Amber Merritt Explained

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Amber Merritt
Nickname:Bambi
Nationality:
Birth Date:17 February 1993
Birth Place:Portsmouth, England
Country:Australia
Club:Perth Wildcats
Sport:Wheelchair basketball
Event:Women's team
Disability Class:4.5

Amber Merritt (born 17 February 1993) is a 4.5-point wheelchair basketball player who plays forward. She represented Australia at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London, where she won a silver medal and at the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo.[1]

Born in England, Merritt moved to Australia when she was ten years old. She was originally a swimmer, but was recruited into basketball by the Paralympic Hall of Fame coach Frank Ponta in 2007. She started playing top-level club wheelchair basketball in Australia for the Perth Western Stars in the Women's National Wheelchair Basketball League (WNWBL) in 2008. In 2013, she captained the team, and it to its first WNWBL championship. She was the league's top scorer, and the Most Valuable Player 4 pointer in its All Star Five, in 2011, 2012 and 2013.

Merritt made her debut with the Australia women's national wheelchair basketball team, known as the Gliders, in 2009. She has played for the Gliders in a number of international series including the 2010 U23 World Championship, 2011 U25 World Championship, 2011, 2012 and 2013 Osaka Cups, the 2012 BT Paralympic World Cup, and 2012 Gliders and Rollers World Challenge in Sydney.

Personal life

Nicknamed Bambi, Merritt was born on 17 February 1993 in Portsmouth, England, with a club foot.[2] She moved to Perth in Western Australia when she was ten after her parents decided they wanted to see what else the world had to offer, and graduated from high school there in 2010.[2], she lives in Wanneroo, Western Australia.[3]

Wheelchair basketball

Merritt is a 4.5-point wheelchair basketball who plays forward.[4] [5] She started playing in 2007.[4] She was originally a swimmer, but was recruited into basketball by the Paralympic Hall of Fame coach Frank Ponta.[6] [7]

In financial year 2012/13, the Australian Sports Commission gave Merritt a A$20,000 grant as part of their Direct Athlete Support (DAS) program. She received $17,000 in 2011/12 and 2010/11 and $5,571.42 in 2009/10.[8]

Wearing jersey number 14,[2] Merritt started playing top-level club wheelchair basketball in Australia for the Perth Western Stars in the Women's National Wheelchair Basketball League in 2008. In the second round of that season, the Western Stars defeated the Hills Hornets 52–44. Playing for the Stars, she scored 10 points in her team's victory.[2] [9] [10] [11] In the 2012 season during the first game loss, Merritt scored eight points, had five rebounds, and two assists. In the league's third game and her team's second game, a loss to the Dandenong Rangers, she scored 26 points, and had 14 rebounds. In her team's third game victory against the Sydney Uni Flames, she scored 18 points, while having 10 rebounds.[12] In the Western Stars' 56–36 semi-final victory against the Sydney Uni Flames, she played an important role. The Western Stars played in the league's third place match, where she led it in scoring with 34 points as they defeated Sydney 63–54. She finished the season as the WNWBL Season Top Scorer,[13]

Merritt was the Western Stars' captain for the 2013 season, and led the team to its first WNWBL championship, defeating the Sachs Goldcamp Bears in the final 43–40 despite being 11 points down at three-quarter time. She was the league's top scorer, and the Most Valuable Player 4 pointer in its All Star Five,[14] as she had previously been in 2011 and 2012.[15] [16]

Merritt made her debut with the Australia women's national wheelchair basketball team, known as the Gliders, in 2009,[4] [10] playing in several different competitions that year including the Japan Friendly Series, Four Nations in Canada and the Under 23 World Championship where her team finished fourth.[2] As the youngest member of the Australian team at the 2010 World Championships, she finished fourth.[4] [17] She competed in the 2011 Asia Oceania Regional Championships, scoring ten points for her team as the third leading scorer in the final game of a competition where her did not lose a single match.[18] [19] That year, she also represented Australia at the 2011 Under 25 World Championships,[4] [20] where she wore shirt number 7 and was a key blocker for her team.[21] Merritt played in the 2011 Osaka Cup,[2] and the 2012 BT Paralympic World Cup.[22] She competed at the 2012 Gliders and Rollers World Challenge in Sydney, scoring the winning points in the first place match against the Germany women's national wheelchair basketball team,[23] and was named the women's MVP for the competition,[24] having averaged 17.8 points per game.[25]

Merritt was selected to represent Australia at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in wheelchair basketball.[4] The London Games were her first.[26] In the group stage, the Australia women's national wheelchair basketball team at the 2012 Summer Paralympics posted wins against Brazil,[27] Great Britain,[28] and the Netherlands,[29] but lost to the Canada.[30] This was enough to advance the Gliders to the quarter-finals, where they beat Mexico.[31] The Gliders then defeated the United States by a point to set up a final clash with Germany.[32] The Gliders lost 44–58, and earned a silver medal.[33]

