Chennai-born Srishti Suren's name has grabbed the spotlight, and how. The Indian U18 basketball team forward Srishti has now been chosen for the University of Winnipeg Wesmen for the 2019-20 seasons for the women’s basketball roster. The 19-year-old has always been an outstanding performer, and has now committed to the Wesmen having five years of eligibility, the University of Winnipeg have announced.
With this commitment, Srishti scripted history by becoming the first women to play college ball in Canada.
In 2018, Srishti was recruited to play for NCAA Division I San Francisco. At that moment she couldn't pursue a roster spot because of her national team's commitment to compete at the 2018 U18 Asian championship. She also competed for India at the U16 Asian championship in 2015 and averaged 7.0 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, and then at the 2016 U18 championship.
As per the official release, she will enroll in Psychology and Neuroscience. Srishti now joins the likes of compatriots Sanjana Ramesh and Vaishnavi Yadav who have also committed to play basketball for universities in North America.
“We’re getting a kid who’s played FIBA international, has a lot of basketball under her belt and has travelled the world so she’s not afraid to leave to play,” said Wesmen head coach Tanya McKay in a press release. “She comes here with five years of eligibility, so I think the timing is great for the program.” she added.
“I’ve wanted to fly high in life and I think this is one step closer to my dreams of playing in one of the top basketball leagues in the future,” Srishti said.
“She just plays so athletic,” McKay said during the official release adding, “She can hit the three, she can drive, she defends well and uses her length. She's a kid who's played a lot of basketball and I think that's contagious. She's coming to play basketball, so she'll help elevate practices and be driven to compete.”
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Most recently, Srishti played an instrumental role at U18 FIBA Asian Championships in Bengaluru past October, where the Indian women's squad went unbeaten in Division B and clinched a promotion to Division A for the next edition of the tournament (2020).
“I feel my international experience has given me more confidence to face the court globally and taught me how important communication on and off court with my team is,” the 5-11 forward Srishti said. “Playing internationally has also developed my friendship skills on and off the court, which I will help me have a good understanding with my teammates. I've wanted to fly high in life and I think this is one step closer to my dreams of playing in one of the top basketball leagues in the future,” she concluded.
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Feature Image Credit: Srishti Suren / Instagram
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