Smith and Kunek drafted in as injury replacements for the Opals
CANBERRA (FIBA Women's Asia Cup 2017) - Rising star Alanna Smith and Alice Kunek have been called up for Australia's FIBA Women's Asia Cup 2017 roster after injuries forced the withdrawl of Abby Bishop and Alex Bunton.
Both players have undergone MRI scans and concerns with Bishop’s ankle and Bunton’s knee will see them require corrective surgery instead of travelling with the Opals to India.
| Australia 12-player roster for FIBA Women's Asia Cup 2017 | |||
| Sara Blicavs | Stephanie Blicavs | Katie-Rae Ebzery | Maddie Garrick |
| Kelsey Griffin | Laura Hodges | Tessa Lavey | Alice Kunek |
| Lauren Mansfield | Belinda Snell | Alanna Smith | Marianna Tolo |
As their replacements, Smith will make her major tournament debut with the the senior side, while Kunek, who was a FIBA Oceania gold medallist in 2015 brings that previous experience.
Smith has been playing in the NCAA for Stanford since 2015 and averaged 9.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game last season. She was also a member of the Australian Under-19 Gems team that won the bronze medal in 2015 in Russia and was named to the All-Star Five.
In addition to her FIBA Oceania gold medal, Kunek won bronze with the World University Games Emerging Opals team in 2013. She has competed in the WNBL since 2007 and was a member of the Melbourne Boomers last season where she averaged double-figures in scoring for the fourth straight year.
Australia are set to face Korea, Philippines and Japan during the first phase of the tournament.
FIBA
