PAPUA NEW GUINEA (FIBA Women's Melanesia Cup 2017) - The last time Letava Whippy in Papua New Guinea, she brought home a 2015 Pacific Games gold medal.

The hardworking and passionate small forward is back from New York after finishing her degree in athletic training and is looking to leave PNG with some more silverware.

Whippy comes from a long line of basketballers, with her Mum, Dad, brother David and sister Mickaelar all representing Fiji on numerous occasions. But it’s Whippy’s hard work and positive attitude that really sets her apart, both on and off the court.

Whippy’s approach to the FIBA Women’s Melanesian Basketball Cup is a selfless one, she’s there to mentor and develop the younger players.

“I want to help the younger girls feel confident playing at this level of basketball,” Whippy told media in a Basketball Fiji release on the 27^th of September 2017.

“I’ve spent most of my life in basketball gyms and playing all over the world, and I just want to share my knowledge and experience.”

“My goal is to help build and empower the younger women to keep extending themselves and reaching for these opportunities to play overseas and represent our country,” she said.

The 26-year old’s game is notoriously fast and she’s looking to pass some of her high energy and skills to the younger players.

“I love to run, a lot. I love to hustle in my game; chasing rebounds and going for steals - I love to defend. I’m hoping to pass some of that passion to my teammates. I like to try to build the team’s energy and use that to our advantage during any game, but definitely during the Melanesian Cup.

This high-energy helped Fiji in their first Melanesia matchup where she scored 19 points to lead all scorers. Fiji couldn’t pull out the victory against the host nation but they will adjust and come out to make sure the Solomon Islands don’t go two for two after tomorrows action.

FIBA