COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – When you bring together 58 of the nation’s top scholastic players there’s no such thing as a bad choice as you select two teams for international competition. Oh, you might pick a more experienced group, a bigger team, a more athletic squad or even one that fits the specific style of play. But short of loading up a roster with all posts or nothing but perimeter players, decisions at any USA Basketball Trials are all varying degrees of good and better choices.
Last week’s trials for the U17 and U18 teams that will compete this summer in the Netherlands and Puerto Rico provided each participant with one of the most competitive settings in which to show and sharpen their skills. As always performance is never a guarantee of a roster spot and quite a few players and their families left the Olympic Training Center disappointed in themselves or the process. However many still offered up impressive efforts that made the selection committee think twice and laid the ground work for future opportunities to wear the red, white and blue.
Prentice Beverly and I take a look at 12 athletes that didn’t get the nod in Colorado Springs. Three earned gold last year with the U16 team, seven were participating in their second trials and two were making their first run at a roster spot. Many others were in the conversation to make the cut and deservedly so. The key for all those going home without a uniform will be what they do with the experience in terms of advancing their game and being prepared if the chance to play for Uncle Sam comes again.
To see those who did make the rosters follow the links below to our coverage of both the U17 and U18 roster announcements.
USA Basketball U17 Selection | USA Basketball U18 Selection
Six from Mark Lewis
Any guard that can stand 6-1, have the agility of someone five inches shorter, possess the wingspan of someone five inches taller and offer up some refined perimeter skills is destined to draw the attention of coaches and competitors alike. Gabby Green (Oakland, Calif. – U17 Trials) was no secret coming into last year’s 16u trials and served notice she had the tools to compete with the top tier in her age group despite missing the roster. A subsequent ankle injury on the recruiting trail in July provided a brief detour for the advancement of her play but things appear to now be solidly back on track. While not a true point guard, Green can handle the ball effectively in transition and offers some depth against pressure both in fullcourt and halfcourt situations. Her vision and sharp passing skills allow her to exploit trapping and numbers scenarios while her decision making provides solid choices and minimizes turnovers. There are some versatile and reliable scoring tools in place including both a floater and pull-up that negate helpside rotations. More perimeter consistency and range are an absolute necessity for her to maximize her combination of size and skills. Defensively the 2014 standout is a coach’s dream. The lateral footspeed is there to corral and contain ultra-quick backcourt opponents while the size and reach contest both vision and passing. On the weakside, as she has in the past, she anticipates, reads and reacts without losing her own match up. Her college future is beyond promising and it’s hard to imagine that she won’t one day find her way into international competition.
Attend enough USA Trials and you learn that being surprised at someone’s selection to or omission from a roster is virtually a given every year. The problem is that sheer performance is not enough. An athlete has to fit a role the committee is looking to fill. Trips to Colorado Springs aren’t so much a try out as they are an audition. That being said, there are a lot of roles that Ieshia Small (Tallahassee, Fla. – U18 Trials) can play and she’s more than ready to play them on the big stage. Physically, the 6-0 2013 guard is a challenging match up for any opponent. With her size comes an explosive first step, a solid build with considerable strength and a motor that’s running on caffeine from a Starbucks that nobody else has access to. From start to finish, she played with an assertive mentality and aggressive approach that set her apart from participants in either age group. Offensively she was constantly looking to push the ball and if she wasn’t the outlet she ran the lanes like a sprinter headed for London this summer. She does tend to overcommit at times on the break but her decision making is showing marked improvement every time out. With time she’s a sound spot up shooter and can keep defenders honest and closing out. In traffic she utilizes her strength to finish with contact or find her way to the line time after time. Defensively she has the tools to be an impact contributor in the halfcourt or trapping and pressing situations. Small will have to keep her disappointment in missing the roster for Puerto Rico from creating any question mark about what she’s doing on the floor. Her omission didn’t appear to be what she did but more what they might have been looking for this time around.
