FIBA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL WORLD CUP 2022 QUALIFYING TOURNAMENT

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When: Canada will face host team Japan on Thursday, Feb. 10 at 5 A.M. ET. Canada will then face Bosnia and Herzegovina on Saturday, Feb. 12 at 1 A.M. ET.

Where: Osaka, Japan at Ookini Arena Maishima

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Why the Senior Women’s National Team is in Osaka, Japan:

The qualifying window for the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2022 begins with three different qualifying tournaments taking place from February 10-13, 2022 in Osaka (Japan), Washington, D.C. (U.S.), and Belgrade (Serbia). There will be 16 teams competing in these qualifying tournaments, with four teams participating in each tournament. The top three teams from each qualifying tournament will qualify for the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2022. Australia, host of the upcoming FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2022, and the United States, winners of the Tokyo 2020 Women’s Olympic Basketball Tournament, will participate in these qualifiers but have received automatic qualification for the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2022.

Things to know heading into the Qualifying Tournament:

Canada’s competitors: Canada was set to face off against host team Japan, as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Belarus in Osaka, however the Belarusian Basketball Federation notified FIBA that it would not be participating in the tournament in Osaka due to COVID-19. As a result, the three remaining teams, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, and Japan have qualified for the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2022, though the tournament games will continue as planned.

On a high: Canada will open qualifying tournament play ranked a program-best fourth in the FIBA World Ranking Women, presented by Nike. The program announced the 12-woman roster for the tournament on Tuesday. Natalie Achonwa, Kayla Alexander, Laeticia Amihere, Cassandra Brown, Bridget Carleton, Shay Colley, Quinn Dornstauder, Nirra Fields, Aislinn Konig, Michelle Plouffe, Merissah Russell and Jamie Scott will suit up for Canada in Osaka.

Lasting first impressions: This will be the first time that Senior Women’s National Team head coach Víctor LaPeña will get to be on court in person with the team. After being announced as the team’s head coach in January, along with lead assistant coach Noelle Quinn, this qualifying tournament will provide the first opportunity for the team and coaching staff to get to know and work alongside one another. LaPeña spoke with the media during a pre-tournament availability in Osaka on Wednesday.

“First of all, thank you very much to Japan for hosting us and for the security situation, they are doing a great job and we are very, very comfortable,” LaPeña said. “This is my first time with the Canadian Women’s National Team. I’m very happy to be a part of them because the behaviour of the players and how they make me feel, super happy. This is a great beginning. I hope during this tournament everybody recognizes Canada on the court, and most importantly for me, my players and my board members and all fans in Canada are happy because this team is fighting each minute of the [game] and this is just the beginning.”

Team Canada veteran Natalie Achonwa spoke alongside LaPeña at the availability. For more than a decade, Achonwa’s dedication to the program has been steadfast. Though the past two years have meant longer stretches apart than usual due to the pandemic, she is thrilled to be back with her teammates and suiting up for Canada.

“Any chance that I get to wear a Canada jersey is an honour for me,” Achonwa said. “To be able to represent my country and to know that I represent so much more than myself, I don't take that privilege lightly. To be able to be here and be able to be a part of this team once again, it's like my 11th year playing with them, it means a lot to me.”

Though LaPeña and his staff have only had a handful of days with the team, he has already made an impression.

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“We’re entering a new era with our head coach Victor and his attitude, his presence, [and] his energy is contagious,” Achonwa said. “It has motivated us this tournament to make sure we come out and compete. The fact that this is our first time together doesn’t matter because we’re going to be playing with the same passion that we’ve been training with in practice and I look forward to playing the host country here tomorrow.”

Back together again: Though it was a trek for some members to get to Japan for this window, consider the women on the Senior Women’s National Team fired up and ready to go. “I’m always thankful that they’re able to create a safe environment yet again for us to go out and compete,” Team Canada veteran Kayla Alexander said. “I’m looking forward to seeing the Canadian women on the team…I’m pretty sure everybody is looking forward to getting back. Just being back in the basketball environment competing for your country, it’s always a joy and an honour.”

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Where to watch: Fans in Canada can catch Team Canada in action live on Sportsnet.

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