KIGALI, Rwanda – Penn State women's basketball graduate forward Chanaya Pinto is set to represent her home nation Mozambique in the 2023 FIBA Women's AfroBasket tournament, with group stage action set to begin in Rwanda on Friday.
"Chanaya is the ultimate energy giver," Penn State Head Coach Carolyn Kieger said. "She's always doing whatever her team needs, whether that's getting in a passing lane grabbing a rebound or starting the break. She's that player on your team that we call the glue, and everyone on our team loves playing with her. I'm really thrilled that she gets to represent her country and play international basketball at FIBA AfroBasket. This is a phenomenal opportunity for her to gain some significant experience against some of the best players in the world."
No stranger to international competition, Pinto returns to the FIBA Women's AfroBasket tournament for the first time since 2017. An experienced two-way presence in the frontcourt, Pinto enters her second season with Lady Lion basketball after a productive two-year stint at NJCAA competitor Northwest Florida State College in addition to a successful season with the Oregon Ducks. While representing Northwest Florida State, Pinto landed the NJCAA National Player of the Year award in addition to two NJCAA All-America nods.
"I'm really excited to participate in the competition again, because the last time I represented my country at AfroBasket was back in 2017," Pinto stated. "My team and I have been working so hard in preparation for this competition, and I can't wait to see what we all will accomplish together. Right now, there is nothing else in my mind besides going out there on the 28th and playing hard for my teammates and for +258 nation."
A native of Maputo, Mozambique, Pinto prepares for her second and final season with the Lady Lions. Over the course of the 2022-23 campaign, Pinto appeared in 30 contests for the Blue & White and made 16 starts, booking season averages of 5.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. Pinto reached double figures on three occasions highlighted by a 13-point outing against the Toledo Rockets in which she went 5-for-9 from the field.
At Oregon, Pinto served as a key reserve for the Ducks during the 2021-22 campaign, averaging 11.4 minutes per game and shooting approximately 47 percent from the floor. Pinto's first two collegiate seasons at Northwest Florida State College saw the 6-foot-1 forward tally team-best marks with 14.6 points and 8.3 rebounds per game while leading the program to its first-ever NJCAA National Championship in 2021.
The 28th edition of FIBA Women's AfroBasket begins on Friday, July 28, with action in Kigali, Rwanda, set to conclude with the tournament final on Sunday, August 6. Competition begins with group stage action, with four three-team groups set to face off in a round-robin format. The winner of each group earns an automatic placement in the tournament quarterfinals, while the second and third-place squads square off in knockout qualification matchups. The tournament champion and runner-up will earn Africa's two berths in the FIBA Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament in preparation for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris.
Mozambique stands as the world's 47th-ranked national women's basketball team according to FIBA and will seek its first AfroBasket title in national history. Mozambique recorded a trio of runner-up finishes in the 1986, 2003 and 2013 editions of the event.
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