Finalists for the 2017 USA Basketball Women’s U16 National Team announced

Finalists for the 2017 USA Basketball Women’s U16 National Team were announced Monday after four days of trials that began on May 25 with 133 hopefuls at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Eighteen athletes make up the list of finalists.

Players eligible for the team must be U.S. citizens born on or after Jan. 1, 2001. The USA Basketball Women’s Developmental National Team Committee chooses the finalists and the 12-member roster that will be announced on June 4. The team will compete in the 2017 FIBA Americas U16 Championship from June 7-11 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where it will be in the hunt for a gold medal and a berth into the 2018 FIBA U17 World Cup. A berth is awarded to the top four finishing teams.

Finalists for the 2017 USA Basketball Women’s U16 National Team

• River Baldwin (Pleasant Home School/Andalusia, Ala.)
• Francesca Belibi (Regis Jesuit H.S./Centennial, Colo.)
• Aliyah Boston (Worcester Academy/Worcester, Mass.)
• Cameron Brink(Southridge H.S./Beaverton, Ore.)
• Samantha Brunelle (William Monroe H.S./Ruckersville, Va.)
• Paige Bueckers (Hopkins H.S./Eden Prairie, Minn.)
• Maddie Burke (Central Bucks H.S. West/ Doylestown, Pa.)
• Caitlin Clark (Dowling Catholic H.S./West Des Moines, Iowa)
• Zia Cooke (Rogers H.S./Toledo, Ohio)
• Azzi Fudd (Potomac School/Falls Church, Va.)
• Jordan Horston (Columbus Africentric Early College/Columbus, Ohio)
• Haley Jones (Archbishop Mitty H.S./Santa Cruz, Calif.)
• Diamond Miller (Franklin H.S./Somerset, N.J.)
• Jordyn Oliver (Prosper H.S./Prosper, Texas)
• Ashley Owusu (Paul VI Catholic H.S./Woodbridge, Va.)
• Ramani Parker (Central H.S./Fresno, Calif.)
• Celeste Taylor (Long Island Lutheran H.S./Valley Stream, N.Y.)
• Kylee Watson (Mainland Regional H.S./Linwood, N.J.)

Head coach: Carla Berube (Tufts University)
Assistant coaches: Steve Gomez (Lubbock Christian University) and Vanessa Nygaard (Windward School, Calif.)

The 2017 USA U19 World Cup Team was also announced recently.