Often not seeing a player in action for 10 months provides an objectivity about her growth that might not be seen on a more frequent basis. Northwestern early 2013 commitment Nia Coffey (New Hope, Minn. – U17 Trials) offered up growth both in her game and in her size. Now standing every bit of 6-0 and pushing 6-1, she’s playing with a confidence and efficiency that should have the folks in Wildcat country already smiling. Catching the entry on the wing she is quick to attack and uses her lengthy legs to seal defenders once she gets them on her side. The left hander can still be a somewhat upright at times but she protects the ball well and sees the floor as she penetrates. There are times she tends to settle for the pull up rather than take it all the way to the rim but when she did get deep there was no hesitancy to taking a hit and going to the line. Her form is just a bit out in front of her but she connected between 15 and 20 feet consistently on both contested and uncontested shots. The refinement that has worked its way into Coffey’s perimeter game makes her the prototypical wing that every coach is looking for in today’s college game. Her size and mobility provide her some assets defensively that should frustrate smaller match ups. There’s no reservation about putting a body on someone but the strength will have to come to hold her ground with older and more physically mature opponents.
Stephanie Mavunga (Indianapolis, Ind. – U17 and U18 Trials) experienced something few gold medalists and players of her caliber ever endure. She was cut twice in a period of 48 hours. A member of last year’s championship U16 team, the 6-3 North Carolina bound forward got a second chance after the U17 announcement with an invitation to take the floor with the U18 group but didn’t have her name called once again come Monday morning. It certainly wasn’t from a lack of effort. Mavunga is not the kind of player who takes a backseat anytime she’s on the floor and whether its college recruiters, selection committee members or folks on the opposing bench…folks are going to take notice. Her size combines with a solid and strong build that she’s adept and willing to use on both ends of the floor. A lot of her offensive attack gives you more the impression that she would be most effective as the forward next to a true post up big as a teammate. Her one dribble drive covers a lot of ground from the elbow and she’s proficient putting it on the floor working across the paint off a high low entry. She’s efficient on the block but there’s still a mechanical element to her post moves that needs to be smoothed out to make her more consistent. It wouldn’t be right to talk about her game without mentioning her ability to cut both with and without screens. Mavunga gets from A to B and understands the value in a straight line and explosive acceleration. Her peers should take note! Defensively she can hold her own with both size and speed and she almost appears to enjoy things more if the whistle isn’t blowing. It would be no surprise to see her name reappear on a USA roster down the road.
Nia Coffey wasn’t the only Minnesota resident making her presence felt in Colorado Springs. Rebekah Dahlman (Braham, Minn. – 18U Trials) made her first appearance at USA Basketball and brought with her the game that’s served her well as the 2012 Gatorade Minnesota Player of the Year and on the recruiting trail with Bill Larson’s successful North Tartan club. While logic may say the 5-9 guard should spend most of her time at the point there’s another point of view that says scorers should be on the receiving end of entry passes rather than making them. Either way Dahlman is both effective and efficient with the ball. The ability to take advantage of opportunities is often lost in that split second that some players take to read defenders. Not so in this case. On the catch she’s already in attack mode and can exploit soft close outs, over plays or defensive breakdowns off the ball. Early in the trials she seemed to overthink on occasion or play more conservatively than we’ve seen in the past but after a few workouts was back to her usual form and abuse of opponents. Each session she appeared to find a new comfort level and even advance her skill set and approach. Defensively she was challenged by some size and speed but adapted with bigger cushions on her close outs and earlier pick-ups in transition. Her ability to recognize, familiarize and adjust is the kind of quality that will make not only her, but the teammates around her better each time out. Next time she’s invited to USA Trials you can count on the learning curve being less of a factor than this first go round.
Another 16U gold medalist from last year who didn’t get a return engagement with the U17 squad was point guard Recee’ Caldwell (San Antonio, Texas – U17 Trials). The youngest participant in this year’s trials found herself in a deep pool of floor leaders that had everyone courtside guessing as to who might get the call from the committee in the end. To her credit Caldwell demonstrated some depth and versatility to her game that should keep her among the elite in the 2014 class. While noted as a scorer in her own right, it was her defense in Colorado Springs that had everyone taking notice. Active and aggressive, she turned ballhandlers again and again. She maintained good spacing but was still harassing both passes and sloppy ball skills. Several opponents found themselves playing laterally or looking to enter the ball early which is no way to impress those selecting the final roster. Offensively this time around the 5-8 standout was more content to create opportunities for her teammates and deliver the ball than look for her own. One of the difficult challenges of the trials for a point guard is finding that balance between facilitating other’s looks and taking advantage of your own and she may have erred to some degree in that decision. None the less, Caldwell has demonstrated a capacity for assuming and delivering in a role which is a hallmark for USA selection that may well lead her back to another roster in the near future.
