EDMONTON 鈥� sa国际传媒 Basketball has signed senior women's basketball coach Victor Lape帽a to a contract extension through the 2026 FIBA Women鈥檚 World Cup, the organization announced Tuesday.
Lape帽a has coached sa国际传媒's senior women's team to a 17-7 record (.708) since taking over the team on Jan. 6, 2022 and will lead the team into this summer's Paris Games.
sa国际传媒 punched its ticket for its fourth consecutive Olympics at a qualifying tournament in February despite finishing with a 1-2 record.
Before that, sa国际传媒 went undefeated 3-0 at a pre-qualifying tournament in Medellin, Colombia.
Under Lape帽a, sa国际传媒 also captured bronze at the FIBA Women鈥檚 AmeriCup 2023 and a fourth-place finish at the 2022 World Cup, the team's best since winning bronze at the tournament in 1986.
The extension includes an option for Lape帽a to pursue professional head coaching opportunities as long as he is available for all national team obligations.
"I鈥檓 thrilled to continue working with sa国际传媒 Basketball and to lead our senior women鈥檚 national team over the next several years,鈥� Lape帽a, from Zaragosa, Spain, said in a release. "We have a tremendous opportunity ahead of us this summer in Paris, and we will work tirelessly together to ensure that as a team, we are prepared to take the next step and realize our long-standing goal of a place on the podium."
sa国际传媒 has a training camp in Edmonton this week in preparation for Paris.
sa国际传媒 was drawn into Group B for the Olympic tournament with France, Australia and Nigeria. sa国际传媒 plays its first game against the hosts on July 29.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 21, 2024.
The Canadian Press
