FIBA Women’s Eurobasket qualifying draw saw Ireland’s Senior women’s team yield Belarus, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands in group 1 of ten for their matches in November, looking towards the ultimate 2023 contest.
The structure of the competition sees the winners of each of the groups achieve automatic progression to the overall tournament, along with four of the best second placed teams.
We have our qualifiers opponents! Ireland senior women's team have been placed in Group I of the @EuroBasketWomen 2023 Qualifiers with Belarus, Czech Republic and the Netherlands! 🇮🇪☘️🏀 pic.twitter.com/7YGqqLPA8r
— Basketball Ireland (@BballIrl) August 20, 2021
Speaking on the selection Dr Tim Rice, chairperson of the Elite Performance Committee said there is “a lot of excitement” building and that it “is a big step for Irish basketball overall.”
“To be on the cusp of competing at the highest level of basketball in Europe is something that has been a long time in the works” he says.
“So many leaders in the game, players and coaches throughout the country have worked hard to get us to this point.”
“Looking forward to seeing us test our mettle and to have the opportunity to show what we’re capable of at a high level”.
✅ The stage is set for the #EuroBasketWomen 2023 Qualifiers!
📅 Window 1 : November 11-14, 2021
🔗 https://t.co/Kg9D2FyTdn pic.twitter.com/aMiuk6JZoV
— FIBA Women's EuroBasket (@EuroBasketWomen) August 20, 2021
This comes on the back of the side’s narrow loss to Luxembourg last month in the FIBA European Championship for Small Countries where Ireland were beaten by just a heart-breaking ten points in the final.
The Cyprus outing however was not without its merits, with plenty of positives to take with them into the future including that of Claire Melia’s All Star Five accolade.
The 22 year old earned her spot after averaging 12.0 points, 8.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists, while also clocking up a double-double of 13 rebounds and 19 points versus Malta.
