ISLA Juffermans has received the ultimate honour of being selected to represent her country.

The former Coffs Harbour Suns junior has been selected to the Australian Under 17 women’s team, who will try to qualify for the 2022 FIBA Under-17 Women’s Basketball World Cup to be held in Hungary in July.

The 17-year-old was selected to the national team after outstanding performances playing for NSW Country at the Under 18 Australian Junior Championships, in which she led the event in scoring and rebounding, and after attending national selection camps at the AIS held over the past month.

Juffermans and the Australian Sapphires will embark on a European tour if they qualify for the World Cup.

The Australian Sapphires need to be one of the top four teams at the Asia Cup held in Jordan next month to qualify for the World Cup.

The Australian Sapphires will also take part in smaller tournaments in between events, which will also prove beneficial to expanding their game time and experience against international teams.

The new Australian representative shared with News Of The Area how much it meant for her to be selected to wear the green and gold.

“It means a lot, as I have been working for this for so long,” she said.

“And it’s so amazing to represent not only my country, but my Coffs Basketball Association and my family.”

Coffs Harbour Basketball Association acknowledged the former Suns junior’s massive achievement on its social media platform.

“This is a massive accomplishment for the 17-year-old, who started playing here in Coffs Harbour ten years ago with her Mary Help of Christians team on Saturday mornings.

“Isla represented the Coffs Harbour Suns in our rep program from under 12s through to under 16s.

“Isla travels to Jordan and Hungary next month to play at the FIBA World Cup, and we can’t wait to cheer her on!

“Isla, everyone here in Coffs Harbour couldn’t be prouder of you.

“With hard work and dedication, dreams really do come true.”

The young centre has been on the radar of Basketball Australia recently, having spent six months last year in Basketball Australia’s Centre of Excellence at the AIS as part of a scholarship provided by Basketball Australia’s High Performance team.

Juffermans follows in the footsteps of another former Coffs Harbour Suns junior who plays at an international level, as Kirsty Wallace recently played for the Australian Opals and won a bronze medal playing for Australia at the FIBA Under-19 World Championship for Women in 2015.

 

By Aiden BURGESS