Canada revealed their Phase 3 training camp ahead of September’s FIBA Women’s World Cup on Thursday.
Coached by Lisa Thomaidis, the roster of 15 will convene in Toronto for a camp that begins Aug. 30 and then play a series of exhibition games to tune up for the marquee tournament and come to a decision on a final roster of 12. Canada will play Japan and USA in Connecticut on Sept. 7 and 8, respectively, then play France, USA, and Senegal in a mini-tournament in France from Sept. 15-17 as a part of that tune-up stretch.
“This is an exciting time for our women’s national team,”head coach Lisa Thomaidis said in a release. “We are looking forward to starting training camp with the deepest talent pool we’ve had in recent memory. With many of our athletes playing in the best leagues in the world, we are excited to get everyone together to prepare to represent Canada with pride and passion at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup.
The Women’s World Cup tips off in Spain on September 22 and will see Canada, the No. 5 ranked country in the world on the women’s side by FIBA, compete with France, Greece, and South Korea in group-stage play. The top team in each pool receives a bye through the first elimination round, while the fourth-placed team is eliminated. The tournament will conclude on September 30, and the bracket is set up such that Canada can avoid the United States until the gold medal game if both teams win their respective pools. Spain, France, Australia, and Czech Republic are the other nations to watch here, although the women’s game has come along quickly enough that the second and third tiers of teams contain a number of threats.
Canada qualified for the World Cup by winning last summer’s FIBA Women’s AmeriCup tournament, the second time in a row they have won that event. Canada placed fifth in the last Women’s World Cup in 2014, their highest placement since 1986.
Here is the list of 15 for the latest phase of camp, which includes three current WNBA players in Kia Nurse, Natalie Achonwa, and Kayla Alexander who were not available for earlier camp phases due to WNBA commitments (the WNBA regular season schedule just ended, with the finals extending as late as September 16). On paper, this should be among the half-dozen or so best rosters any country can put forward, and there’s plenty of room for optimism about potentially medalling.
| Name | Position | Height | Hometown | Club / School |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Natalie Achonwa | Power Forward | 6’3″ | Guelph, ON | Indiana Fever (WNBA) |
| Kayla Alexander | Forward | 6’4″ | Milton, ON | Indiana Fever (WNBA) |
| Miranda Ayim | Forward | 6’3″ | London, ON | Basket Landes (France) |
| Bridget Carleton | Guard | 6’1″ | Chatham, ON | Iowa State (NCAA) |
| Shay Colley | Point Guard | 5’9″ | Brampton, ON | Michigan State (NCAA) |
| Nirra Fields | Guard | 5’6″ | Lachine, QC | Energa Torun (Poland) |
| Kim Gaucher | Shooting Guard | 6’1″ | Mission, BC | Mondeville (France) |
| Ruth Hamblin | Centre | 6’6″ | Houston, BC | Castor Braine (Belgium) |
| Sami Hill | Guard | 5’10” | Toronto, ON | Donau-Ries (Germany) |
| Miah-Marie Langlois | Point Guard | 5’8″ | Windsor, ON | Novosibirsk Dynamo (Russia) |
| Kia Nurse | Guard | 6’0″ | Hamilton, ON | New York Liberty (WNBA) |
| Katherine Plouffe | Forward | 6’3″ | Edmonton, AB | Bourges (France) |
| Michelle Plouffe | Forward | 6’4″ | Edmonton, AB | Lyon (France) |
| Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe | Forward | 6’2″ | Toronto, ON | Bourges (France) |
| Jamie Scott | Guard | 5’10” | Clarkston, WA | Bendigo Spirit (Australia) |
We hope to have some training camp coverage here at RR, and we’ll have full game-by-game coverage once the World Cup begins, as usual.
