WNBL stars set for FIBA 3×3 World Cup
Perth’s Anneli Maley and Townsville’s Miela Sowah have been announced for the Gangaruus’ FIBA 3×3 World Cup team.
Joining Ally Wilson and Marena Whittle, the Gangaruus will represent the country in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia from June 23-29.
The same team that won gold in the 2025 3×3 Asia Cup will reunite for Australia’s sixth World Cup appearance. Australia’s women’s side has had historic success in this format,
winning bronze in 2012 (Athens) and in 2023 (Vienna) with Maley, Wilson and Whittle all playing in their last appearance.
Head coach Damon Lowery explained how important chemistry is to 3×3, and Australia’s overall success in this format.
“3×3 is ferocious. It exposes both your strengths and your mental cracks, and I like to see what players are made of once those cracks are exposed,” he said.
“Cohesion is critical. You don’t get time to ‘figure it out’ during games. These three have been building the Gangurrus name for years, and they still have the hunger.”
The team of WNBL stars will face off against the best of the best across the globe, with Lowery explaining what the freshly signed Townsville Fire player can add to this team.
“Anybody who knows Miela, knows she’s the highest of high energy, and she’s a bucket,” he said.
“The girl can flat-out score. Great attitude, great teammate, and she’s had a lot of reps lately.”
One player to keep an eye on will be Cassandra Brown, playing for her home nation of Canada – the former Townville Fire player will be a familiar face to fans tuning in.
Australia will start in Pool A, featuring China, Poland, Italy and Madagascar. Australia and China will be a must-watch early in the tournament, battling it out in multiple 3×3 Asia Cups – where Australia has won gold over Japan and New Zealand in the past two tournaments.
Every game will be streamed live via FIBA’s 3×3 YouTube channel.
See the full schedule below:
June 23, 1:00pm AEST – Australia vs China
June 23, 2:40pm AEST – Australia vs Poland
June 25, 1:00pm AEST – Australia vs Madagascar
June 25, 2:40pm AEST – Australia vs Italy