting nod 31 times. She averaged 8.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.0 steal per game. Bekkering is the second Bulldog this summer to be invited to try out for a national team, as teammate Courtney Vandersloot tried out for the USA World University Games earlier this month. Besides Bekkering, invited players include veteran point guard Teresa Gabriele (formerly Kliendienst) from Mission, B.C., who played on the 2000 Sydney Olympic Team as well as the 2006 SWNT that competed in the FIBA World Campionships in Sao Paolo, Brazil. Joining Gabriele are veteran forwards Chelsea Aubry from Kitchener, Ont., and Kim Smith of Mission, B.C. Both players were also members of the 2006 FIBA World Championship squad. The youngest player to be invited is Natalie Achonwa, a 6-2 forward from Guelph, Ont., who is currently in high school and attending Canada Basketball National Elite Development Academy (NEDA).
Canada’s Senior Women are slated to travel to China June 6-14 to compete in a three-game exhibition series. The team will return to Canada for a second phase of training, followed by a visit to Cuba in August for three further exhibition games, with a final two-game tune-up in September against Brazil. The season will culminate with the eight-team FIBA Americas Championship for Women in Brazil. A top three finish at this year’s qualifying tournament will be good enough to clinch a place in the 2010 FIBA World Championship in the Czech Republic. Below is a list of athletes who have been invited to the 2009 SWNT tryout. 2009 SENIOR WOMEN'S NATIONAL TEAM - INVITATIONAL TRYOUT ROSTER |
