MEDELLIN, Colombia — The international tour continues for Cassandre Prosper. And this time she will be joined by someone Irish fans know well.
On Thursday, Prosper and the Canada Senior Women’s National Team will begin play at the FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament in Medellin, Colombia. She will play alongside former Notre Dame forward Natalie Achonwa, who is trying to earn her fourth invitation to the Olympic Games. Achonwa is serving as a team captain.
The event is held at the Coliseo Ivan de Bedout, and Canada will play Venezuela (Nov. 9), Colombia (Nov. 10) and Puerto Rico (Nov. 12) throughout the weekend. Each team will face the other three teams in a round-robin tournament, and the top-two finishers will earn a spot in the FIBA Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament in February. In total, 16 teams will head to the Qualifying Tournament, and 10 teams will earn the opportunity to play in the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
Team Canada will take the floor on Thursday after earning a bronze medal at the 2023 FIBA AmeriCup this summer. Prosper was a member of that team as well. It was the Montreal native’s Senior Team debut, and she remains just 18 years old. She also competed in the 2023 FIBA U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup in Madrid in July. Prosper led the team with 16.2 points per game and earned a bronze medal.
This weekend’s tournament is Achonwa’s return to basketball after she missed last year’s WNBA season while on maternity leave. A native of Ontario, Achonwa last suited up for Team Canada for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She ranked third on the team in playing time and posted 25 points. Prior to the Games, Achonwa was named to the Olympic Qualifying Tournament’s All-Star Five after Canada went 3-0 and she averaged 13.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.
For additional information on the 2023 FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament and Team Canada, click here. Thursday’s game against Venezuela tips off at 5:30 p.m. ET.