Elissa Cunane
Elissa Cunane (el-EE-sa; born September 25, 2000)[1] is an American professional basketball player for the Seattle Storm of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball at NC State.
No. 33 – Seattle Storm | ||||||||||||||
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Position | Center / Power forward | |||||||||||||
League | WNBA | |||||||||||||
Personal information | ||||||||||||||
Born | Summerfield, North Carolina | September 25, 2000|||||||||||||
Nationality | American | |||||||||||||
Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | |||||||||||||
Listed weight | 190 lb (86 kg) | |||||||||||||
Career information | ||||||||||||||
High school | Northern Guilford (Greensboro, North Carolina) | |||||||||||||
College | NC State (2018–2022) | |||||||||||||
WNBA draft | 2022 / Round: 2 / Pick: 17th overall | |||||||||||||
Selected by the Seattle Storm | ||||||||||||||
Playing career | 2022–present | |||||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||
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Medals
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College career
Freshman season
Cunane came off the bench in her freshman season for majority of the season while also coming back from a foot fracture she suffered in high school.[2] Despite being a bench player, she often played in late-game situations and was a key player towards the end of the Wolfpack's season, starting after an injury to regular starter Erika Barrett.[3][4]
Sophomore season
Cunane started 31 of the 32 games she appeared in, averaging a near double-double as she also earned third-team All-American honors. She also set a NC State single-season record for most made free throws with 159.
Junior season
In her junior season, Cunane started all 23 games she appeared in, despite missing a month recovering from COVID-19. In her return, she put up 16 points and 6 rebounds in a 74–60 win against No. 1 ranked Louisville.[5]
Senior season
Cunane enters her senior season as one of the top prospects in the 2022 WNBA draft.[6]
National team career
Cunane represented the United States at the 2021 FIBA AmeriCup, where they won gold.[7][8] She was named to the AmeriCup's All-Star team after averaging 12.8 points and eight rebounds during the tournament.[9]
Career statistics
Legend | |||||||
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GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game | RPG | Rebounds per game |
APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game | BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
TO | Turnovers per game | FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
Bold | Career high | ° | League leader |
Personal life
Cunane is the daughter of Dan and Sharon Cunane and sister to older sibling William Paul. Dan is a former Greensboro police sergeant who suffered an injury in a bicycle accident when Elissa was two, initially paralyzing him from the neck down.[10] He has since regained some use of his lower body and arms, but still uses a wheelchair to get around.[11]
References
- NC State WBB [@PackWomensBball] (September 25, 2018). "Happy birthday to @ecunane_! We hope you have a great day" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- "Elissa Cunane isn't playing like a freshman for N.C. State". Greensboro News & Record. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
- "NC State's star freshman already has sophomore status in the eyes of her coach". Raleigh News & Observer. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
- "Elissa Cunane, a freshman from Summerfield, leads N.C. State into ACC Women's Tournament". Greensboro News & Record. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
- "Led by return of leading scorer Elissa Cunane, No. 4 NC State takes down No. 1 Louisville". ESPN. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
- "Who's next? The top 15 2022 WNBA Draft prospects, from Rhyne Howard to Cate Reese". The Athletic. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
- "Roster Announced for 2021 USA Basketball Women's AmeriCup Team". USA Basketball. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
- "U.S. rolls to FIBA Women's AmeriCup title as Kentucky's Rhyne Howard named MVP". ESPN. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
- "Cunane, Brown-Turner Win AmeriCup Gold with Team USA". Rockingham Now. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
- "Behind Cunane's Winning Smile". NC State University. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
- "NC State women's basketball star inspired by dad's zest for life". ESPN. Retrieved 19 May 2021.