A record number of eight Manitoba female basketball players have been invited by Canada Basketball to its upcoming Women's National Age-Group Assessment Camps in Edmonton. They will join 63 other athletes from across the country have been invited to participate at Humber College (Toronto, ON) or the Saville Community Sports Centre (Edmonton, AB) from December 15-19.
Athletes invited from Manitoba include (pictured above, left to right) Lauren Bartlett, Niyah Becker, Emily Dewey, Mikayla Funk, Raizel Guinto, Dana Inglis, Anna Kernaghan and Claire Signatovich.
"We look forward to assessing progress of returnees and welcoming new nationally identified athletes into our camp and see them compete and provide direction on their individual performance plans,” said Denise Dignard, Director of Women's High Performance. "We are excited to gather national and provincial coaches, technical leaders and mentors from across the country, all of whom are committed to the long-term development of athletes in our Podium Pathway."The objective of the camp is to provide a national training environment with international focus to top identified athletes born in 1998 and later. At the camp, national team coaches, sports scientists and technical staff will identify athletes who will be invited to the next stage of the 2017 age-group programs.
Athletes born 1998 or later will be assessed for their participation in the U19 team, competing at the 2017 U19 FIBA World Championships for Women in Udine and Cividale del Friuli, Italy from July 22nd-30th. Last summer, the team garnered a Silver medal at the 2016 FIBA Americas U18 Championships in Chile, qualifying them for Worlds.
Athletes born 2001 or later will be assessed for participation in the U16 team, which will compete this summer at the 2017 U16 FIBA Americas Championships for Women. Last summer, the team placed 7th at the U17 FIBA World Championships for Women, held in Zaragoza, Spain.
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| Michele Sung (Hynes) |
Canada is currently ranked 4th overall in the FIBA women's age-group rankings.
The Manitoba athletes have been identified through the Manitoba Provincial Team, Centre for Performance and the Canada Basketball National Championships in the recent years. Joining the athletes from Manitoba will be Michele Sung (Hynes) of the University of Manitoba.
A full list of athletes, coaches and staff invited to the assessment camp is below.
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| Lauren Bartlett |
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| Niyah Becker |
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| Emily Dewey * |
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| Mikayla Funk |
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| Raizel Guinto |
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| Dana Inglis |
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| Anna Kernaghan |
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| Claire Signatovich |
2016 December Age Group Assessment Camp Invitees—West Camp:
| Name | YOB | Hometown | School |
| Carly Ahlstrom | 2000 | Calgary, AB | Centennial HS |
| Georgia Alexander | 2000 | Victoria, BC | Oak Bay HS |
| Lauren Bartlett | 2001 | Winnipeg, MB | Oak Park HS |
| Niyah Becker | 2000 | Winnipeg, MB | Vincent Massey Collegiate |
| Claire Cossarini | 2000 | Calgary, AB | Western Canada HS |
| Macaela Crone | 1999 | Moose Jaw, SK | Peacock Collegiate |
| Sophie de Goede | 1999 | Victoria, BC | Oak Bay HS |
| Emily Dewey | 1999 | Oak Bluff, MB | Westwood Collegiate |
| Kennedy Dickie | 2001 | Kelowna, BC | Kelowna SS |
| Yvonne Ejim | 2002 | Calgary, AB | St. Elizabeth Seaton |
| Haley Fedick | 2002 | Sherwood Park, AB | Strathcona Christian |
| Louise Forsyth | 1999 | Langley, BC | Brookswood SS |
| Mikayla Funk Raizel Guinto | 2000 1999 | Winkler, MB Winnipeg, MB | Northlands Parkway Collegiate Sisler HS |
| Dana Inglis | 1999 | Winnipeg, MB | Shaftesbury HS |
| Kaitlin Jockims | 2001 | Saskatoon, SK | Centennial Collegiate |
| Anna Kernaghan | 2001 | Winnipeg, MB | Sturgeon Hts Collegiate |
| Brynn Masikewich | 2001 | Calgary, AB | St. Francis SS |
| Tanis Metcalfe | 2000 | North Vancouver, BC | Carson Graham HS |
| Olivia Morgan-Cherchas | 2001 | Kamloops, BC | South Kamloops SS |
| Katriana Philipenko Tavia Rowell | 1999 2001 | Saskatoon, SK Abbotsford, BC | Holy Cross Walnut Grove SS |
| Kyla Shand | 1999 | Saskatoon, SK | Holy Cross |
| Claire Signatovich | 2001 | Winnipeg, MB | Oak Park HS |
| Ella Stanley | 2001 | St. Albert, AB | Paul Kane HS |
| Sage Stobbart | 1999 | North Vancouver, BC | Seycove HS |
| Deanna Tuchscherer | 2001 | Chilliwack, BC | GW Graham SS |
Coaches and Support Staff – West
| Name | Role | Hometown | Affiliation |
| Sunny Ahluwalia | DW Performance Analyst | Surrey, BC | n/a |
| Susan Cockle | Sport Psych | Edmonton, AB | n/a |
| Denise Dignard | WHP Director | Toronto, ON | Canada Basketball |
| Danielle Dobney | Athletic Therapist | Toronto, ON | McGill University |
| Shawnee Harle | SWNT Assistant Coach | Calgary, AB | Canada Basketball |
| Michele Sung (Hynes) | WHP Pool Coach | Winnipeg, MB | University of Manitoba |
| Connor Jay | Performance Analyst | Saskatoon, SK | University of Saskatchewan |
| Elyse Jobin | Physiotherapist | Quebec City, QC | n/a |
| Mike MacKay | Performance Manager | Truro, NS | Canada Basketball |
| Nate McKibbon | WHP Pool Coach | Dundas, ON | Mount Royal University |
| Claire Meadows | U19/U19 Assistant Coach | Brantford, ON | UBC Okanagan |
| Megan Pinske | WHP Pool Coach | Coquitlam, BC | University of Saskatchewan |
| Dani Sinclair | WHP Pool Coach | Victoria, BC | University of Victoria |
| Elaine Sun | Manager Basketball Operations | Thornhill, ON | Canada Basketball |