From USA Basketball Communications

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The pool of precocious blue-chip prospects is deep and now it’s time to see who survives.

The 2015 USA Basketball Women’s U16 National Team Trials are expected to feature 158 young basketball players from throughout the country who will take part in skills sessions, performance seminars and scrimmage sessions while competing for one of 12 roster spots on the 2015 USA Basketball Women’s U16 National Team. Trials will take place May 21-25 at the United States Olympic Training Center

In addition to 34 athletes who were invited to trials by the USA Basketball Women’s Developmental National Team Committee, 124 players were accepted as applicant athletes. All 158 players are eligible for a position on the 2015 USA U16 National Team that will play in the 2015 FIBA Americas U16 Championship from June 24-28 in Puebla, Mexico.

“The U16 trials are an important event for us, because not only do we select a team that we hope goes on to win a gold medal, but we also want to take advantage of this opportunity to help make every player who attends trials a better athlete,” Carol Callan, USA Basketball women’s national team director and chair of the USA Basketball Women’s Developmental National Team Committee said. “As it has been for the past several open trials, the decision of selecting a 12-member roster from such a deep pool of talent will be a challenge for the committee, but it is a good challenge for us to have.”

The 2015 USA U16 National Team will be led by Dori Oldaker, head coach at Mount Lebanon High School in Pennsylvania, with USA assistant coaches Dianne Lewis of Thomas Edison High School in Virginia and Samantha Quigley, who is the head coach at the University of St. Francis (NAIA) in Illinois.

The first two days of the 2015 USA U16 National Team Trials primarily will consist of skills sessions and off-court sessions on health and performance on May 21 and 22. After scrimmage opportunities on the evening on May 22 and the morning of May 23, the roster may begin to be reduced.

Due to the number of athletes participating, the trials roster will be split into two groups for at least the first three days.

The 12 players for the 2015 USA U16 National Team, or finalists for the team, will be announced on the morning of May 25. The selected 12-member team will return to Colorado Springs for training camp June 14-22, before departing for the FIBA Americas U16 Championship.

Twelve of this year’s expected participants attended last year’s 2014 USA Women’s U17 World Championship Team Trials, including Amira Collins (St. John’s College H.S./White Plains, Md.), Tyler Collins (Woodward Academy/Fayetteville, Ga.), Gabby Connally(Brandeis H.S./San Antonio, Texas), Madison Johnson (Mater Dei H.S./Santa Ana, Calif.), Kelen Kenol (East Ridge H.S./Woodbury, Minn.), Kasiyahna Kushkituah (St. Francis H.S./Austell, Ga.), Elizabeth Layne (Jordan H.S./Durham, N.C.), Victoria Oglesby (Collins Hill H.S./Suwanee, Ga.), Lauren Ross (The Shipley School/Bryn Mawr, Pa.), Taylor Sutton(Woodward Academy/Hampton, Ga.), Madison Treece (Rock Bridge H.S./Columbia, Mo.) and Kianna Williams (Karen Wagner H.S./San Antonio, Texas).

Five others attended the 2013 USA Women’s U16 National Team Trials, including Katlyn Gilbert (Heritage Christian School/Indianapolis, Ind.), McKenna Haire (Myers Park H.S./Charlotte, N.C.), Jaala Henry (Eleanor Roosevelt H.S./Riverdale, Md.), Sayanna Roy (Grosse Pointe South H.S./Grosse Pointe Park, Mich.) and Shaileen Woods (Paul VI H.S./Farifax, Va.).

Here’s a breakdown of the finalists:

Sixty athletes are from the high school class of 2017, 72 are from the class of 2018, 17 will graduate high school in 2019 and nine players are from the high school class of 2020.

The 155 athletes hail from 36 states. Eighteen players are from Texas; 15 are from Georgia; 13 are from California; 10 are from Ohio; and nine are from North Carolina. Arizona and Washington have seven players apiece; Florida, Missouri, Oklahoma and Virginia are represented by six players each; Illinois, Maryland and New York all feature five players; Colorado and Michigan have four players at trials; Minnesota, New Jersey and New Mexico each feature three players; Alaska, Connecticut, Indiana, Louisiana, Nebraska and South Carolina are represented by two players each; and featuring one player are Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Dakota, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Wisconsin.

