USA Basketball Trials

[kate dawg]

Tried to post this up front, but was denied....
http://www.usabasketball.com/usab/women/02-wcywq-trials1.html

Nine Big 12 invitees, including Stephens and Bjorklund from the 2001 team.

[RaiderPower1]

I at least hope that Jia Perkins makes the squad and I have not doubt that she has the ability to do so. Of course Cisti and Jia would be nice too!

[Jennifer]

I hope Dionnah Jackson makes it! I think she was overlooked, what with the great freshman class in the Big 12 and the country this year, but maybe she'll get a chance to show her stuff!

[RaiderPower1]

Well, the article goes on to say that Jackson will have some kind of knee surgery (only out for 8 weeks) and will not be able to tryout for the team. She would then have to be strictly chosen based on what she did in last season. I just don't see the committee picking her with everyone else trying out.

[KSUron]

Too bad, the extra experience would have been good for her. Maybe you should send them a tape of Dionnah killing KSU in Kansas City. She is lethal on defense. If I haven't already made it painfully clear, I am a BIG Dionnah Jackson fan. For all the attention she gets she is underated.

[KSUron]

Btw, I was glad to see Ohlde and Koehn invited. I hope they make the team. I expect that even if Wecker was considered her track activities would make it unworkable.

[Jennifer]

Thanks for pointing that out Raiderpower. I didn't read the full article.
You're probably right that she won't be considered now. http://hoopscoop.net/ubb/frown.gif
At least she'll be ready to go once season starts.

[swok34]

whaaaaatttt........I didn't hear about this, though it's hard to get info this time of year. Going to ask a Sooner friend I know about it....

Jackson will not attend the Trials but has applied for a medical waiver to still be considered among the finalists. She had arthroscopic surgery on April 18 to remove an osteochondral defect in her right knee, and is expected to be fully recovered within eight weeks following surgery.

[BigUtFan]

According to The Dallas Morning News, Bowers and Schreiber from UT were invited as well. Does anyone know what's up with this?

[kate dawg]

What do you want to know about it BigUTFan?

36 players 20 and younger attend a three-day trial in Colorado Springs starting next Friday, May 17. 34 of them this year are NCAA D I players, one is a JuCo and one is Ann Strother the consensus National HS Player of the year.

They practice, run drills and scrimmage Friday, Saturday and Sunday, then the group convenes on Monday morning where the USA Basketball people, including UT's very own Chris Plonsky, announce the finalists for the roster, usually 15-16 players, for the 12 player roster.

Sometimes they will announce 10-11 that have made the team and then announce the last five as finalists for the last spot(s). It really depends on the committee.

Last year there were two national teams...the World University Games team which was open to sophomores-seniors, and the Junior National Team which was for high school seniors and college freshmen.

As far as how they choose it, the committee and the coaches have say obviously. Is it political? You bet. Sometimes it's hard to tell how the politics are going to break down, but they for sure play a part in the selection process.

This year a lot of the Juniors from last year's team opted out of it..including all the UConn returnees and Alana Beard. Should be interesting. Looks like a talented group. The Big 12 should be well-represented on the team.

[carolann]

Yes. Stephens, Bowers, and Schreiber were all invited! Go to Katedawg's link in this thread for the usabasketball link. There is also an article on the official Texas site. This is going to be a tough roster to make. For most young women who really want to exceed, even going to the trials is a great experience. They get to compete against some of the best players of their age group. If they don't make the team, they go home knowing what areas of their game they need to work on.

[BigUtFan]

Thanks for the update katedawg. Sorry, but I should have been more explicit in my question. I understand the process of the trials, but the link I read listed the invitees, and I did not see Bowers and Schreiber. I know the DMN has on occasion made errors and I just wanted to clarify. GOOD LUCK TO ALL THE PARTICIPANTS AND REPRESENT THE BIG 12 IN GREAT STYLE!!!!!. You are correct about it being political, but hopefully it will not be an all Duke or UC team. Thanks again for your response.

[YCN]

With Coach Marsha Sharp as head coach of the 2002 USA Basketball World Championship For Young Women Qualifying Team, she is already quite familiar with the skills of Dionnah Jackson, so every point guard she keeps on the team will have to perform at a higher level than what Coach Sharp knows Dionnah plays.

It wouldn't surprise me one bit if she was chosen for the team despite missing the trial. She is not your average sophomore-to-be!


[This message has been edited by YCN (edited 05-08-2002).]

[RaiderPower1]

Once again, according to the article (and others I have read), the comittee chooses the players and the coaches "supposedly" don't have a say. I would bet though, that if it came down to a coach's players and another player for the final spot, they would choose the coach's player.

[carolann]

There were rumors of discord last year because the committee chose a player that Geno Auriemma did not want. Of course, 2 UConn players and a player being recruited by UConn were also chosen. Usually having USA experience, as Bjorklund and Stephens do, helps. I noticed though that there are a lot more big posts trying out this year compared to last year.