Rocky Mountain Way: USA Women’s U17 team trials to open on high note with 153 prospects

From USA Basketball Headquarters:

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The anticipation has nearly reached a crescendo.

Trials for the 2014 USA Basketball Women’s U17 World Championship Team will begin on May 22, and 153 female basketball players age 17 years old or younger are expected to arrive at the U.S. Olympic Training Center (USOTC) in to take part in skills sessions and to vie for one of 12 roster spots on the 2014 USA Basketball Women’s U17 World Championship Team.

The trials roster features 38 athletes who accepted invitations from the USA Basketball Women’s Developmental National Team Committee and 115 players who took advantage of USA Basketball’s open-application process to attend trials as applicant athletes. Thecomplete roster is available online. 

Only U.S. citizens born on or after Jan. 1, 1997, are eligible for this team, and the committee is expected to name the 12-member roster for the 2014 USA U17 World Championship Team at 8 a.m. (all times are Mountain Daylight Time) on May 26.

“I am very excited about the start of the USA Women’s U17 World Championship Team Trials,” said Sue Phillips(Archbishop Mitty H.S./San Jose Cagers AAU, Calif.), who returns to lead the 2014 USA Basketball U17 World Championship Team after having led the USA to a gold medal at the 2013 FIBA Americas U16 Championship. “It’s such a tremendous opportunity to work with great coaches and talented players from all over the United States. I am confidant that all the participants will have a positive experience and that the selection committee will select an outstanding team.”

Also returning from the gold-medal 2013 USA U16 coaching staff are assistant coaches Mary Coyle Klinger(Rutgers Preparatory School, N.J.) and Brian Robinson (Bishop McGuinness H.S./Stealers AAU, N.C.).

Four court coaches will be on hand to assist during trials, including Ellis Barfield (Lynwood H.S., Calif.), Dianne Lewis (Edison H.S., Va.), Teri Morrison (Carroll Senior H.S., Texas) and Dori Oldaker (Mt. Lebanon H.S., Pa.).

The 153 players include 46 athletes who will graduate high school in 2015, 75 players set to graduate in 2016, 23 from the high school class of 2017, seven players from the class of 2018 and one player apiece from the class of 2019 and 2020.

The trials roster features players from 35 states, including 20 from Texas; 14 from California; 11 from Georgia; eight from Colorado and Illinois; seven from Maryland and New York; six from Washington; five from Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Oklahoma; four from Michigan and North Carolina; three from Alabama, Arizona, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin; two each from Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Nevada, New Jersey and Tennessee; and one player apiece from Alaska, Arkansas, the District of Columbia, New Mexico, Oregon, South Carolina and Wyoming. Additionally, Jada Nneji (Cardinal Carter Catholic H.S./Richmond Hill) resides in Ontario, Canada.

At 6-foot-9, Nancy Mulkey (Cypress Woods H.S./Cypress, Texas) is the tallest player on the roster, and standing at 5-foot-4, Rekha Berry (McGill-Toolen Catholic H.S/Mobile, Ala.), Tyler Collins (Woodward Academy/Fayetteville, Ga.), Kaela Hilaire (Floral Park Memorial H.S./Floral Park, N.Y.), Autumn Powell(Window Rock H.S./Window Rock, Ariz.) and Caitlin Schlesener (Metro Academy/Lawrence, Kan.) are the shortest.

Born on Jan. 11, 1997, Allazia Blockton (Dominican H.S./Milwaukee, Wis.) is the oldest player at trials, whileBrianna Ellis (Calvary Christian Academy/Palm Coast, Fla.), born on Oct. 17, 2001, is the youngest.

