Former Rice Owl Kadie Riverin makes Canadian National Team

Posted: September 16, 2011, 6:01 p.m. CDT.

Former Rice women's basketball star Kadie Riverin has been selected to Canada's Senior Women's National Team that competes at the 2011 FIBA Americas Championship in Nieva, Colombia (Sept. 24-28). Riverin (Rice, 2008) played for the Owls from 2005 to 2008 and scored 1,155 points in her career, which ranks ninth in school history.

"I am very happy and excited for Kadie to make the Canadian National Team and she has worked very hard to compete for that spot," says Owl head coach Greg Williams.

Riverin scored a career-high 25 points vs. UAB in 2006 and TCU in 2007 and she led the team in assists in each of her last three seasons. A native of Ottawa, Ontario, Riverin also led the Owls in scoring her senior year (13.1 ppg). For her career, she ranks fourth at Rice with 419 assists. She and WNBA draftee Marla Brumfield are the only players in program history to register at least 1,150 points and 400+ assists. Riverin is the school record-holder for career free throw percentage at .809 (369-456).

Canada begins Group B play when it first goes up against Mexico on September 24, then Brazil (September 25), Paraguay (September 26), and Jamaica (September 28). The top two teams from each group will advance to the semifinals, while the rest of the teams will be eliminated. Group A is comprised of Chile, Cuba, Argentina, Puerto Rico, and Colombia. Canada is ranked 12th in the FIBA World Rankings.

The FIBA Americas Championship is the FIBA Americas zone qualifying tournament for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. The winner will earn an automatic berth into the Olympics; while those nations that finish between second and fourth place will compete at the Olympic Qualifying Tournament which is set for June 25 - July 1, 2012. Twelve nations from all over the world will qualify for this tournament, but only five will earn a berth to the 2012 Olympics.