Brigham Young Cougars forward Kalani Purcell (32) drives the lane on Pepperdine Waves guard/forward Keitra Wallace (51) as BYU and Pepperdine women play at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2016. BYU won 69-64.
Brigham Young Cougars forward Kalani Purcell (32) drives the lane on Pepperdine Waves guard/forward Keitra Wallace (51) as BYU and Pepperdine women play at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2016. BYU won 69-64. Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
By Lindsey Williams

Before her time at BYU, Purcell played on the New Zealand national basketball team, the Tall Ferns. On Saturday, Kalani Purcell will step into the national basketball spotlight once again, but instead of playing on her native New Zealand stage, she will play in Texas at the NCAA Tournament.

Mormon Newsroom Pacific released an article about Purcell, a junior on the women’s basketball team at Brigham Young University.

Two of her sisters, Charmian Mellars and Natalie Taylor, have also played on the New Zealand national team. Taylor is the current Tall Ferns captain.

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“My family (and) my parents in particular have encouraged my siblings and me to be an example of the teachings of Christ,” Purcell told Mormon Newsroom Pacific. “So with playing basketball, my parents told me that was my gateway to share the gospel.”

Purcell will compete in the NCAA Tournament on Saturday night in Texas at 4:30 p.m. MDT. The Cougars, a No. 7 seed, will face Missouri, a No. 10 seed.

Read the full story on Mormon Newsroom Pacific.

Lindsey Williams writes for the the Faith and Family sections of DeseretNews.com

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