Colorado Springs, CO — The title is misleading if you’re considering the array of talent assembled for the u19, Pan American and World University Games team selections here at the headquarters of USA Basketball. The task confronting the USAB Women’s Selection Committee was simple. Pick three teams from the pool of superstar and great talent to represent the USA in the coming months.
The u19 selection pool consisted of 34 players with the usual cast of former USA team members from various age groups teams (u16, u17, u18) and a surprising bigger list of nine returning high school players. The PanAm and Worlds pool was bigger with 51 athletes in attendance for the 12 spots on each team and three alternates per team for a final group of 30 players.
‘
Leading the u19 group were two former u16 and u17 team members Katie Lou Samuelson (Connecticut) and Asia Durr (Louisville). Also attending were u17 former team members: Kristine Anigwe (California), De’Janae Boykin (Connecticut), Natalie Chou (HS), T’ae Cooper (Tennessee), Lauren Cox (HS), Joyner Holmes (HS), Nancy Mulkey (HS) and Anna Wilson (HS) and u16 team members Kalani Brown (Baylor), Chassity Carter (HS) and Crystal Dangerfield (HS). This group had the luxury of sharing the floor and going first with the PanAm and World team candidates in two hour blocks of drills and competition.
The PanAm and World team candidates had many of the best of college women’s basketball players in attendance including three-time NCAA Division 1 MVP and former USA Basketball Player of the Year, Breanna Stewart from Connecticut in her last appearance in a USA as an age-level player. The Pan American Game being held in Toronto Canada (July 16-20) and World University Games playing in Gwangju, Korea (July 4-13) pool rosters for USA competition comprises of college players and below. The other “big” name here was 2012 u19 World Championship MVP Diamond DeShields who was doing her first “public” appearance on the court since transferring from North Carolina to Tennessee two years ago. DeShields was also a member of the 2011 u19 team.
The most compelling MIA’s not here for the PanAm/Worlds pool was former USA u19 member & 3X3 gold medalist, 6-4 center Breanna Turner from NCAA runner-up Notre Dame and magical freshman scorer Kelsey Mitchell from Ohio State. These two who declined this year are considered premier candidates for lengthy USA team roster considerations.
There was plenty of talent for all three teams here and the u19s looked like it would be a difficult selection for the committee after you looked at the usual suspects. At least 11 McDonald’s All-American team members were present for these trails. I felt after watching the first two sessions (Thursday evening, Friday morning) it was becoming apparent that there were at least six spots already made. Veteran Aja Wilson (South Carolina), Samuelson, Durr, Anigwe, Napheesa Collier and Cooper. This meant probably four more spots to decide with the last two being conditional players.
The invited high school players were looking to take spots usually competed for by mostly incoming college freshman and sophomores. The two “new” names making immediate impressions were 5-7 tough point guard Destiny Slocum (ID) and 6-0 speedster wing DiJonai Carrington (CA).
By Friday afternoon it was becoming apparent that this team would have a lot of former experience and solid positional play but still lacking a bonafide second shooter after the renown Katie Lou Samuelson. The second consideration was how they were going to select players 10 to 12 which is usually reserved for specialty or future considerations. I thought with six positions in solid hands, the last two spots could have 6-9 Nancy Mulkey (TX, Oklahoma verbal) as a situational player to block or change some inside play. The other spot I felt could go to the only HS underclass person here, 6-3 do-everything, Jordan Hosey (TX), who has potential and upside oozing from her. She would gain just by being around these older, more serious players and understanding the USA Basketball process.
The Pan Am and World rosters have similar consideration but with so much talent on deck, the issues is what team “selects” first. My first look at this pool when they assembled near the u19, it looked like a small group in height. Once they took the floor you could tell this was also a big group with the distortion coming because there were very few “small” guards. This was a very tall size pool (15 players 6-3 and above) compared to the u19s which had small guards and big size to create the distortion. The choices of pick the Pan Am first, the Worlds second or have the teams make alternate selections would do an injustice to both teams. A “formula” approach of a set number going to the PanAm team and then the Worlds second seemed the smartest option. The PanAm’s are considered the tougher gold to get on a bigger platform and just across the Canadian border. The last USA gold came in 2007 helmed by Dawn Staley. The World University games are a mix of international teams with a variety of “pros” on rosters. For some countries this is the team between the u19s World Championships and their National Team. A lot of countries don’t do “second” teams. The USA team has won gold the last three (2009, 2011, 20013) WUGs.
By the end of the Thursday evening session it was simple to select at least the “name” players after Stewart and DeShields. Despite 27 players here for their first USA Basketball experience, there were a ton of great matchup when the pool broke into six teams on two courts for competition in front of the Committee.
