INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana Fever rookie Natalie Achonwa will represent her native Canada in the upcoming FIBA Americas Championships, temporarily leaving the Fever following tonight’s game with the Chicago Sky. She expects to rejoin the club at Los Angeles, Aug. 18, during the club’s West Coast road trip.
Achonwa, a member of the 2012 Canadian Olympic Team and a first-round draft pick by the Fever in the 2014 WNBA Draft, helped the Canadian National Team to a gold medal in the Pan Am Games last month in Toronto. Next week, Aug. 9-16, Canada will compete in the 2015 FIBA Americas Championships in Edmonton, with hopes of qualifying for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
PHOTO GALLERY: Achonwa at 2015 Pan Am Games »»
Canada is the host nation for both of its international competitions this summer. Achonwa missed three Fever games in July and is expected to miss three more games beginning Friday against Atlanta. Achonwa averaged 7.2 points per game as a member of the 2012 Canadian squad that qualified for the Olympic quarterfinals in London.
A candidate for WNBA Rookie of the Year honors, Achonwa has started 15 games for the Fever and is part of a starting lineup that owns a 9-2 record since June 16. Achonwa was tabbed as the WNBA Rookie of the Month for June. She currently leads all WNBA rookies in scoring with 8.9 points per game. She is second among rookies with a 54.1 percent field-goal percentage and fourth with 3.8 rebounds per contest.