Nine sets of high school teammates are on the roster, including: Amaya Brown (Cibola H.S./Alburquerque, N.M.) and Kavionnia Brown (Cibola H.S./Alburquerque, N.M.); Tyler Collins and Taylor Sutton (Woodward Academy/Hampton, Ga.); Maya Dodson (St. Francis H.S./Alpharetta, Ga.) and Kasiyahna Kushkituah (St. Francis H.S./Austell, Ga.); Andra Espinoza-Hunter (Blair Academy, N.J./Ossining, N.Y.) and Honesty Grayson (Blair Academy/Brick, N.J.); Taya Corosdale (Bothell H.S./Bothell, Wash.)and Keyonna Jones (Bothell H.S./Bothell, Wash.); Shaylee Gonzales (Mesquite H.S./Gilbert, Ariz.) and Lindsey VanAllen (Mesquite H.S/Gilbert, Ariz.); Madison Johnson (Mater Dei H.S./Santa Ana, Calif.) and Jayda Adams (Mater Dei H.S./Santa Ana, Calif.); Ciara Moore (Northwood Temple Academy/ Fayetteville, N.C.) and Kendal Moore (Northwood Temple Academy/Fayetteville, N.C.); and Grace Stone (Long Island Lutheran H.S./Glen Cove, N.Y.) and Celeste Taylor (Long Island Lutheran H.S./Valley Stream, N.Y.).

Jasmyn Jackson (Thornton Fractional South H.S./Lansing, Ill.) lists herself at 5-foot-1, and four players listed themselves as 5-foot-3, including Terrysha Banner (Millennium H.S./Goodyear, Ariz.), Tyra Brown (Pattonville H.S./Maryland Heights, Mo.), Jillian Duncan(Wellington H.S./Wellington, Fla.) and Kennedy Taylor (Lincoln H.S./Dallas, Texas). At the other end of the spectrum, eight players are at least 6-foot-4, including Sedona Prince(Faith Academy/Liberty, Texas) at 6-foot-7 and Ayoka Lee (Byron H.S./Byron, Minn.) and Rochelle Norris (Mountain View H.S./Stafford, Va.) at 6-foot-5.

Born Feb. 26, 2002, Payton Roy (Pierce M.S./Grosse Pointe Park, Mich.) is the youngest player on the roster, while, Morgan Brady (Parkview Arts and Science Magnet H.S./Little Rock, Ark.) born Jan. 7, 1999, is the oldest player.

Desiree Caldwell (Johnson H.S./San Antonio, Texas) is the younger sibling of Receé Caldwell, a 2011 USA U16 gold medalist and 2014 U18 gold medalist; while Jayda Adams is the younger sibling of Jordan Adams, a 2009 U16 and 2010 U17 gold medalist.

There are nine elite players from the Class of 2017: Rellah Boothe (Potter’s House Christian Academy/Jacksonville, Fla.); Kushkituah; DiDi Richards (Cypress Ranch H.S./Cypress, Texas); Kayla Owens (Langham Creek H.S./Houston, Texas); Ayanna Clark (Long Beach Poly H.S./Long Beach, Calif.); Chelsie Hall (Seffner Christian Academy/Wesley Chapel, Fla.), Alexis Morris (Legacy Christian Academy/Beaumont, Texas); Madison Treece (Rock Bridge H.S./Columbia, Mo.) and Destiny Littleton (The Bishop’s School/San Diego, Calif.).

Twenty-four players are included on a Class of 2018 watch list: Jenna Brown (The Lovett School/Marietta, Ga.); Caldwell; Christianna Carr (Eden Prairie H.S./Eden Prairie, Minn.); Nia Clouden (St. Frances Academy/Owings Mills, Md.); Charli Collier (Barbers Hill H.S./Baytown, Texas); Amira Collins, Danielle Cosgrove(Sachem H.S. East/Farmingville, N.Y.); Aquira DeCosta (St. Mary’s H.S./Stockton, Calif.); Gilbert; Grayson; Zarielle Green (Duncanville H.S./Dallas, Texas); Jahnna Hajdukovich(Lathrop H.S./Fairbanks, Alaska); Destanni Henderson (Fort Myers H.S./Fort Myers, Fla.);  Lindsey Jarosinski (Montini Catholic H.S./Medinah, Ill.); Gina Marxen (Eastlake H.S./Sammamish, Wash.); Shaiquel McGruder (Wayne H.S./Dayton, Ohio); Valencia Myers (Solon H.S./Solon, Ohio); Prince; Abigail Prohaska (Lakota West H.S./West Chester Township, Ohio); Caria Reynolds (Greater Atlanta Christian School/Stone Mountain, Ga.); Sutton; Bexley Wallace (Pickerington Central H.S./Pickerington, Ohio); Kourtney Weber(Ursuline Academy/New Orleans, La.); and Christyn Williams (Central Arkansas Christian H.S./Little Rock, Ark.).