KELSEY GRIFFIN SELECTED FOR OPALS TRAINING SQUAD

Bendigo Bank Spirit star Kelsey Griffin has been included in a 21-player Australian Opals selection camp squad ahead of the FIBA WomenÕs Asia Cup. The squad, announced on Tuesday morning, comprises a strong mix of youth and experience, and includes six members of the Opals' Rio Olympics team. It will be Griffin's second tilt at Opals selecetion. The four-time Spirit MVP was one of the last players cut from the training squad before last year's Olympics in Brazil. Alaskan-born Griffin, who became an Australian citizen in 2015, has previously said being a part of the Opals' Olympic training squad was one of the proudest experiences of her basketball career. The squad will head to Phoenix, Arizona, for its selection camp from June 25-July 3. The FIBA WomenÕs Asia Cup, to be held in Bangalore in July, is the first step on the way to the 2018 FIBA World Cup with the four teams that reach the semi-finals in India earning qualification. The squad includes several former Spirit players, including Tessa Lavey, who recently signed with Dandenong Rangers, Sara Blicavs, Maddie Garrick, Belinda Snell and Jenna O'Hea, who played in Bendigo during the club's inaugural season in 2007-08. The Opals will be pitted against Korea, Philippines and Japan in Group B, while Group A consists of New Zealand, Chinese Taipei, Korea and China. The full squad is Abby Bishop, Sara Blicavs, Steph Blicavs (nee Cumming), Alex Bunton, Katie-Rae Ebzery, Maddie Garrick, Kesley Griffin, Laura Hodges, Natalie Hurst, Rachel Jarry, Alice Kunek, Tessa Lavey, Lauren Mansfield, Carley Mijovic, Jenna O'Hea, Erin Phillips, ÊAlanna Smith, Belinda Snell, Marianna Tolo, Louella Tomlinson and Kristy Wallace.