COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. --- University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s Jasmine Joyner and Keiana Gilbert accepted invitations to tryouts for the 2015 USA Basketball teams.
This is the first time Chattanooga has had two student-athletes selected in the same year. Damita Bullock accepted an invitation to tryout in 2002 and Alex Anderson earned a spot in the tryouts in 2008.
“I am excited these two young players get the opportunity to play with and against the best players that the country has to offer in their age groups,” Chattanooga Head Coach Jim Foster said.
Joyner, a rising junior, is one of 54 of the nation’s best collegiate basketball players who accepted invitations to attend the 2015 USA Basketball Women’s Pan American Games and World University Games Team Trials, which will take place May 14-17 at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
The USA Basketball Women’s Junior National Team Committee issued the invitations.
She was named the Southern Conference Tournament MVP and earned a spot on the SoCon coaches and media all-conference teams. The Southaven, Miss., native led the Mocs to a third straight SoCon regular season title and a school-best No. 17 ranking in the AP Top 25 Poll.
Joyner led the Mocs in scoring (12.0) and rebounding (8.2), ranking among the league’s best. She ranked as high as second in the nation for blocked shots, ending the season fifth with a SoCon record 132.
She joins 2014 FIBA World Champion Breanna Stewart (Connecticut) and 16 players overall who have won at least one gold medal with USA Basketball. Trials will be used to determine the rosters for the 2015 U.S. Pan American Women’s Basketball Team and the 2015 USA Women’s World University Games Team. The 12 members of each squad, or finalists for each team, will be announced on the morning of May 17.
Players eligible for the 2015 U.S. Pan American Games and USA World University Games teams must be U.S. citizens who currently are enrolled as full-time college students with remaining eligibility for the 2015-16 school year.
“We have more than enough talent to field two teams from among this group,” said Jim Foster, chair of the USA Basketball Junior National Team Committee. “It will be a very competitive trials as there are a number of very good players with vast USA Basketball experience and a very attractive group of first-time invitees.”
Gilbert, a rising sophomore, is one of 34 of the nation’s top 19-and-unders (born on or after Jan. 1, 1996) who accepted an invitation to attend the USA Basketball Women’s U19 World Championship Team Trial. The 12-member squad will be selected from trials held May 14-17 at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. The invitations were issued by the USA Basketball Women’s Junior National Team Committee.
“Looking at the list of invited players, I believe the committee members are going to have their hands full because it’s fill with so much talent,” said USA U19 head coach Dawn Staley (South Carolina). “I look forward to repeating the trials that we had last year, because it was competitive. It was respectful. All the players really bought into our coaching staff and the things that we had put in. Hopefully we’ll have a repeat trials and come up with a team that will compete and win the (FIBA) U19 World Championship.”
Six members of the 2014 USA U18 National Team that earned gold and the USA its 2015 FIBA U19 World Championship berth are returning to compete for a spot on the 2015 USA U19 World Championship Team – as is the coaching staff. Assisting Staley and the U19 squad are collegiate head coaches Kim Barnes Arico of the University of Michigan and Jeff Walz of the University of Louisville.
Gilbert, a member of the SoCon All-Freshman Team, was named the ESPNW National Player of the Week for her performance in the Mocs’ win over then-No. 4 ranked Tennessee. She led Chattanooga with 27 points. She was 11-of-19 on the night and 5-of-7 from the free throw line with five rebounds.
She was third on the team in scoring with 10.5 points per game and second for rebounding (5.7) while leading the Mocs with a .536 field goal percentage. She also ranked among the SoCon’s best in assists, steals and blocked shots.
Gilbert is one of 13 USA U19 trials athletes eligible to be considered for the 2015 USA Pan American Games and USA World University Games teams since she recently completed her freshman year of college.
The University of Iowa’s Lisa Bluder will lead the 2015 U.S. Pan American Women’s Basketball Team, along with assistant coaches Michelle Clark-Heard of Western Kentucky University and Scott Rueck of Oregon State University.
Northwestern University head coach Joe McKeown will be head coach of the 2015 USA Women’s World University Games Team, with assistant coaches Holly Warlick from the University of Tennessee and Tanya Warren from the University of Northern Iowa.
