University of Hawai`i Rainbow Wahine basketball player Tanya Smith will represent her home country of Australia at the 2007 World University Summer Games. The native of Sydney was one of 12 players selected by Basketball Australia and Australian University Sport to compete at the Games, Aug. 8-18, in Bangkok, Thailand.

The 12-member team includes three players with U.S. collegiate experience. Aside from Smith is former Fresno State guard Chantella Perera, a 2006-07 all-Western Athletic Conference selection, as well as current Portland center Rachel Warren. Australia opens the tournament against Brazil on August 8.

Smith, a 6-3 forward, is coming off an all-conference campaign. As a junior she finished as the team's top scorer (14.4 ppg) and rebounder (10.4 rpg) in conference games and led the Rainbow Wahine to its second consecutive winning season (15-14). Smith, who earned WAC Player of Week honors on Jan. 22, tallied a team-high nine double-doubles on the season and led the league in field goal percentage (.571) during conference games. She was also among the league leaders in scoring (8th), rebounding (2nd), and blocks (10th).

Smith continues a long line of Australian players who have earned all-WAC first-team honors for UH, including Raylene Howard (1999, 2000), Kylie Galloway (1998, 2000) and, most recently, Jade Abele (2004). She is the first of those players, however, to represent Australia at the Games.

The World University Summer Games are held every two years under the patronage of the International University Sport Federation (FISU) and is an official FIBA sanctioned event. Originated in 1923, it is considered a significant sports ceremony among university students, equivalent to the Olympic Games.

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