Six More from Prentice Beverly
An athletic long big guard can be a match up nightmare for most coaches when they are putting together their scouting reports. Jaime Nared at 6-1 is the girls’ basketball version of Nightmare on Elm Street’s Freddy Kruger. Nared’s long arms, quick hands and athletic build add her greatly defensively, she was very aggressive and an excellent on ball defender. Nared is a great passer with superior court vision with good handles. She has a silky smooth shot that extends out to 18 feet. Nared was very active at both ends of the court. She showed the ability to post up smaller guards as well as finish in the paint. Nared had a very productive USA Trial and definitely played well enough to warrant a return invite.
LaJahna Drummer from St. Bernard High School in Inglewood, Calif. had a solid USA Trials the 6-3 athletic forward played a consistent all-around game. Drummer was a force at both ends of the court, scoring in the paint with a variety of moves and knocked down several midrange jumpers. She also rebounded extremely well. Drummer did a tremendous job running the floor and finishing off the break that she started with a block at the other end. Drummer was a very poised low post defender with excellent timing. She used these skills to block several shots and altered dozens more. Drummer’s well rounded game and trials performance put here in the discussion for a future spot with USA Basketball. Keep your eye on this one she still has room to grow.
This time last year Alexa Middleton the 5-9 combo guard from Murfreesboro, Tenn. was participating in the U16 trials via the open tryouts. Middleton took advantage of that opportunity and earned an invitation to this year’s trials. Middleton had a solid performance at this year’s trials. She did a tremendous job distributing the ball to teammates; Middleton knocked down several three pointers and did a good job on the defensive end. Middleton had a pretty good three days but unfortunately she didn’t make the cut, but one thing is for certain Middleton definitely did enough to earn herself an invite to the next USA Trials.
McKenzie Calvert was one of the invitees that will benefit from her experience from the trials. Calvert, the 5 foot 9 guard from Cibolo, Texas, has a very high basketball IQ, she communicates well with teammates on the court. Calvert can create for herself or teammates off the dribble. She is an explosive quick guard who can get her own shot with ease and she loves to attack. Calvert is a playmaker with a keen sense of her surroundings to find the open man. Calvert used body and quickness during the trials to be a lockdown defender. Calvert played with a lot of energy and was a handful at both ends of the floor.
The 6-2 forward Alyssa Rice, from Reynoldsburg, Ohio, competing in her second USA Trial played well in spurts, she showed a nice array of low post moves and did a great job on the defensive glass. Rice played well defensively on the low block as well as in the help position. The athletic forward ran the floor well. Offensively, Rice fought for position and had several moments finishing in the paint. She showed flashes of being really good but needs to be more assertive on offense to separate herself from the rest of the pack. Rice was one of many forward that in the talent rich USA Basketball pool of players with her continued develop she will earn yet another opportunity to represent her country. Rice will only get better from her experience at the USA Trials
True post players that can run the floor with an array of post moves are rare. In the case of U16 Gold medalist Jatarie White, the 6-3 post from Charlotte, North Carolina, fits the bill for all of the above and will be in great demand come signing day. White played extremely well; she had a strong low post presence at both ends of the floor. Offensively, White has a smooth left hand hook and a strong up and under move. White also showed that she has a nice face up game with an effective midrange jumper. White rebounded with a sense of purpose and showed the ability to put the ball floor and did a great job initiating the fast break. She was matched up with 2013’s 6-5 Mercedes Russell, 6-3 Taya Reimer and 6-4 Kai James. White fared well in all three match ups and more than held her own. Although she wasn’t selected for the U17 team, White was asked to try out for the U18 team where she battled with UConn bound 6-5 Breanna Stewart and Texas signee 6-7 Imani Stafford. Once again White did a fine job competing, her game is continuing to mature. Unfortunately, the selection committee decided to go in another direction, yet something tells me USA Basketball hasn’t seen the last of Jatarie White.
Additional article contribution by Prentice Beverly.
