Elissa Cunane

Elissa Cunane (el-EE-sa; born September 25, 2000)[1] is an American professional basketball player. She played college basketball at NC State. She was drafted by the Seattle Storm in the 2022 WNBA draft.

Elissa Cunane
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: 2nd round, 17th overall pick
Selected by the Seattle Storm
Playing career2022–present
PositionCenter / power forward
Number7
Career history
2022Minnesota Lynx
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Women's basketball
the  United States
FIBA AmeriCup
Gold medal – first place2021 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 Cassell.[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]

College statistics
Year Team GP Points FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2018–19 NC State 34 464 .549 .333 .760 6.3 1.1 0.3 0.8 13.6
2019–20 NC State 32 524 .547 .447 .791 9.6 1.1 0.3 1.1 16.4
2020–21 NC State 23 374 .533 .387 .843 8.3 1.8 0.7 0.9 16.3
2021–22 NC State 36 493 .531 .419 .835 7.6 1.3 0.7 0.9 13.7
Career 125 1855 .540 .411 .802 7.9 1.3 0.5 0.9 14.8

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]

Professional career

Cunane was drafted by the Seattle Storm in the second round. She was cut after playing in two preseason games.[10]

Minnesota Lynx

Cunane signed a hardship contract with the Lynx on May 31, 2022. She made her WNBA debut on June 1, 2022, against the Atlanta Dream.[11] On June 21, 2022, Cunane was released from her hardship contract.[12] She appeared in 3 games for the Lynx.

WNBA 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 best ° League leader

Regular Season
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2022 Minnesota 303.3.500.000.0001.70.00.00.00.30.7
Career 1 year, 1 team 303.3.500.000.0001.70.00.00.00.30.7

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.[13] He has since regained some use of his lower body and arms, but still uses a wheelchair to get around.[14]

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. 2 February 2021. 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. Archived from the original on June 6, 2021. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
  8. "U.S. rolls to FIBA Women's AmeriCup title as Kentucky's Rhyne Howard named MVP". ESPN. 20 June 2021. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
  9. "Cunane, Brown-Turner Win AmeriCup Gold with Team USA". Rockingham Now. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
  10. Pope, Jonas (2022-05-02). "NC State's Elissa Cunane, Raina Perez waived by Seattle Storm ahead of WNBA season". Retrieved 2022-05-02.
  11. "Minnesota Lynx Injury Updates". lynx.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  12. "Natalie Achonwa Cleared To Return". lynx.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  13. "Behind Cunane's Winning Smile". NC State University. 17 March 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  14. "NC State women's basketball star inspired by dad's zest for life". ESPN. 11 March 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
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