AUS – Australia name preliminary squad

CANBERRA (2010 FIBA World Championship for Women) - Lauren Jackson and four other members of the newly crowned WNBL champions Canberra Capitals have been named in Australia's 24-strong national team squad ahead of the 2010 FIBA World Championship for Women.

The Australians will go after a second straight world title later this year when the event is staged in the Czech Republic.

Abby Bishop, Natalie Hurst, Marianna Tolo, Carly Wilson and Jackson all celebrated a WNBL title win over the Bulleen Boomers on March 6.

Tolo was among the impressive players for the Capitals, coming up with a strong defensive effort in the WNBL Final against the 18-year Boomers sensation, Liz Cambage.

Cambage, who played at last year's FIBA U19 World Championship in Thailand, is among four Bulleen Boomers to be included in the Opals squad.

Boomers Jenna O'Hea, Elyse Penaluna and Hanna Zavecz are also in the preliminary group.

Zavecz and Rachael Flanagan are newcomers to the squad.

“We’ve added some players that have performed very well in the WNBL after coming back from US College and European legs of their careers,” said Australia's national team boss Carrie Graf, who also is coach of Canberra.

“These new players are there based on their WNBL performances and that speaks volumes for how they’ve played.”

Some of the players named are based in Europe, including gold-medal winners from the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Brazil, Belinda Snell and Penny Taylor.

Snell is a key member of the Ros Casares team that will host the EuroLeague Women Final Four April 9-11 in Valencia, Spain, while Penny Taylor is competing in Turkey with Fenerbahce, a side that lost in the Quarter-Finals of the EuroLeague.

Taylor and Australia point guard Erin Philips of Lotos Gdynia represented the Rest of the World team at the EuroLeague Women All-Star Game this week in Poland.

“The squad obviously reflects the Opal star talent that has been there for a few years with our core players and starting members Lauren Jackson, Suzy Batkovic-Brown, Kristi Harrower, Penny Taylor and Belinda Snell in particular,” Graf said.

“We are fortunate that three of these have played in the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) this year.”

Center Batkovic-Brown has played for Sydney Uni Flames while Harrower is the point guard of Bendigo Spirit.

Australia preliminary squad: Suzy Batkovic-Brown (Sydney Uni Flames), Tully Bevilaqua (Indiana Fever), Abby Bishop (Canberra Capitals), Elizabeth Cambage (Bulleen Boomers), Rohanee Cox (Townsville Fire), Rachael Flanagan (Townsville Fire), Hollie Grima (Frisco Sika Brno), Kristi Harrower (Bendigo Spirit), Natalie Hurst (Canberra Capitals), Lauren Jackson (Canberra Capitals) Kathleen MacLeod (Nantes Basket 44), Jenna O'Hea (Bulleen Boomers), Elyse Penaluna (Bulleen Boomers), Erin Phillips (Lotos Gydnia), Alicia Poto (Dynamo-GUVD Novosibirsk), Samantha Richards (KSSSE AZS-PWSZ Gorzow), Jennifer Screen (Basket Parma), Deanna Smith (Sydney Uni Flames) Belinda Snell (Ros Casares), Laura Summerton (Basket Parma), Penny Taylor (Fenerbahce), Marianna Tolo (Canberra Capitals), Carly Wilson (Canberra Capitals), Hanna Zavecz (Bulleen Boomers).

FIBA