Jul 03, 2009 - 03:50 PM

DURHAM -- Canadian basketball history will be made in Whitby when an elite level U20 junior women's team from Munich, Germany arrives July 25 for a two-week visit hosted by the Durham Eclipse U19 team.

The visiting club team, Turnerschaft Jahn, is part of a very successful German program that is a regular feature in the German national club championship mix. The Eclipse, a member of the Durham Basketball Association, made this contact during a successful European venture to Vienna, Austria in March.

The German visit will combine basketball and opportunities for the visitors to experience the social and cultural side of Durham Region and southern Ontario. During the first week of the stay, the Munich team will be involved in a high-level training camp co-hosted by Eclipse Basketball and Kingston's Royal Military College coached by Brad Schur. The balance of the visitors' time in Canada will be divided between sport and sightseeing.

Local sponsors include long-time German-Canadian organization Club Loreley of Oshawa, the Whitby restaurant Charley Ronick's and Eclipse sponsor Flaherty Dow Elliott.

The Durham Eclipse is coming off its finest season in team history. In addition to a top-10 placing in the elite level Basketball Ontario rankings, the Eclipse will send four players to the college and university ranks in September: point guard Katelyn McConnell, of Whitby (Sinclair), to the University of Toronto, wing Ruth Holland (Peterborough CVS) to Seneca College, forward Monique Johnson, of Ajax (Notre Dame), to RMC, and shooting guard Kelsey Hare (Sinclair) to Durham College.

A fifth potential 'next level' player from the 2009 class, wing Julie Longauer, of Whitby (All Saints), has deferred her acceptance to Waterloo for one year to play another Eclipse season and pursue a modeling career.

This summer's Eclipse initiative will be followed in May 2010 by the Durham junior women travelling to Munich to play top-level European competition in the U20 and U23 age groups. International basketball is the future of this game, as demonstrated by the 25-per cent international player composition of current NBA rosters, and the Eclipse embraces the positive trend.

For more information about Eclipse junior women's basketball and the German team summer tour, contact the team at zas@rogers.com.