July 19, 2006
ATLANTA – Georgia Tech junior standout Chioma Nnamaka has been invited to play with the Swedish National Team in the upcoming 2006 European Championships, as announced by the Swedish National Team Director Per Källman Wednesday afternoon.
“Even though this is the second time that I’ve played for the national team, I think that I’m even more excited this time around because now it’s the qualifications for the European Championships round,” said Nnamaka. “I’m also very excited about having the opportunity to play in front of my family and friends again, which is something I haven’t done since I began school two years ago.
“We are excited for Chioma to get such a great opportunity to play against some of the best players in Europe and represent her country,” said Georgia Tech head coach MaChelle Joseph. “International competition is a great experience and I know that our program and Chioma will greatly benefit as a result of her participation in the European Championships!”
Nnamaka has been one of the top scorers for the Yellow Jacket program in each of her first two seasons on the Flats as Georgia Tech’s top three-point shooting threat. She already stands sixth in the Tech annals with 96 career three-pointers and is seventh with a .353 career three-point field goal percentage. The Uppsala, Sweden native led the Jackets in scoring a season ago, averaging 12.4 points per game, while shooting over 41 percent from the floor and 36.5 percent from beyond the three-point arc.
Nnamaka will begin camp with the Swedish National Team August 3rd before competing in the Baltic Sea Cup (Malmö, Sweden) August 8-13. The team will then play two international tournaments, first in Virumaki, Finland August 17-20 and then in Kayseri, Turkey August 27-31, before beginning play in the European Championships September 5. The schedule for the Swedish team in the 2006 European Championships is as follows:
Sept. 5, Sweden at Croatia
Sept. 9, Germany at Sweden
Sept. 13, Sweden at Poland
Sept. 17, Croatia at Sweden
Sept. 20, Sweden at Germany
Nnamaka joins Texas Christian standout Hanna Beirnacka as the only collegiate players on the 16-member National Team, which also includes former Georgia Tech point guard Nina Bärlin, who currently plays professional basketball for 08 Stockholm HR.
“I’m excited to play with old friends of mine as well as people that I’ve faced while at Tech, but overall I’m just really honored to be able to be on the team because I think it’s a great experience for me to play against the best teams in Europe.”
