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.

Elissa Cunane
No. 33 – Seattle Storm
PositionCenter / Power forward
LeagueWNBA
Personal information
Born (2000-09-25) September 25, 2000
Summerfield, North Carolina
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High schoolNorthern Guilford
(Greensboro, North Carolina)
CollegeNC State (2018–2022)
WNBA draft2022 / Round: 2 / Pick: 17th overall
Selected by the Seattle Storm
Playing career2022–present
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Women's basketball
the  United States
FIBA AmeriCup
2021 San Juan

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
  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

College
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2018–19 NC State 341124.8.549.333.7606.31.10.30.82.613.6
2019–20 NC State 323127.3.547.447.7919.61.10.31.12.416.4
2020–21 NC State 232326.8.533.387.8438.31.80.70.92.016.3
Career 896526.2.544.407.7928.01.30.40.92.415.3

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
  1. NC State WBB [@PackWomensBball] (September 25, 2018). "Happy birthday to @ecunane_! We hope you have a great day" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  2. "Elissa Cunane isn't playing like a freshman for N.C. State". Greensboro News & Record. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  3. "NC State's star freshman already has sophomore status in the eyes of her coach". Raleigh News & Observer. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  4. "Elissa Cunane, a freshman from Summerfield, leads N.C. State into ACC Women's Tournament". Greensboro News & Record. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  5. "Led by return of leading scorer Elissa Cunane, No. 4 NC State takes down No. 1 Louisville". ESPN. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  6. "Who's next? The top 15 2022 WNBA Draft prospects, from Rhyne Howard to Cate Reese". The Athletic. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  7. "Roster Announced for 2021 USA Basketball Women's AmeriCup Team". USA Basketball. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
  8. "U.S. rolls to FIBA Women's AmeriCup title as Kentucky's Rhyne Howard named MVP". ESPN. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
  9. "Cunane, Brown-Turner Win AmeriCup Gold with Team USA". Rockingham Now. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
  10. "Behind Cunane's Winning Smile". NC State University. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  11. "NC State women's basketball star inspired by dad's zest for life". ESPN. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
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