Emily Katherine (Macca) McInerny (born 30 April 1978) is a former Australian women's

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player.

Biography

McInerny was a member of the

Australia women's national basketball team The Australian women's national basketball team is nicknamed the Opals, after the brightly coloured gemstone common to the country. From 1994 onwards, the Opals have been consistently competitive and successful having won nine medals at offic ...

roster during the late 1990s and 2000s and was a member of the Australian team that won a

gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have bee ...

at the 2006 World Championship in Brazil. McInerny also won gold for Australia at the

2006 Commonwealth Games The 2006 Commonwealth Games, officially the XVIII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Melbourne 2006 (Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm 2006'' or ''Naarm 2006''), was an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth held ...

in Melbourne and at the 2005 and 2007 FIBA Oceania Championships. McInerny won a

silver medal A silver medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc ...

for Australia at the 1997 Junior World Championships in Brazil where she played alongside future greats,

Lauren Jackson Lauren Elizabeth Jackson (born 11 May 1981) is an Australian professional basketball player. The daughter of two national basketball team players, Jackson was awarded a scholarship to the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in 1997, when she ...

and

Penny Taylor Penelope Jane Taylor (born 24 May 1981) is an Australian retired professional basketball player and assistant coach. During her 19-year career, Taylor spent the most time with the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA, where she won three championships. ...

. After not being selected for the Opals 2002 World Championship squad, McInerny sat out the 2002-03 WNBL season, stating she did not have a life outside basketball coupled with her inability to make the national team.Howell, Stephen (18 February 2004)
''No stopping Macca, now''
The Age. Retrieved 2012-09-30. Despite being viewed as a key defender and court leader, McInerny's national progress was hindered by her inability to score. After the Opals lost to

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

for the first time in early 2008, McInerny was dropped from Australian team. In November 2008, McInerny stated that the disappointment of missing out on selection for three Olympic Games ( 2000 in Sydney, 2004 in Athens and 2008 in Beijing), dampened her enthusiasm and motivation for the game.''On Guard... with Emily McInerny''
Basketball Australia. Women's National Basketball League (24 November 2008). Retrieved 2012-09-30. After missing out on Opals selection for the 2008 Olympic Games, McInerny announced her retirement from WNBL competition at the end of 2008/09 season. In the domestic

Women's National Basketball League The Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) is the pre-eminent professional women's basketball league in Australia. It is currently composed of eight teams. The league was founded in 1981 and is the women's counterpart to the National Baske ...

(WNBL) McInerny played 307 games for the

Australian Institute of Sport The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) is a high performance sports training institution in Australia. The Institute's headquarters were opened in 1981 and are situated in the northern suburb of Bruce, Canberra. The AIS is a division of the ...

(1994 - 1995), Sydney Uni Flames (1996),

Melbourne Tigers Melbourne United is an Australian professional basketball team based in Melbourne, Victoria. United compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at John Cain Arena. The team made their debut in the NBL in 1984 as ...

(1997 - 1998/99) and

Dandenong Rangers The Dandenong Rangers were an Australian professional women's basketball team competing in the Women's National Basketball League ( WNBL). The club is based in Dandenong, Melbourne, Victoria. The team was founded as the Dandenong Rangers, howeve ...

(1999/00 to 2008/09). Her 307 games in the WNBL ranks 8th all-time. During her WNBL career, McInerny was awarded the WNBL

Robyn Maher Robyn Maher (born 6 October 1959) is a retired female basketball player from Australia, who played for the Sydney Uni Flames. A three-time Olympian she was a member of the national women's team that won the bronze medal at the 1996 Summer Oly ...

Defensive Player of the Year Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY or DPOTY) is the name of an award given in sports for outstanding defensive play by a single player over the course of a season. Many sports leagues award this type of award. League awards for Defensive Player o ...

a record total of nine times: 1998, 1998-99, 2000-01, 2001-02, 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08. In 2006/07, McInerny was awarded Life Membership of the WNBL.WNBL Life Members
Basketball Australia. Women's National Basketball League. Retrieved 2012-09-30.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McInerny, Emily 1978 births Living people Australian women's basketball players Dandenong Rangers players Australian Institute of Sport basketball (WNBL) players Melbourne Tigers players Sydney Uni Flames players Power forwards (basketball) Sportspeople from Bendigo Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Australia Commonwealth Games medallists in basketball Basketball players at the 2006 Commonwealth Games Medallists at the 2006 Commonwealth Games