The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Women's Basketball Standout Makes Puerto Rico National Team
7/16/2019 3:48:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Former UAB women's basketball standout, Deanna Kuzmanic, has been named to the Puerto Rican National Team and will be competing in the 40th Pan American Games this coming August.
Kuzmanic was raised with a basketball always nearby. She grew up with her parents coaching her older sister and naturally she followed in those footsteps, joining an organized team in the first grade. Her basketball journey would grow from there, and she continued to develop as a standout on the court. She ultimately picked UAB to further her education and basketball career.
A simple Puerto Rican flag emoji in her Twitter biography would change things for the course of her basketball career. The Puerto Rican Basketball Federation contacted Kuzmanic to see if she was eligible to play for the team and upon learning that she was, the coaching staff closely followed the remainder of her basketball career as a Blazer.
After a two week tryout, she has officially been named to the roster where they will start training for the Pan American games.
Kuzmanic has been practicing with the national team since July 1st and will continue until the end of July. On August 1st the team will switch gears from practice to play as they travel to Lima, Peru for the 40th Pan American Games.
The Pan American Games will gather around 6,700 athletes who will participate in 39 sports.
"It means everything to me to be able to represent Puerto Rico, the place where my grandparents were born and raised. It has been an amazing opportunity to play with and learn from such wise and talented players, and coaches who have competed in NCAA Elite Eights, the WNBA, and the biggest international stages," said Kuzmanic.
After the Pan American Games, Kuzmanic and the Puerto Rican National Team will travel to China for a series of scrimmages. At the end of September the squad will compete in the Americup in San Juan, Puerto Rico. They must take 8th place or higher to qualify for the Olympic Qualifier tournament which is held at the end of November.
"I look forward to experiencing basketball internationally for the first time, competing in the 40th Pan American Games, and having the opportunity to qualify for the 2020 Olympics. Among it all, I want to play my role to the best of my ability to help my team succeed and make Puerto Rico proud."
Kuzmanic finished out a polished career at UAB with impressive accolades throughout the season; 128 career starts, averaging 13 points and seven rebounds per game as a senior, a winner of the 2019 Jim Castañeda Conference USA Postgraduate Scholarship Award, and graduating with a Bachelor of Science in mathematics.
Her coaches have nothing but praise for the former Blazer, "We are all so excited for Deanna and the opportunity she has to compete for the Puerto Rico National Team. Any team she plays on will be better because of her amazing work ethic and outstanding leadership abilities. We wish her the best and look forward to following her journey," said UAB head coach Randy Norton.
You can follow Kuzmanic and the Puerto Rican National Team throughout the Pan American games at https://www.lima2019.pe/en.
Kuzmanic was raised with a basketball always nearby. She grew up with her parents coaching her older sister and naturally she followed in those footsteps, joining an organized team in the first grade. Her basketball journey would grow from there, and she continued to develop as a standout on the court. She ultimately picked UAB to further her education and basketball career.
A simple Puerto Rican flag emoji in her Twitter biography would change things for the course of her basketball career. The Puerto Rican Basketball Federation contacted Kuzmanic to see if she was eligible to play for the team and upon learning that she was, the coaching staff closely followed the remainder of her basketball career as a Blazer.
After a two week tryout, she has officially been named to the roster where they will start training for the Pan American games.
Kuzmanic has been practicing with the national team since July 1st and will continue until the end of July. On August 1st the team will switch gears from practice to play as they travel to Lima, Peru for the 40th Pan American Games.
The Pan American Games will gather around 6,700 athletes who will participate in 39 sports.
"It means everything to me to be able to represent Puerto Rico, the place where my grandparents were born and raised. It has been an amazing opportunity to play with and learn from such wise and talented players, and coaches who have competed in NCAA Elite Eights, the WNBA, and the biggest international stages," said Kuzmanic.
After the Pan American Games, Kuzmanic and the Puerto Rican National Team will travel to China for a series of scrimmages. At the end of September the squad will compete in the Americup in San Juan, Puerto Rico. They must take 8th place or higher to qualify for the Olympic Qualifier tournament which is held at the end of November.
"I look forward to experiencing basketball internationally for the first time, competing in the 40th Pan American Games, and having the opportunity to qualify for the 2020 Olympics. Among it all, I want to play my role to the best of my ability to help my team succeed and make Puerto Rico proud."
Kuzmanic finished out a polished career at UAB with impressive accolades throughout the season; 128 career starts, averaging 13 points and seven rebounds per game as a senior, a winner of the 2019 Jim Castañeda Conference USA Postgraduate Scholarship Award, and graduating with a Bachelor of Science in mathematics.
Her coaches have nothing but praise for the former Blazer, "We are all so excited for Deanna and the opportunity she has to compete for the Puerto Rico National Team. Any team she plays on will be better because of her amazing work ethic and outstanding leadership abilities. We wish her the best and look forward to following her journey," said UAB head coach Randy Norton.
You can follow Kuzmanic and the Puerto Rican National Team throughout the Pan American games at https://www.lima2019.pe/en.
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