GEELONG United basketballer Chantel Horvat is on the brink of living out her childhood dream of representing Australia on the international stage, after she was named to the Opals’ 19-woman extended FIBA Women’s Asia Cup roster.<\/p>\n
Born, raised and again living in Geelong after a collegiate period in Los Angeles and a professional stint in Poland, Horvat said she was speechless to find out she had received the call-up.<\/p>\n
“It’s obviously something that I’ve dreamed about since I was a little girl, I’m actually still in shock a bit, but don’t worry I’m super happy at the moment.<\/p>\n
“I’m super grateful that they decided to have me on the squad.”<\/p>\n
Horvat said she had big goals since she was young but had endured a litany of injuries over the past few years, which temporarily put her dreams on hold.<\/p>\n
“I kind of reset my focus to become really present and enjoy the moment.<\/p>\n
“It’s really cool now to have this opportunity and I see it as a wonderful way to learn from the best players Australia has to offer.”<\/p>\n
Horvat will join five other potential debutants named in the squad alongside 18-year-old Adelaide guard, Isobel Borlase, 2023 WNBA draftee Shaneice Swain, as well as Amy Atwell, Nyadiew Puoch and Chloe Bibby.<\/p>\n
She also mentioned playing under new Opals head coach Shannon Seebohm and Cheryl Chambers, two of the most decorated coaches in WNBL history.<\/p>\n
“I’ve never met Shannon, but I’ve heard great things about him,” Horvat said.<\/p>\n
“I spent a little bit of time with Cheryl when I worked out with the Southside Flyers during COVID-19 before going back to college at UCLA.<\/p>\n
“I’m just super-excited to head into camp and soak up all the gems they can give me.”<\/p>\n
Horvat returned to the Geelong United Supercats for the first time since 2017 this season, quickly establishing herself as a key cog in Matt Paton’s NBL1 rotation.<\/p>\n
The 25-year-old leads the side in scoring (18.7 points per game), ranks second in rebounds (10.3 rebounds per game) and second in assists (2.3 assists per game).<\/p>\n
Horvat will need to pass the pre-camp cut, which will reduce the extended squad to 14 players.<\/p>\n
From there, the final squad will be trimmed down to 12 at a training camp in a fortnight’s time.<\/p>\n
The FIBA Women’s Asia Cup will be held in Sydney from June 26-July 2.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
GEELONG United basketballer Chantel Horvat is on the brink of living out her childhood dream of representing Australia on the international stage, after she was named to the Opals’ 19-woman extended FIBA Women’s Asia Cup roster. Born, raised and again living in Geelong after a collegiate period in Los Angeles and a professional stint in […]<\/p>\n