Colorado Springs, CO – The eyes watching this USA Basketball U16 event are varied, many and always subjective. The gamut runs from the obvious USA Basketball Selection Committee over to the accredited Media, then the usual scouting services good and horrible. Throw in some travel coaches and parents and you have a peanut gallery of expertise.

The afternoon cuts at the u16s talent were on show yesterday and today as 98  participants (down from 148, not 52 due to dropouts) congregated for the next cycle of talent selection. There were no surprises at this stage. Most of the player who came here with a name and a game moved forward.

The BlueStar30 group of 32 players who came here benefited from the familiarity and playing level of their sister campers as 30 of them advance past the first round and 23 into the second round of 68.

This is the most talented and highly competitive groups ever assembled for a U16 trails. By the mid-day of the first full session (Friday afternoon) I was able to easily select a group of 27-35 players who impressed enough to get to Sunday. In the past I would’ve been able to select 90% of the team. This year it’s harder since there’s so much talent vying for the 12 spots. Even if a player is selected Monday there will still be a cut from 18 down to 12. This might be the hardest time for these players knowing that they were close.

Right now, the fight is for one of the coveted 18 spots for Monday. After that the team will cut down to 12 which means at least six great players won’t make the squad. As noted, I believe this is the most talented U16 pool ever and even those not selected would beat the rest of the world too.

Looking at building this youth roster for international play the number one goal is gold – nothing less. But there’s also the importance of stocking the USAB pipeline from youth levels up to the USAB Women’s National Development team. Securing and developing the talent and this goal determines a lot of choices. You need to look ahead to the U17 FIBA Worlds and after that the FIBA U19s which has many of the 2018 gold medal U17 squad on it.

Beside talent the USAB Committee quietly looks at character, body language and composure. And, there’s also ability.

With 12 spots you can do the math anyway you’d like but there’s usually guards that are historically big. Next are bigger off guards and wings who can shoot the ball. Last are long athletic run, rebound and defend forwards and the longest most dominate posts possible. In the past, I’ve seen rosters overloaded in positions or poorly selected that showed up in the final results. There will be no issues this cycle just like the last cycle.

At the point guard line there’s a ton of competition after you get past everyone’s favorite big PG, Olivia Miles (5-8, Phillipsburg, NJ). Names that have impressed are: Aailyah Gayles (5-9, Las Vegas, NV), Raven Johnson (5-9, Atlanta, GA), Kayla McPherson (5-7, Hull, GA), Londynn Jones (5-6, Riverside, CA), Paris Clark (5-9, Huntington, NY), Caroline Lau (5-9, Westport, CT), Indya Niver (5-8, Apex, NC), De’Mauri Flournoy, (5-6 Villa Rica, GA) DeDe Hagerman (5-7, Mount Clemens, MI) with bigger guards K.K. Bransford (5-10, Cincinnati, OH), Kiki Rice (5-11, Bethesda, MD). Two surprise cuts were Rori Harmon (5-5, Houston, TX) and impressive Saniyah Glenn (6-1, Staten Island, NY).  It will come down to the right mix and match for the 3-5 spots here.

The toughest spot will be off guard or big wing position where there’s another log jam of talent. I feel the most complete player at this position is Payton Verhulst (6-1, DeSoto, KS) who can leap and shoot and had a great USAB 3X3 Finals showing a month ago here in Colorado Springs. If one of the bigger guards fills a few of these spots then look for Sydney Bowles (5-11, Lithonia, GA), Taylor Bigby (6-1, Las Vegas, NV), shooter Mallorie Haines (5-10, Sherills Ford, NC), surprise JuJu Watkins (6-0, Los Angeles, CA) or Sonia Citron (6-1, Scarsdale, NY) to be selected.

If you divided the roster into four guards, four wings and four bigs you have another good problem selecting the last “four” and the overflow affecting the four wings position. Players like Aailyah Moore (6-3, Moore, OK), Ashyln Watkins (6-2, Columbus, SC), Grace VanSlooten (6-2, Toledo, OH), Timea Gardiner (6-3, Ogden, UT), Destiny Adams (6-3, Whiting, NJ) can switch inside and out. So many of the players here are great at what they do but it’s the translation to international play that determines who moves forward. The top “four” big spot has one lock with Lauren Betts (6-7, Centennial, CO) followed by Amari DeBerry (6-5, Buffalo, NY), Janiah Barker (6-3, Panama City, FL), Isuneh Brady (6-4, San Diego, CA), Sania Feagin (6-4, Ellenwood, GA), Tionna Herron (6-5, DeSoto, TX) playing the best with length. The Committee could select the next four and have an impressive lineup in Kennedy Basham (6-6, Phoenix, AZ), Jillian Hollinshead (6-4, Powder Springs, GA), Raegan Beers (6-3, Highlands Ranch, CO), Breya Cunningham, (6-3, Chula Vista, CA), Sophia Hart (6-4, Farmington, MN), Karoline Striplin (6-3, Hartford, AL), Sa’Myah Smith (6-4, DeSoto, TX), Okikiola Iriafen (6-3, Woodland Hills, CA). Many of the players on the roster will be All-Americans by the end of their high school careers and not make this team now or next year.

This is all about talent identification and team building. The names here are those who over the course of 14 sessions have stood out. Even the player who made it to the end of Saturday night and not listed above will be big time recruits. A number will have the chance again next year for the U17s and other another crack at the U16s again.

Over the years I’ve selected who I think will make the team. Some years it’s easy, some hard and sometimes the Committee basically picked the wrong team. This one is delightfully hard since so much talent is here and you can’t miss with a miss.

My selection for finals on Monday in order: Betts, Miles, Verhulst, DeBerry, Barker, Moore, Feagin, Gayles, Rice, Bowles and Brady. Lots of height, more needs at guard and shooting positions. That leaves one spot for all the other names above mostly from the guard and wing lines. Throw in seven more outstanding players from that list and one of these might not make it after Monday workouts.

Like I said – this is the best every USAB U16 trials and everyone who made it to Saturday evening will be a scholarship player. Enjoy the moment.