Trials begin with a 6:30-8:15 p.m. (all times are local, Mountain Daylight Time) session on May 14, followed by sessions at 10 a.m.-12 p.m. and 5:30-7:30 p.m. on May 15 and 16.
The Pan American Games and World University Games team trials will take place on the same days as the 2015 USA Women’s U19 World Championship Team Trials, although at different times. Several U19 participants, because they have played a year of college basketball, are eligible for the Pan American and World University Games competitions.
Pan American Games
The selected U.S. Pan American Women’s Basketball Team players and coaches will return to Colorado on July 3 for the start of training camp and will depart for the competition in Toronto, Canada, on July 8. The 2015 Pan American Games women’s basketball competition will take place July 16-20.
The USA women have been placed into Group A and will take on Brazil on July 16, Dominican Republic on July 17 and Puerto Rico on July 18 in the preliminary round. Competing in Group B will be Argentina, Canada, Cuba and Venezuela.
The top two teams from each preliminary-round group will advance to the medal-round semifinals on July 19, while the third and fourth-placed teams will for fifth-eighth places. The semifinal winners will compete for the gold medal on July 20, while the semifinal losers will play for bronze.
The Pan Ams are a multi-sport event featuring teams from North, South and Central American and the Caribbean that are organized by the Pan American Sports Organization (PASO) and played every four years in the year preceding the Olympics (2015, 2019, etc.).
Since the first Pan American Games for women in 1955, the USA has compiled an overall record of 87-15 and won eight gold medals, three silver medals and two bronze medals.
Most recently in 2011, a U.S. team comprised of collegians and one high school senior in Stewart that began training just one week prior to its first game, finished in seventh place with a 2-2 record. The USA’s last gold medal came in 2007, under the direction of 10-time USA Basketball gold medalist Dawn Staley.
Notable U.S. players to have taken part in the Pan American Games include: Jennifer Azzi (1991); Cynthia Cooper-Dyke (1987); Anne Donovan (1987 and 1983); Teresa Edwards (1991 and 1987); Pat (Head) Summit (1975); Nancy Lieberman (1979 and 1975); Katrina McClain (1991 and 1987); Carla McGhee (1995); Ann (Meyers) Drysdale (1979 and 1975); Cheryl Miller (1983); Dawn Staley (1995); and Sheryl Swoopes (1995).
World University Games
The selected USA players and coaches for the 2015 USA World University Games Team will return to Colorado Springs for training camp on June 18-July 2, before departing for the event. The 2015 World University Games women’s basketball competition will be held July 4-13 in Gwangju, South Korea.
The USA women have drawn Group C and will play Italy at 10 a.m. (all times listed are local, Gwangju is +13 hours from EDT) on July 5, China at 5:30 p.m. on July 6 and Czech Republic at 8 p.m. on July 7. Playing in Group A will be Canada, Hungary, Mozambique and South Korea; Group B includes Japan, Mexico, Russia and Sweden; and Group D features Australia, Brazil, Taipei and Uganda.
The quarterfinals will be played on July 9, the semifinals are on July 11, the bronze medal game is on July 12 and the gold medal game is set for July 13.
Held every other year, the World University Games is organized by the International University Sports Federation (FISU). The WUGs are a multi-sport competition open to men and women who are between the ages of 17 and 24 (born between 1/1/88 and 12/31/98), who are enrolled as a full-time college student with remaining eligibility for the 2015-16 school year.
USA Basketball women’s teams have participated in 17 World University Games and collected a record nine golds, six silvers and one bronze medal. Since 1973, the first year the USA women competed in the World University Games, USA women’s teams have compiled a 101-15 all-time record. The USA has won gold medals in the past five WUGs in which it has competed (2001, 2005, 2009, 2011, 2013).
In 2013, led by tournament co-MVP Odyssey Sims, who went on to earn gold as a member of the 2014 USA World Championship Team, the USA won by an average of 34.8 points per game and finished 6-0 to claim the gold medal.
