STORRS, Conn. – University of Connecticut freshman guard Kia Nurse has earned a spot on Canadian Women’s National Team that is set to compete in the 2014 FIBA World Championships from Sept. 27-Oct. 5 in Turkey, as announced on Friday afternoon.
Nurse, one of five newcomers to the 2014-15 Husky squad, made her debut for Team Canada at the 2011 FIBA U-16 Americas tournament and averaged 14.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists as the team finished third and qualified for the 2012 FIBA U-17 world championships. In high school, Nurse Led St. Thomas Moore to gold at the AAAA OFSAA Championship in 2012 and 2013 and also won five-straight Provincial Championships with her Transway team and two National Championships with Team Ontario.
“After a fantastic summer of preparation, we are excited to have selected our team that will represent Canada at Worlds”, said Canadian head coach Lisa Thomaidis. “These women have shown tremendous dedication and commitment to our program, and we are excited to go and showcase what we’ve been working towards. We have a great mix of youth and experience on this team. We have several players who have experience playing at a World Championship and Olympic Games, and others who will be experiencing this level of competition for the first time in their careers. We are looking forward to a fantastic tournament.”
The announcement comes as Canada prepares to compete against Team USA in an exhibition game on September 15th (Live on ESPN2, 7PM ET), before closing out their pre-World Championship schedule in Logrono, Spain, where the Women will face off against both Cuba and Spain.