Thirty-five athletes to attend 2016 USA Women’s U17 World Championship Team trials

By Staff

Thirty-five players accepted invitations to attend trials for the 2016 USA Basketball Women’s U17 World Championship Team. Trials will take place May 26-30at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The selected team members will represent the USA at the 2016 FIBA U17 World Championship June 22-July 2 in Zaragoza, Spain.

“This group represents a tremendous amount of talent,” said Carol Callan, USA Women’s National Team Director and chair of the USA Basketball Women’s Developmental National Team Committee, which is responsible for issuing the invitations. “Many of these players have USA Basketball experience from last year – from trials or from the U16 national team, and we hope that helps raise the level of competition for everyone.”

Players eligible for this team must be U.S. citizens born on or after January 1, 1999. The complete trials roster is expected to be announced in May. Finalists for the 2016 USA Women’s U17 World Championship Team will be announced on May 30, and they will remain in Colorado Springs for training camp through June 3. The official 12-player roster for the USA U17 World Championship Team will be announced on June 3.

The team members will return to Colorado Springs for training camp June 7-15, before departing for the competition in Spain.

The 2016 USA Basketball Women’s U17 World Championship Team will be led by Dori Oldaker, head coach at Mt. 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 mentor at the University of St. Francis (NAIA).

The trio helped the USA qualify for the 2016 FIBA U17 World Championship, which will be played by June 22-July 2 in Zaragoza, Spain, by virtue of a bronze-medal finish at the 2015 FIBA Americas U16 Championship.

Invitees who were on the 2015 FIBA Americas U16 team

• Jayda Adams (Mater Dei H.S./Irvine, Calif.)
• Desiree Caldwell (Frenship H.S./Lubbock, Texas)
• Aquira DeCosta (St. Mary’s H.S./Stockton, Calif.)
• Andra Espinoza-Hunter (Blair Academy, N.J./Ossining, N.Y.)
• Destiny Littleton (The Bishop’s School/San Diego, Calif.)
• Lauryn Miller (Kirkwood/Kirkwood, Mo.)
• Alexis Morris (Legacy Christian Academy/Beaumont, Texas)
• Valencia Myers (Solon H.S./Solon, Ohio)
• Sedona Prince (Liberty Hill H.S./Liberty, Texas)
• Honesty Scott-Grayson (Blair Academy/Brick, N.J.)
• Bexley Wallace (Pickerington Central H.S./Pickerington, Ohio)
• Jade Williams (Prestonwood Christian Academy/The Colony, Texas)

Invitees who took part in trials for the 2015 USA Women’s U16 National Team

• Caitlin Bickle(Cactus Shadows H.S./Cave Creek, Ariz.)
• Rellah Boothe (IMG Academy/Ocala, Fla.
• Jenna Brown (The Lovett School/Marietta, Ga.)
• Chloe Chapman (Our Lady of Good Counsel H.S./Mitchellville, Md.)
• Charli Collier (Barbers Hill H.S./Baytown, Texas)
• Amira Collins (Paul VI Catholic H.S., Va./White Plains, Md.
• Maya Dodson (St. Francis H.S./Alpharetta, Ga.)
• Katlyn Gilbert (Heritage Christian H.S./Indianapolis, Ind.)
• Alexis Gordon (L.D. Bell H.S./Fort Worth, Texas)
• Zarielle Green (Duncanville H.S./Dallas, Texas)
• Destanni Henderson (Fort Myers H.S./Fort Myers, Fla.)
• Lindsey Jarosinski (Montini Catholic H.S./Medinah, Ill.)
• Kasiyahna Kushkituah (St. Francis H.S./Austell, Ga.)
• Mykasa Robinson (Paul G. Blazer H.S./Cattlesburg, Ky.)
• Christyn Williams (Little Rock Central H.S./Little Rock, Ark.).

Remaining Invitees

• Mikayla Boykin (Clinton H.S./Clinton, N.C.)
• Samantha Brunelle (William Monroe H.S./Ruckersville, Va.)
• Mikayla Coombs (Wesleyan School/Buford, Ga.)
• Rennia Davis (Ribault H.S./Jacksonville, Fla.)
• Nyah Green (Allen H.S./Allen, Texas)
• Loretta Kakala (Manteca H.S./Manteca, Calif.)
• Olivia Nelson-Ododa (Winder-Barrow H.S./Winder, Ga.)
• Ashley Owusu (Paul VI Catholic H.S./Woodbridge, Va.)