The trials roster also features 13 sets of high school teammates. Brittany Gray (Sterling Heights, Mich.), Bailey Thomas (Rochester Hills, Mich.) and Samantha Thomas (Rochester Hills, Mich.) are from Marian High School in Michigan; Ty Battle (Plainfield, Ill.) and Nicole Ekhomu (Bolingbrook, Ill.) are together at Joliet Catholic Academy in Illinois; Kauaí Bradley (New Lenox, Ill.) and Teniya Page (Chicago, Ill.) are from Marian Catholic in Illinois; Erin DeGrate (Waco, Texas) and Calveion Landrum (Waco, Texas) play at La Vega High School in Texas; Amber Ramirez (San Antonio, Texas) and Kiana Williams (San Antonio, Texas)  are together at Wagner High School also in Texas; Raychel Stanley (Las Vegas, Nev.) and Madison Washington (Las Vegas, Nev.) are at Bishop Gorman High School in Nevada; Desiree Elmore (East Hartford, Conn.) and Kiah Gillespie (Hartford, Conn.) play at Capital Preparatory Magnet School in Connecticut; Dominique Toussaint (Staten Island, N.Y.) and Sydney Zambrotta (North Babylon, N.Y.) are together at Christ the King High School in New York; Kristine Anigwe (Phoenix, Ariz.) and Sabrina Haines (Phoenix, Ariz.) are from Desert Vista High School in Arizona;Shalexxus Aaron (Kirkland, Wash.) and Te’a Adams (Kirkland, Wash.) hail from Juanita High School in Washington; Te’a Cooper (Powder Springs, Ga.) and Caliya Robinson play at McEachern High School in Georgia; Brelynn Hampton-Bey (Toledo, Ohio) and Akienreh Johnson (Toledo, Ohio) are from Rogers High School in Ohio; and Liah Davis (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Oliana Squires (Colorado Springs, Colo.) are together at Sand Creek High School in Colorado.

Despite their underclassmen status, taking home Gatorade State Player of the Year honors were 10 players, including Erin Boley (Elizabeth Town H.S./Hodgenville, Ky.), DeJanae Boykin (Charles H. Flowers H.S./Springdale, Md.), Kalani Brown (Salmen H.S./Slidell, La.), Crystal Dangerfield (Blackman H.S./Murfreesboro, Tenn.), Chelsea Dungee (Preston Public School/Okmulgee, Okla.), Asia Durr (St. Pius X Catholic H.S./Douglasville, Ga.), Kiah Gillespie (Capital Preparatory Magnet School/Hartford, Conn.), Ruthy Hebard (West Valley H.S./Fairbanks, Alaska), Arike Ogunbowale (Divine Savior Holy Angels H.S./Milwaukee, Wis.) and Katie Lou Samuelson (Mater Dei H.S./Huntington Beach, Calif.).

Samuelson was a finalist for the 2014 Naismith Girls High School Player of the Year, and Durr listed on the Watch List released on Dec. 13, 2013. Additionally, Durr and Samuelson listed on the 2014 USA Today All-USA Girls Basketball first team.

Returning from the 2013 USA Women’s U16 National Team that earned a perfect 5-0 record and gold medal at the 2013 FIBA Americas U16 Championship in Cancun, Mexico, which qualified the USA for the 2014 FIBA U17 World Championship, will be tournament MVP Durr, as well as Boykin, Kalani Brown, Chassity Carter (Dickson County H.S./Dickson, Tenn.), Lauren Cox (Flower Mound H.S./Flower Mound, Texas), Dangerfield, Dungee,Sabrina Ionescu (Miramonte H.S./Walnut Creek, Calif.), Mulkey, Taylor Murray (Annapolis Area Christian/Odenton, Md.), Ogunbowale and Samuelson.

Ogunbowale and Samuelson also claimed gold as members of the 2013 USA 3×3 U18 World Championship Team that compiled an 8-1 record to win the FIBA 3×3 U18 World Championship Sept. 26-29 in Jakarta, Indonesia.

While many players return with trials experience from the 2013 USA Basketball U16 National Team Trials, Tori McCoy (The H.S. of St. Thomas More/Champaign, Ill.) was named to the 2013 USA U16 National Team before being forced to withdraw due to a concussion.

Not including the 12 members of the 2013 U16 National Team, 42 players return to trials having gained experience at the 2013 USA Women’s U16 National Team Trials, including 18 of the invited athletes and 24 of the applicant athletes.

Overall, 99 players will be taking part in their first USA Basketball experience.

The 2014 USA U17 World Championship Team will reassemble at the USOTC for training camp June 12-17, before the team departs on June 18 for training and an exhibition tournament in Nogent sur Seine, France, from June 20-22.

From France, the team will travel on June 23 to the Czech Republic for the 2014 FIBA U17 World Championship that will be played June 28-July 6.

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.

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 set for July 6.