What this committee is expecting and looking for is leadership for all three squads. There are plenty of bodies here but finding the right leader means stepping up no matter what position you play. Being counted on is 6-3 forward Aja Wilson who helped South Carolina reach the NCAA Final Four this year. Wilson is the only returning player from the last u19 squad.
Just before I left the USA Basketball competition gym I mentioned to a few people that the impossible task of selecting these three teams, especially the PanAm and Worlds got way easier as you got to watch game after game and you could draw a separation from the multitude of talent. Getting to the final rosters (on Sunday) would still be a difficult task as it was about perceptions, chemistry, talent, decision making and that encompassing phrase, play.
Here’s my u19 roster look that will be coached by three-time former Olympian and head coach of NCAA D1 finalist, South Carolina and assisted by Kim Barnes-Arico (Michigan) and Jeff Walz (Louisville): Anigwe, K.Brown, Collier, Cooper, Dangerfied, Durr, Hosey, Mulkey, Moore, Samuleson, G.Williams, Aja Wilson. The Committee could look at the bottleneck in guard and big wing talent (20 candidates) and choose differently. Playing hard while watching were Solcum, Carter, Batouly Camara (Louisville), Mikayla Venson (Virginia) and Shakayla Thomas (Florida State). One of these players could make the team just on effort. Lauren Cox who did not show well at the Nike EBYL Boo Williams stop played hard at this even during the two sessions.
The PanAm has head coach Lisa Bluder (Iowa) assisted by Michelle Clark-Heard (Western Kentucky) and Scott Rueck (Oregon State). The WUG team is helmed by former Father Judge HS great and Northwestern head coach Joe McKeown to be assisted by Holly Warlick (Tennessee) and Tanya Warren (Northern Iowa). The Pan Am and Worlds rosters are tougher for arm-chair selection as there are no set thinking on this.
My choice for the 30 pool are: Ameryst Alson, Lexie Brown, Alaina Coates, Kahleah Copper, Kaela Davis, Diamond DeShields, Allisha Gray, Ailyyah Hanford, Linnae Harper, Myisha Hines-Allen, Bria Holmes, Moriah Jefferson, Alexis Jones, Brianna Jones, Whitney Knight, Kelsey Lang, Tiffany Mitchell, Kelsey Plum, Courtney Range, Taya Reimer, Mercedes Russell, Breanna Stewart, Courtney Walker, Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, Victoria Vivens, Courtney Walker, Caira Washington, Courtney B & Courtney M Williams, Sydney Wiese.
Next up are the USA Basketball u16 trials to start on Thursday in Colorado Springs on the same floor. This is a cattle call compared to the u19s and PanAm/World team selections. The u16s is the start of the USAB ladder for a lot of players and has two blocks of players, the 35 invited list and the 123 attendee list (60 ‘17s, 72 ‘18s, 17 ‘19s and 9 ‘20s) for a total of 158.
Look for impact players listed on the Blue Star Index rankings from 2017: Rellah Boothe (Potter’s House Christian Academy/Jacksonville, FL); Mikayla Boykin (Clinton HS/Clinton, NC); Ayanna Clark (Long Beach Poly HS/ Long Beach, CA); Maya Dodson (St. Francis HS/Alpharetta, GA); Andra Espinoza-Hunter (Blair Academy, NJ/Ossining, NY); Deauzya “DiDi” Richards (Cypress Ranch HS/Cypress, TX); Taya Robinson (Huguenot HS/Richmond, VA). The 2018’s names: Jenna Brown (The Lovett School/Marietta, GA); Desiree Caldwell (Johnson HS/San Antonio, TX); Christianna Carr (Eden Prairie HS/Eden Prairie, MN); Nia Clouden (St. Frances Academy/Owings Mills, MD); Charli Collier (Barbers Hill HS/ Baytown, TX); Amira Collins (St. Johns College HS/White Plains, MD); Danielle Cosgrove (Sachem East HS/Farmingville, NY); ; Aquira DeCosta (St. Mary’s HS/Stockton, CA); Katlyn Gilbert (Heritage Christian School/Indianapolis, IN); Honesty Grayson (Blair Academy/Brick, NJ); Bexley Wallace (Pickerington Central HS/Pickerington, OH); and Xaria Wiggins (Princess Anne HS/Virginia Beach, VA) to get first crack at the coveted 12 spots positions.
http://www.usab.com/news-events/news/2015/05/15-wu16-complete-trials-roster.aspx
Regardless of who makes the team, this is the best situation for the many evaluators, media and coaches to view and observe talent before they become the stars of the future. Looking back, this is exactly what Breanna Steward and Diamond DeShields reflected upon.
