Members of the New York Liberty, including Kia Nurse, have kept plenty busy in the early stages of the offseason, both at home and on the international level.
Their offseason commenced earlier than preferred, but members of the New York Liberty have made the most of it. The team has been well represented both at home and abroad by several players, all of whom continue to represent the squad and leave their mark on the women’s game …
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Rebecca Allen
The Victoria-born Allen absconded to a Land Down Under to partake in her national squad’s FIBA Women’s Asia Cup trek. The Australian squad, known as the Opals, were missing top scorer Liz Cambage due to her participation in the WNBA Playoffs. Allen helped pick up the slack with 11.7 points per game, good for eighth amongst all scorers. She also posted an efficiency rating of 15.7 that ranked sixth.
Allen’s saved her best for last, as her performance in the third-place game helped the Opals secure the Bronze. The guard nicked named “Spida” tallied 20 points (7-10 FG) and seven rebounds, both among game-highs, in a 98-62 win over South Korea. Allen was named to the tournament’s All-Star team for her efforts.
Tina Charles
Another tournament, another championship for Charles, who played a major role in the United States’ gold medal journey at the FIBA Women’s AmeriCup.
Ther Americans’ trek to gold in Puerto Rico was capped off by three consecutive double-doubles from Charles to wrap things up. Over the final three games, two of which came in the tournament stage, Charles earned 13.7 points (on 55 percent shooting) and 10.3 rebounds per contest. In the gold medal final, Charles had 12 points and 11 boards in a 67-46 win over Canada. It was the Americans’ first AmeriCup title since 2007 (they normally don’t compete in the tournament).
Asia Durr
The second overall pick of the 2018 draft underwent successful surgery on September 18, the exact procedure being a hip arthroscopy with labral repair. She is expected to make a full recovery and partake in the 2020 season. Durr also continued to make appearances under the Jordan Brand banner, serving as a face of the company alongside teammate Kia Nurse.
Bria Hartley
Hartley partook in the Savage x Fenty fashion show, hosted by pop star Rihanna. The show debuted on September 20 and is available to stream on Amazon Prime.
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Kia Nurse
An injury kept Nurse out of AmeriCup competition, but Nurse has kept plenty busy off the court. She continues to represent the Jordan Brand alongside Durr, even appearing in the line’s latest television commercial earlier this fall. Nurse also partook in the WNBA’s new modeling project alongside Red Hook Labs, in which teenage photographers enlisted Nurse and several other players to serve in the league’s “#ItsAnArt” campaign. The advertisements can be seen throughout New York City.
Nurse is expected to play in Canada’s Pre-Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Edmonton on November 14-17.
Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe
While Nurse was unable to partake in the AmeriCup proceedings, New York was still represented up north in the form of Raincock-Ekunwe. She would put up 8.7 points and 5.0 rebounds (the latter tally good for third on the team) in Canada’s runner-up finish and will likewise return for the Edmonton tournament next month. Raincock-Ekunwe’s best performance in Puerto Rico came in the semifinals when she fell one point short of a double-double. Her game-high 10 rebounds, however, were enough to help Canada earn a 66-58 win over Brazil.
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Han Xu
Fresh off her rookie season, Han certainly made her case for increased minutes with a strong performance at the Asia Cup.
Representing China, Han ended the tournament ranked in the top ten averages for points (11.8), rebounds (6.0), and blocks (a tournament-best 2.6). Like Allen, her efforts were recognized via a tournament All-Star nomination as China earned the silver medal. Gold was not to be, but Han brought her top game to the championship final. Her 18 points and seven rebounds were both team-highs in a narrow 71-68 defeat at the hands of Japan.
