POSTED: Sunday May 17th 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

USA Basketball Names 14 Finalists To 2009 USA U19 National Team

Six 2008 USA U18 National Team Gold Medalists Return As Finalists

USA Basketball newcomer and University of Tennessee-bound Taber Spani advances as one of 14 finalists for the 2009 USA U19 World Championship Team. (Photo: Steven Maikoski/USA Basketball)

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (May 17, 20 09)  —  Following three days of team trials featuring 27 of the nation’s top 19-and-unders competing at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., USA Basketball today announced the 14 finalists for the 2009 USA Women’s U19 World Championship Team. The finalists will return to Colorado Springs on July 9 to begin training for the 2009 FIBA U19 World Championship, which will be held July 23-Aug. 2 in Bangkok, Thailand. The eventual 12-member team will be finalized prior to the team’s departure for Thailand. The athlete selections were made by the USA Basketball Women’s Junior National Team Committee, chaired by NCAA representative Sue Donohoe (Vice President for Division I Women’s Basketball).

Included among the finalists are returning USA Basketball gold medalists Kelsey Bone (Dulles H.S. /Stafford, Texas); Sarah Boothe (Stanford / Gurnee, Ill.); Skylar Diggins (Washington H.S. / South Bend, Ind.); Kelly Faris (Heritage Christian H.S. / Plainfield, Ind.); Nnemkadi Ogwumike (Stanford / Cypress, Texas) and Samantha Prahalis (Ohio State / Dix Hills, N.Y.), who helped the U.S. secure its berth to the ‘09 U19 Worlds by claiming gold at the 2008 FIBA Americas U18 Championship.

Also included on the list of finalists are: LaSondra Barrett (Louisiana State / Jackson, Miss.); Layshia Clarendon (Cajon H.S. / San Bernadino, Calif.); Shenise Johnson (Miami, Fla. / Henrietta, N.Y.); C’eira Ricketts (Arkansas / Louisville, Ky.); Chay Shegog (North Carolina / Stafford, Va.); Taber Spani (Metro Academy /  Lee’s Summit, Mo.); Destiny Williams (Benton Harbor H.S. / Benton Harbor, Mich.); and Shawnice Wilson (Pittsburgh / Pittsburgh, Pa.).

“I thought the trials went really well, each session got better and better,” said USA U19 National Team and University of Northern Illinois head coach Carol Owens. “I’m excited about our team.  I think our strength will be our transition game, in particular our posts I think will be very good.  We have some scorers obviously, I’m excited to get them in training camp to work on our defenses and get our offenses going.  We don’t have a lot of time to put this team together but we have a mature group and I think we’ll be ready to play.”

“The competition level was very high,” said Donohoe. “You had tremendous talent out on the floor.  It was a fun trials to just sit and watch the quality play of these young women.  If there was anything surprising at all it was the intensity level that these young women kept throughout the trials.  Sometimes you come in and they go through a session or two and they start getting tired and that intensity level drops.  What we saw during these trials was the intensity level seemed to pick up with each training session and that made our decision a little bit more difficult. 

Owens is being assisted by collegiate head coaches Amanda Butler of the University of Florida and Bill Fennelly of Iowa State University.

—More—

• Complete release available online / PDF
• Additional Quotes
• VIDEOS:  Carol Owens & Sue Donohoe talk about the trials // Nikki Speed // Sarah Boothe & LaSondra Barrett
• 2009 USA U19 World Championship Team Roster
• 2009 U19 World Championship & USA Schedule
• USA U19 World Championship History
• USA U19 World Championship Just the Facts

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Keywords · 2009 USA U19 World Championship Team · basketball

Name: Craig Miller
Organization: USA Basketball
Email:
Phone: +1.(719) 590-4800
URL: http://www.usabasketball.com/

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