COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado (May 8, 2023) – USA Basketball today announced 24 athletes expected to participate in the 2023 USA Women’s U19 National Team trials at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Trials begin May 12 with the 12-member team expected to be announced on May 15. The 2023 FIBA U19 Women’s World Cup is scheduled for July 15-23 in Madrid.
Athletes attending trials were selected by the USA Basketball Women’s Junior National Team Committee, chaired by DePaul University women’s basketball head coach Doug Bruno.
“On behalf of the USA Basketball Women's Junior National Team Committee, I am thrilled to announce this group of two dozen gifted athletes who will compete for a spot on the 2023 USA Women's U19 National Team,” Bruno said. “Many of these young women have prior USA Basketball experience which will make trials even more exciting. The FIBA Women's U19 World Cup is a challenging competition and we look forward selecting a team that will represent the U.S. in the best possible way."
Included on the trials roster are eight athletes who enrolled early or were college freshman in 2022-23, 10 representing the graduating class of 2023 and six representing the class of 2024. Athletes eligible for this team must be U.S. citizens, born on or after January 1, 2004.
Sydney Bowles, Talaysia Cooper, Londynn Jones, Chloe Kitts, Talana Lepolo, Cotie McMahon, Kiki Rice and Grace VanSlooten recently completed their freshman years.
The class of 2023 includes Kamorea “KK” Arnold, Madison Booker, Essence Cody, Breya Cunningham, Aalyah Del Rosario, Jadyn Donovan, Hannah Hidalgo, Alyssa Latham, Courtney Ogden and Juju Watkins.
From the class of 2024 are Joyce Edwards, Kiyomi McMiller, Mackenly Randolph, Kennedy Smith, Sarah Strong and Allie Ziebell.
Joni Taylor (Texas A&M University) will serve as the USA’s head coach along with assistants DeLisha Milton-Jones (Old Dominion University) and Teri Moren (Indiana University).
Helping as court coaches during trials will be Jennie Baranczyk (University of Oklahoma) and Niele Ivey (Notre Dame University). Baranczyk was previously a court coach at the 2017 U19 National Team trials while Ivey will serve in her first USA Basketball appointment.
Twenty-two of the 24 athletes have previous USA Basketball experience.
Most recently, Arnold, Booker, Cunningham, Del Rosario, Donovan, Hidalgo and Watkins were members of the inaugural USA women’s team at the 2023 Nike Hoop Summit. The U.S. defeated the World Team, 100-79.
Edwards and Strong participated in the USA Basketball Women’s Junior National Team minicamp at the 2023 NCAA Women’s Final Four in Dallas.
In 2022, Del Rosario, Jones, Kitts, McMahon, Ogden, Rice and VanSlooten helped the U.S. capture its 10th-straight gold at the FIBA U18 Women’s Americas Championship. Cody and Latham participated in trials.
Booker, Cunningham, Donovan, Hidalgo, Randolph and Watkins captured gold for the USA at the 2022 FIBA U17 Women’s World Cup, while Arnold, Edwards, Smith and Ziebell attended trials.
Arnold, Booker, Cunningham, Donovan and Watkins won gold at the 2021 FIBA U16 Americas Championship. Edwards and McMiller participated in trials.
Jones and Rice also have a FIBA U16 Americas Championship gold medal from the 2019 competition. Bowles and VanSlooten were at trials for that event.
Arnold, Rice and Strong are FIBA 3x3 U18 World Cup champions, with Arnold and Strong winning gold in 2022 and then Rice in 2021.
Cooper and Lepolo will make their USA Basketball debut.
The USA has won the gold medal at the competition in eight of the last nine editions, including the last two. The event, now in its 15th staging, will be the first FIBA competition to use an innovative glass floor court.
To apply for media credentials for trials or training camp, please visit www.sportssystems.com/usabasketball.