From USA Basketball Communications, April 15:
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The gold-medal winning USA coaching staff from last summer’s USA Women’s U16 National Team will return to lead the 2014 USA Basketball Women’s U17 World Championship Team, including head mentor Sue Phillips of Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.) and assistant coaches Mary Coyle Klinger of Rutgers Prep (Somerset, N.J.) and Brian Robinson of Bishop McGuinness (Kernersville, N.C.).
The coaching selections were made by the USA Basketball Women’s Developmental National Team Committee and approved by the USA Basketball Board of Directors.
“USA Basketball is confident that this coaching staff will do a tremendous job leading this young USA Basketball team at the 2014 FIBA U17 World Championship, just as they did this past summer at the zone qualifier,” said Carol Callan, USA Basketball’s Women’s National Team Director and non-voting chair of the USA Women’s Developmental Committee.
The trio returns after having led the USA to a 5-0 record at the 2013 FIBA Americas U16 Championship in Cancun, Mexico, where the team’s first-place finish also qualified the USA for this year’s FIBA U17 World Championship.
Phillips also led the USA West Team to a bronze medal in the 2003 USA Basketball Youth Developmental Festival, and she and Robinson served together on the 2009-12 USA Basketball Women’s Developmental National Team Committee.
“It is a privilege and honor to return as the head coach of the 2014 USA U17 World Championship Team,” Phillips said. “I am both humbled and excited to work with this year’s U17 team and coaching staff.
“Mary and Brian bring a wealth of success, experience and expertise to the coaching staff,” Phillips continued. “Their knowledge of the game and understanding of our system provides the players with ample opportunity to learn and grow.”
Klinger has prior USA Basketball experience as a player and as a coach. As a player, Klinger participated in the 1979 U.S. Olympic Festival, and she captured a gold medal with the East Team. She was an assistant coach for the 1991 USA Junior Select Team that recorded a 5-1 record in Mexico, and she was an assistant with the 1985 U.S. Olympic Festival West Team that finished in fourth place.
“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to join coach Phillips and coach Robinson on the bench again at this year’s FIBA U17 World Championship,” Klinger said. “Last year was an amazing experience in so many ways, and I am already looking forward to this summer.”
On top of his 2013 U16 coaching position and committee experience, Robinson led the USA Blue Team to a 2-3 record and a silver medal in the 2007 USA Basketball Youth Developmental Festival.
“Having the opportunity to again work with Sue and Mary is a wonderful feeling,” Robinson said. “Mary and I understand how Sue wants certain things done and the pace at which she wants those things to be taught, which should allow us to be more efficient with our time in practices. Knowing that we have that familiarity and chemistry from a coaching standpoint going into this year’s trials, and eventually the team setting, will serve us well as we work towards winning gold at the world championship.”
Trials to determine the 12-person roster for the 2014 USA Basketball Women’s U17 National Team will take place May 22-26 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., and the team will be selected by the USA Basketball Women’s Developmental National Team Committee. Only athletes born on or after Jan. 1, 1997 are eligible for this team.
In addition to approximately 35 athletes invited by the committee, USA Basketball opened trials to applicant athletes as well, for a total of as many as 150 players. The deadline for applicant athletes was April 11, and the complete roster of players attending trials will be announced later this month.
The USA U17 team, which will be announced on May 26, will travel to the Czech Republic for the 2014 FIBA U17 World Championship that will be played June 28-July 6 in the cities of Klatovy and Plzen. Looking to capture its third-straight FIBA U17 World Championship gold medal, the USA was placed into Group D, where it will face China on June 28, France on June 29 and Mali on July 1.
Competing in Group A will be Canada, Czech Republic, Hungary and South Korea; Group B includes Brazil, Egypt, Italy and Spain; and finally Group C features Australia, Japan, Mexico and Slovakia.
Following the preliminary round, all teams will be seeded within their groups and will advance to the Round of 16, which will be played on July 2. Winners of the Round of 16 will advance to the July 4 quarterfinals. The semifinals will be played on July 5, and the gold medal game is scheduled for July 6.
In the inaugural FIBA U17 World Championship in 2010, the USA won its games by an average of 37.4 points per game to record an 8-0 record and claim the gold medal in France.
In 2012, the USA continued its winning streak and beat teams by 35.0 ppg. to finish 8-0 and with a second gold medal as Diamond DeShields earned tournament MVP.
Due to the success and interest in the U17 tournament in 2010 and 2012, FIBA expanded the field from 12 to 16 teams for 2014.
