USA Basketball Women’s U18 National Team Begins Training Camp
USA head coach Dawn Staley and the 2014 USA Basketball Women’s U18 National Team open training camp on July 26.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (July 24, 2014) – On a quest for a seventh-consecutive gold medal in FIBA Americas U18 Championship play, the 2014 USA Basketball Women’s U18 National Team will begin its training camp on July 26 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center (USOTC) in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Training camp will continue through Aug. 5, prior to the start of the 2014 FIBA Americas U18 Championship that will take place Aug. 6-10 at the USOTC.
“I’m excited to finally start this journey with this versatile group of U18 players,” said Dawn Staley, a three-time Olympic gold medalist and head coach of the USA U18 National Team and at the University of South Carolina. “We will utilize our players in a way that will increase our chances to win gold. If it all plays out like we envision, the players will get better and we will win a gold medal. So I look forward to meeting both of those goals.”
The 2014 USA U18 National Team, which was selected on May 26 after six trials sessions, is headlined by a trio of USA Basketball gold medalists, including Receé Caldwell (Homeschooled/ San Antonio, Texas); Brianna Turner (Manvel H.S/Pearland, Texas) and A’ja Wilson (Heathwood Hall H.S./ Hopkins, S.C.).
Playing on their first USA Basketball team will be: Ariel Atkins (Duncanville H.S./Duncanville, Texas); Napheesa Collier (Incarnate Word Academy/O’Fallon, Mo.); Paris Kea (Greensboro Page H.S./ Greensboro, N.C.); Marina Mabrey (Manasquan H.S./Manasquan, N.J.); Teaira McCowan (Brenham H.S./ Brenham, Texas); Beatrice Mompremier (Miami H.S./Miami, Fla.); Mariya Moore (Salesian H.S./Richmond, Calif.); Jessica Shepard (Fremont H.S./Fremont, Neb.); and Destinee Walker (Lake Highland Prep School/ Ocoee, Fla.).
Staley, who also will serve this summer as an assistant coach for the 2014 USA Basketball Women’s World Championship Team, will be joined on the sideline by USA assistant coaches Kim Barnes Arico (University of Michigan) and Jeff Walz (University of Louisville).