CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Three members of the University of Miami women’s basketball program will be competing in the upcoming FIBA U20 European Championship Division A in Matosinhos, Portugal.
Rising sophomores Laura Cornelius and Emese Hof are set to suit up for the Netherlands, while incoming freshman Serena-Lynn Geldof will play for Belgium. The tournament, which features the 16 best teams in Europe, will be held July 9-17.
For Cornelius, a 5-foot-8-inch guard, this will be her ninth FIBA tournament with the Netherlands. In her most recent such event, she averaged 12.3 points, 6.9 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game at the 2015 FIBA U19 World Championship. As a freshman for Miami in 2015-16, Cornelius played in all 33 games and shot 42.3 percent from 3-point range, good for the third-best single-season mark by a Hurricane.
Hof, a 6-foot-3-inch forward/center, will be making her 10th appearance for the Netherlands in FIBA play. She averaged a double-double with 16.9 points and 10.0 rebounds an outing at the 2015 FIBA U19 World Championship in her most recent FIBA action. Hof was an All-ACC Academic Team pick last season after leading Miami in field goal percentage (54.2), offensive rebounding (2.2 per game) and blocks (1.3).
Cornelius and Hof teamed up to lead the Netherlands to the bronze medal at last year’s FIBA U20 European Championship Division A, marking their home nation’s first top-flight medal in European Championship competition, regardless of age or gender.
Geldof, a 6-foot-6-inch center, is set to play in her seventh FIBA event for Belgium. At last year’s FIBA U18 European Championship Division A, Geldof had the best international event of her young career. She averaged 10.2 points and 8.1 rebounds per game to go along with a tournament-leading 2.1 blocks. Geldof will join the Hurricanes this fall and begin playing for Miami during the 2016-17 season.
Cornelius and Hof will begin Group C play Saturday at 11:15 a.m. ET versus Latvia, while Geldof will open competition in Group D later in the day at 3:45 p.m. ET against the Slovak Republic. Pool play will then continue Sunday and Tuesday. Knockout round action is set for July 13 and 15-17, with each team playing a total of seven games in the tournament.
Additional information on the FIBA U20 European Championship Division A can be found on the tournament homepage HERE.
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