Since the London games, Merritt has participated in the 2013 Osaka Cup,[34] where the Gliders successfully defended the title they had won in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2012.[35] She represented Australia at the 2018 Wheelchair Basketball World Championship in Hamburg, where the team came ninth,[36] [37] and the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, the Gliders again finished ninth after winning the 9th-10th classification match.[38] She was a member of the Australian team that won the silver medal in the 3x3 Women's tournament at the 2022 Commonwealth Games,[39] and the Gliders team at the 2022 Wheelchair Basketball World Championships in Dubai.[40]

Merritt announced her retirement in November 2023 after 15-year-career.[41]

Statistics

Season statistics[42]
CompetitionSeasonMMINFGM–AFG%2PM–A2P%3PM–A3P%FTM–AFT%PFSPtsOFFDEFTOTASTSTLBLKTOPFPTS
WNWBL200917596:48127–25450.0127–25050.80–40.018–5433.336272n/an/a10.92.0n/an/an/an/a16.0
WNWBL201017n/a159–28256.4n/an/a0–50.015–5527.340333n/an/a9.81.5n/an/an/an/a19.6
WNWBL201119n/a207–40651.0n/an/a0–30.032–8438.149446n/an/a13.72.6n/an/an/an/a23.5
WNWBL201215n/a169–35048.3n/an/a0–50.049–8557.633387n/an/a9.92.9n/an/an/an/a25.8
WNWBL201314518:43204–36755.6204–36456.00–30.032–7642.1254403.17.410.43.61.60.62.31.831.4
Key
M : Matches playedMIN : Minutes played
FGM, FGA, FG%: field goals made, attempted and percentage3FGM, 3FGA, 3FG%: three-point field goals made, attempted and percentage
FTM, FTA, FT%: free throws made, attempted and percentageOFF, DEF, TOT: rebounds average offensive, defensive, total per game
AST: assists average per gameSTL: steals average per game
BLK: blocks average per gameTO: turnovers average per game
PFS, PF: personal fouls, average per gamePts, PTS: points, average per game
n/a: not applicable

