Eight players ready to shine in the EuroLeague Women Qualifiers

MUNICH (Germany) - The EuroLeague Women Qualifiers have arrived and they they will be packed with talent as clubs start their dash towards their primary aim of securing a prestigious Regular Season spot.

Here is a selection of just some of the players to look out for when the action tips off.

Shakira Austin - Elizur Ramla

The ambitious Israeli side will field a recently crowned FIBA Women's Basketball Cup 2022 winner, with Austin part of the all-conquering and record-breaking USA side that lit it up in Sydney. Averaging 8.6 points and 4.9 boards per game, she shot a superb 54 percent from the floor. Only graduating from the University of Mississippi six months ago, this is the forward's first overseas mission, having just completed her rookie WNBA season with the Washington Mystics.

Maria Araujo - Spar Girona

Entering her fourth consecutive campaign with Girona, it has been a real roller-coaster for the Spanish forward. Last season she posted some modest numbers in EuroLeague Women on return from an injury, having been one of the positive talking points in the previous campaign. Now it feels like she'll be ready and needed to be something of a leader in a new look role and can turn to the legendary Laia Palau for priceless advice on this. She's got the scoring, rebounding and wider skills to be a big hit again, while this feeds into raising her impact for the Spanish national team leading up to their likely participation at the FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2023.

Arella Guirantes - DVTK Hun-Therm

The guard just posted a staggering debut FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup to make history with Puerto Rico and was so influential and impressive that she was widely tagged as the MVP of Group A. Also making the Women's World Cup All-Second Team, she took her nation to their maiden win with a near triple-double and propelled them to the Quarter-Finals for the first time too. Any fans of DVTK should be super excited as she led the way for Puerto Rico in efficiency, points, rebounds and assists which shows she can do it all even against world class opponents. 

Megan Gustafson - Olympiacos S.F.P.

The American forward has been terrific during her brief time playing in EuroCup Women at Gorzow and last season elevating herself to EuroLeague Women with VBW Arka Gdynia. She averaged a fantastic tally of 18.2 points and 7.2 rebounds, so Olympiacos are going to benefit from that seriously heavy offensive punch. It is her shot selection, range and overall accuracy alongside her strength which makes such a fine mix for any team. She also lands in Greece having competed in the WNBA again this past season when stepping out with the Phoenix Mercury.

Borislava Hristova - ACS Sepsi-SIC

After two years impressing in EuroCup Women with Gorzow, pouring in an average of 18 points per game across those two campaigns, now it will be ACS Sepsi-SIC who will gain the benefit of her offensive power. The Romanian champions have snapped up a baller that can score in many different ways, offers some real versatility and has shown her talent in a big way with the Bulgarian national team. Opportunity knocks for the Washington State alumni and if Sepsi are to advance to the post-season, it might just be the forward who plays a leading role or important cameo.

Victoria Macaulay - Botas SK

The veteran frontcourt performer is a real powerhouse capable of doing big things for Botas at both ends of the floor and her strength under the basket and hard-nosed defense should be a huge asset. Earlier this year, Macaulay showed out in Belgrade in Nigeria's shock win against France at the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup Qualifying Tournament. That underlines how important she could be for the Turkish side and rather incredibly, this will be a EuroLeague Women debut at 32-years-old. However, Macaulay has logged huge contributions in EuroCup Women previously with big clubs such as Galatasaray.

Kennedy Burke - ESBVA

One of the stars of EuroLeague Women last season, Burke was on fire during her rookie campaign in the competition, She regularly made the weekly Top Performers list with Spar Girona and poured in 16.9 points per game, also adding an eye-catching 5.7 boards per outing. This is a real coup for ESBVA and the French team will enjoy her ability to influence games with big numbers and Burke also showed she is a baller for the clutch as well last year. 

Aleksandra Katanic - KKZ Crvena Zvezda

It was a challenging season for the Serbian side in EuroCup Women last year and now Crvena Zvezda are looking to move up the ladder and land themselves a place in the EuroLeague Women Regular Season. If the underdogs manage to do it, then Katanic will be important in this process as she was a leading contributor in 2021-22. The guard recorded an all-action 11 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists per game and will be eager to replicate that kind of form this time around.

FIBA