Aug. 5, 2007
BRATISLAVA, SLOVAKIA - Sophomore Kendel Ross helped the Canadian U19 Women's National Team to a ninth place finish at the FIBA World Championships, which concluded on Sunday. Ross led Team Canada is nearly every statistical category throughout the tournament.
The 6-1 guard/forward from Sarnia, ONT was Canada's leading scorer as she averaged 11.1 points per game. Her scoring came mostly from long range as Ross made a team-best 14 three-pointers. She also led her squad in offensive rebounds (28), steals (10) and minutes played (228) while ranking second in overall rebounding (72) and assists (16). Ross double figures in scoring during six of the eight games during the Tourney while also putting up double-digit rebounding efforts in four of the final five games.
Ross and Team Canada finished third in Group C after a 1-2 record in Preliminary Play. The Canadians lost to Serbia, 79-63 as Ross was one of three to reach double figures in scoring with 11 points. Ross then finished with 14 points and seven rebounds while connecting on 3-of-6 shots from three-point range. The team then led most of the way before falling to the Czech Republic, 67-60 as Ross contributed with nine points, eight rebounds and four assists.
The Canadians dropped all three matches during the eighth-finals to world powers Australia, Brazil and Sweden. Ross and Team Canada rebounded during the Classification Round beginning with a convincing 75-64 victory over China. The squad then got past Brazil, 68-66 in overtime to place ninth in the Tournament. Ross was key for the Canadians in each of their final two games. She posted 13 points and 10 rebounds in the victory over China and led all players with 13 points and 15 rebounds in the rematch with Brazil.
Ross made her fifth appearance in FIBA competition for Team Canada as she also appeared in the 2005 FIBA U19 World Championship. Ross then helped lead the Canadian National Team to a third place finish at the 2006 FIBA Americas U20 Championship which qualified the U21 squad for its upcoming trip to Moscow. The Sarnia, ONT native averaged 8.4 points and 3.2 rebounds per game while leading the Canadians with 27.2 minutes per game. She also recorded a tournament-best .923 free-throw shooting percentage and 12 free throws made. Team Canada went 3-2 in last year's U20 competition with wins over the Bahamas, Puerto Rico and Mexico.
Ross was also part of a Canadian Junior National Team that earned a silver medal at the FIBA America's U18 Championship Qualifier in Colorado Springs, CO last summer. The guard/forward averaged 9.4 points per game and 9.2 rebounds per game while leading Team Canada to a 4-1 record in the seven-team tournament. She also had 1.0 assist and 1.0 steal per game while averaging 26.0 minutes per contest.
The Flyer paced the Canadians to a sixth place finish at the 2007 FIBA U21 World Championships. She averaged 8.0 ppg and 7.0 rpg while leading Team Canada to its best ever finish in an aged-group women's tournament.
Team Canada will face Australia on Monday in its first game in eighth-final play. The Canadians will then take on Brazil on Tuesday and Sweden on Wednesday before moving on to either the Quarterfinals or the Classification Round depending upon their outcome. Team Canada was ranked 11th in the latest FIBA U19 world ranking entering this tournament.
Ross was Dayton's most consistent bench performer in her first collegiate season this past winter. She played in 30 of 31 games, starting two, while averaging 5.3 ppg. and 4.0 rpg. She came off the bench for an injured teammate to score 10 points on 4-for-9 shooting from the field and pull down nine rebounds in 27 minutes of action against Long Island. Ross followed with her first collegiate start just four days later against Loyola-Chicago and collected a season-high 14 rebounds while scoring eight points.
Dayton finished 12-19 overall last season, but 15 of its 31 contests were decided by single digits including four one-point games. The Flyers also won their opening game at the Atlantic 10 Tournament for the second consecutive season. UD's leader in rebounds and field-goal percentage, senior forward Nikki Oakland is one of four returning starters and six seniors for Flyer Head Coach Jim Jabir in 2007-08.