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Gliders' Redemption In Full Swing After Tokyo 2020 Announcement. live. 16 July 2021. Paralympics Australia. https://web.archive.org/web/20210716023955/https://www.paralympic.org.au/2021/07/gliders-redemption-in-full-swing-after-tokyo-2020-announcement/ . 16 July 2021 .
  2. Web site: Player statistics for Amber Merritt . SportingPulse . 17 February 1993 . 27 July 2012.
  3. Web site: Robinson . Chris . Seven WA basketballers picked for Paralympics . Perth Now . 6 July 2012 . 13 July 2012.
  4. Web site: Amber Merritt . Australian Paralympic Committee . Australia . 2012 . 13 July 2012 . dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120317091358/http://paralympic.org.au/team/amber-merritt . 17 March 2012 .
  5. Web site: Glen Foreman . Ness on path to fourth Paralympics . Fox Sports . 8 July 2012 . 13 July 2012.
  6. Web site: Australian women's wheelchair basketball teams beats Mexico . Foreman . Glen . 5 September 2012. News.com.au . 2 February 2012 .
  7. Web site: Australia's Greatest Inducted into Paralympic Hall of Fame . Mannion . Tim . 29 August 2011 . 14 February 2012 . dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150303090019/http://www.paralympic.org.au/news/australia%E2%80%99s-greatest-inducted-paralympic-hall-fame . 3 March 2015 .
  8. Web site: Grant Funding Report. Australian Sports Commission. Bruce, Australian Capital Territory. 15 September 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120410184601/http://www.ausport.gov.au/supporting/funding/grants_and_scholarships/grant_funding_report. 10 April 2012. dead.
  9. Web site: WNWBL Round 2 – National Wheelchair Basketball League (NWBL) . SportingPulse . 17 September 2012.
  10. Web site: Gliders v Japan . Basketball Victoria . 27 July 2012 . 17 March 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120317235407/http://basketballvictoria.com.au/index.php?id=138 . dead .
  11. Web site: New-look WNWBL ignites this weekend – Women's National Wheelchair Basketball League . SportingPulse . 30 June 2012 . 27 July 2012.
  12. Web site: Bears still on top after Round 3 – Women's National Wheelchair Basketball League . SportingPulse . 29 June 2012 . 27 July 2012.
  13. Web site: 2012 WNWBL Champions . Athletes with a Disability . 25 June 2012 . 17 September 2012 . dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20131029193530/http://www.sports.org.au/news/6/269.html . 29 October 2013 .
  14. Web site: Be Active Western Stars Crowned WNWBL Champions in Thrilling Style . https://web.archive.org/web/20130927224325/http://www.wasportsfed.asn.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/western-stars.pdf . dead . 27 September 2013 . 25 September 2013 . Western Australian Sports Federation .
  15. Web site: Victoria Dandenong Rangers Take Home 2011 WNWBL Trophy . Disability Sports Australia . 25 September 2012 . dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20130412091923/http://sports.org.au/athletes-profiles/235-victoria-dandenong-rangers-take-home-2011-wnwbl-trophy . 12 April 2013 .
  16. Web site: Rangers take out WNWBL Championship . Sporting Pulse . 25 September 2012.
  17. News: Team named for Women's Wheelchair Worlds . . 16 June 2010 . 27 July 2012.
  18. Web site: Basketball Australia : Rollers and Gliders Asia champs wrap . Basketball.net.au . 27 July 2012.
  19. Web site: Wheelcats, Stars headline national teams – . The West Australian . 19 October 2011 . 27 July 2012 . https://archive.today/20130105115536/http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/sport/a/-/basketball/10501153/wheelcats-stars-headline-national-teams/ . 5 January 2013 . dead .
  20. Web site: Aust U25 Women's Wheelchair team depart for Canada – Women's National Wheelchair Basketball League . SportingPulse . 30 June 2012 . 27 July 2012.
  21. Web site: 2011 Women's U25 World Wheelchair Basketball Championships – Women's National Wheelchair Basketball League . SportingPulse . 30 June 2012 . 27 July 2012.
  22. Web site: Australia's Amber Merritt – Yahoo! Eurosport . Opta-widget.eurosport.yahoo.net . 27 July 2012 . dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20130927172857/http://opta-widget.eurosport.yahoo.net/24052012/8/photo/australia-amber-merritt.html . 27 September 2013 .
  23. Web site: Vidler . Adam . Paralympics: Aussies on a roll towards London . Canterbury-Bankstown Express . 27 July 2012.
  24. Web site: Perfect Preparation for Rollers and Gliders . Wheelchair Sports Western Australia . 24 July 2012 . 26 October 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131029184954/http://wheelchairsportswa.org.au/perfect-preparation-for-rollers-and-gliders/ . 29 October 2013 . dead .
  25. Web site: Competition Statistics for Gliders World Challenge . SportingPulse . 27 July 2012.
  26. News: Games wheelchair Basketball Squads Named . Nine MSN . 27 July 2012 . dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150614234319/http://wwos.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=8494652 . 14 June 2015 .
  27. Web site: Gliders Prevail in Thriller . 30 August 2012 . . Abbott . Chris . 1 February 2013 . dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120903104118/http://london2012.paralympic.org.au/news/gliders-prevail-thriller . 3 September 2012 .
  28. Web site: Gliders Win Comfortably Against Host . 31 August 2012 . . Abbott . Chris . 1 February 2013 . dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120902103742/http://london2012.paralympic.org.au/news/gliders-win-comfortably-against-host . 2 September 2012 .
  29. Web site: Gliders Secure Quarter-final Place . 2 September 2012 . . Abbott . Chris . 1 February 2013 . dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120909172934/http://london2012.paralympic.org.au/news/gliders-secure-quarter-final-place . 9 September 2012 .
  30. Web site: Gliders shocked by Canada . 2 September 2012 . . 1 February 2013 . dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20131029191542/http://www.basketball.net.au/index.php?id=302&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=2701&cHash=a1295ff31f . 29 October 2013 .
  31. Web site: Gliders Dominate Mexico . Abbott . Chris . 4 September 2012 . . 2 February 2012 . dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120905004501/http://london2012.paralympic.org.au/news/gliders-dominate-mexico . 5 September 2012 .
  32. Web site: Gliders down champions to reach final . ABC News. Australia . 7 September 2012 . 30 January 2013 .
  33. News: Gliders get rolled for gold by German muscle . . Paxinos. Stathi . 9 September 2013 . 1 February 2013.
  34. Web site: 2013 Osaka Cup, Japan, Australian Gliders Player Profiles . . 3 June 2013 . dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20131016065003/http://www.basketball.net.au/fileadmin/user_upload/_temp_/2013_Gliders_Osaka_Cup_Player_Profiles_Feb_01.pdf . 16 October 2013 .
  35. Web site: Aussie Gliders 2013 Osaka Cup Champions . 17 February 2013 . . 3 June 2013.
  36. Web site: Gliders set for redemption at 2018 IWBF World Championships . International Wheelchair Basketball Federation . 16 June 2023 .
  37. Web site: Gliders complete World Championships campaign on a high with victory over Brazil . Paralympics Australia . 16 June 2023.
  38. Web site: 31 August 2021. Gliders end Tokyo campaign on a high. live. 18 September 2021. New South Wales Institute of Sport. https://web.archive.org/web/20210918024538/https://www.nswis.com.au/nswis-news/gliders-end-tokyo-campaign-on-a-high/ . 18 September 2021 .
  39. Web site: Home of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games . 3x3 Wheelchair Basketball . 16 June 2023.
  40. Web site: Rollers And Gliders Teams Named For World Championships . Paralympics Australia . 16 June 2023.
  41. Web site: 2023-09-11 . Merritt calls time . 2023-11-12 . australia.basketball.
  42. Web site: Player Statistics for Amber Merritt (4.5) . 21 July 2013.

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