A 170cm shooting guard, 18-year-old Walmsley has accepted a two-year scholarship at Western Wyoming Community College and hopes to use that as a springboard to continue her sporting and academic education with four years at a senior college.

Walmsley, who completed her secondary studies at St Francis Xavier last year, represented NSW Country at the Australian under-16 championships in 2006 and at the under-18 national titles for the past two years.

She and Australian under-17 squad member Maddie Allen were members of the NSW All Schools team that won the Pacific Games in Canberra last December.

"It's an opportunity to better my basketball while I'm studying, because I'm academically focused as well. I'll be studying pre-med over there," Walmsley said.

"They have a really good basketball program and the school is really good academically as well, which was important to me."

Walmsley is the latest success story from Newcastle's strong women's basketball program.

Novocastrians Suzy Batkovic and Jenni Screen were members of the Australian Opals who finished second to the USA at the Beijing Olympics.

Sophie Kleeman will start her scholarship at Troy University in Alabama in August the same time Walmsley joins the Western Wyoming program.

Fifteen-year-old Allen was selected earlier this month in Australia's preliminary 25-player squad for the FIBA world under-17 championships next year.

Before she leaves for the US, Walmsley will complete the Waratah Australian Basketball League season with the Newcastle Hunters, who play Canberra at Belconnen today. The Hunters men have a bye this weekend.