EDMONTON (2016 FIBA U17 Women's World Championship) - Alyssa Jerome played a major role in sparking an unprecedented gold rush last year for Canada and is feeling inspired ahead of next month's FIBA U17 Women's World Championship.

Jerome was the MVP at the 2015 FIBA Americas Women's Championship when she propelled her country to their maiden title at the event. Although little did she know that it would spark a chain reaction that would also see the senior team land the Pan-American Games and FIBA Americas Women's Championship crowns - something which is continuing to drive her desire to improve and especially with the impact the more experienced players are having on her development.

"It is inspiring to us as young, aspiring players to see the growth of our programme," enthused Jerome. "The success is validation that Canada has the potential to become one of the best in the world - maybe even this summer at the Olympics.

There is nothing like singing my national anthem with Canada on my chest, let alone singing it with a gold medal around my neck! - Jerome

"The senior women are such great role models to us and inspire me to continue to work hard. Growing up, I was involved in many school sports and I played on practically every team my school offered! I loved the competitive and rewarding environment that all sports, especially basketball, provided.

"As I got older though, I had to decide which sport I wanted to pursue more seriously. Basketball seemed like the perfect choice. And, as I became more involved with the national programme, I was exposed to the senior women's team.

"It was inspiring being able to witness their success over the summer. I was even fortunate enough to be coached by some of the Senior Women this past winter, while participating in a Basketball Without Borders global camp.

"One of these players was Lizanne Murphy and it was great to hear about her experience over last summer. It was also very humbling when she recognised me as a member of the U16 team and congratulated me on our historic gold medal win.

"The FIBA Americas title in Puebla was something I will never forget," she continued. "There was so much excitement around the tournament, which added to the whole experience. Being able to represent my country was such a humbling honour that I will cherish forever.

"There is nothing like singing my national anthem with Canada on my chest, let alone singing it with a gold medal around my neck!

"Making history for Canada is still surreal to me. Because of the unwavering success of USA, going into the tournament I was doubtful that they would not leave victorious. However, as a team, I knew we could surprise many people.

"The Final against Brazil was very intense. They were such competitors and made our overtime win very exciting! Our remarkable coaching staff gave us the confidence we needed to get the job done. It was such an incredible tournament for our whole team, and I was very honoured to be selected as the tournament MVP."

It was certainly a real buzz for Jerome and her colleagues last year in the most memorable year to date for women's basketball in Canada. Unsurprisingly, she is hoping her team can continue that momentum when the action gets underway at this fourth edition of the FIBA U17 Women's World Championship which will herald her global tournament debut.

"After winning our FIBA Americas continental title, we have proven to ourselves and others that we can compete with the best," mused the teenager. "Now that we are no longer the underdogs, I think we must not let our recent success influence our approach to this upcoming tournament.

"To be successful in Zaragoza, we must continue doing the things that led to success in Puebla: focus on team work, play with relentless energy, and put in the hard work. Hopefully, by doing these things, we will also be successful.

"I am so excited to play at the FIBA U17 Women's World Championship as now that I have had a taste of international basketball, I can't wait to compete at that level again.

"Seeing the teams in our pool has suddenly made the tournament real and I can't wait for it to begin. With each team being from a different continent, I look forward to competing against different players and styles of play.

"With this tournament being longer and more competitive, it will definitely put our team to the test. I think Canada Basketball will meet this challenge and I can’t wait to see what the World Championship has in-store for us," concluded Jerome.

Meanwhile, those at Canada Basketball have thrown their support behind her, with High Performance Director, Denise Dignard adding: "Alyssa is very dedicated and committed to self-improvement and as a result, has grown tremendously over the past few years since joining our programme. We look forward to seeing her further growth on the world stage this summer."

FIBA