Notable among the list of USA WUG alumni are 2012 Olympic gold medalists Seimone Augustus, Tina Charles, Sylvia Fowles and Maya Moore. Additionally, Olympians Carol Blazejowski, Ruthie Bolton, Anne Donovan, Pat Head (Summitt), Lisa Leslie, Katrina McClain, Suzie McConnell (Serio), Ann Meyers (Drysdale), DeLisha Milton-Jones, Cappie Pondexter, Ruth Riley, Katie Smith, Dawn Staley, Katy Steding, Tina Thompson, Kara Wolters and Lynette Woodward played for the USA in the World University Games.
2015 FIBA U19 World Championship
The FIBA U19 Worlds will feature 16 teams with athletes 19 years old or younger. The 16 teams will be seeded following the July 18-21 preliminary play and advance to the knockout phase with the round of 16 on July 22. The quarterfinals are scheduled for July 24, semifinals are on July 25 and the tournament will end with the medal games on July 26.
Drawn into Group B, the USA will open play against Spain (FIBA Europe bronze medalist) on July 18, face China (FIBA Asia gold medalist) on July 19 and cap preliminary round play on July 21 against Egypt (FIBA Africa silver medalist).
Drawn into Group A for the preliminary round were host Russia (FIBA Europe gold medalist), Argentina (FIBA Americas bronze medalist), the Netherlands (FIBA Europe sixth place) and Japan (FIBA Asia fourth place); Group C consists of Belgium (FIBA Europe fifth place), Canada (FIBA Americas silver medalist), France (FIBA Europe silver medalist) and Mali (FIBA Africa gold medalist); while Group D includes Australia (FIBA Oceania gold medalist), Brazil (FIBA Americas fourth place), Serbia (FIBA Europe fourth place) and South Korea (FIBA Asia bronze medalist).
First held in 1985 and known as the FIBA Junior World Championship through 2001, the U19 World Championship features the world’s top players who are 19 years old or younger. Held every four years through 2005, FIBA now holds U19 World Championships every two years.
USA women’s teams are 66-12 in the U19/Junior World Championships, capturing a fifth-consecutive gold in 2013 with a 9-0 record. In all, the USA own a record six gold medals and one bronze medal and have stood on the podium in each of the past seven FIBA U19 World Championships.
Noteable players to represent the U.S. include: Angela Aycock (1993); Alana Beard (2001); Essence Carson (2005); Tamika Catchings (1997); Crystal Langhorne (2005); Erlana Larkins (2005); Jantel Lavender (2007); Lisa Leslie (1989); Rebecca Lobo (1993); Maya Moore (2007); Nnemkadi Ogwumike (2009); Vickie Orr (1985); Courtney Paris (2005); Cappie Pondexter (2001); Katie Smith (1993); Dawn Staley (1989); Breanna Stewart (2011 and 2013); and Diana Taurasi (2001).
Chaired by Jim Foster (Chattanooga), the USA Basketball Women’s Junior National Team Committee also includes NCAA appointees Melanie Balcomb (Vanderbilt), Lindsay Gottlieb (California) and Joi Williams (UCF); and athlete representative Kara Lawson Barling, a 2008 Olympic gold medalist.
USA Basketball
Based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA Basketball, chaired by Jerry Colangelo, is a nonprofit organization and the national governing body for men’s and women’s basketball in the United States. As the recognized governing body for basketball in the U.S. by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), USA Basketball is responsible for the selection, training and fielding of USA teams that compete in FIBA-sponsored international competitions, as well as for some national competitions, and for the development of youth basketball initiatives that address player development, coach education and safety.
USA Basketball men’s and women’s teams between 2012-14 compiled a spectacular 122-4 win-loss record in FIBA and FIBA Americas competitions, the World University Games and the Nike Hoop Summit, and posted a 65-8 win-loss record in official FIBA and FIBA Americas 3x3 competitions.
USA teams are the current men’s and women’s champions in the Olympics; men’s FIBA World Cup and women’s FIBA World Championship; men’s and women’s FIBA U19 and U17 World Championships; men’s and women’s U18 and U16 FIBA Americas Championships; the FIBA 3x3 Women’s World Championship; the FIBA 3x3 Women’s U18 World Championship and the women’s Youth Olympic Games. USA Basketball currently ranks No. 1 in all five of FIBA’s world-ranking categories, including combined, men’s, women’s, boys and girls.