USA Basketball Junior National Team Finalized
June 18, 2001
Colorado Springs, Colo. -
Including five members of the 2000 USA Basketball Women's Junior National Team which qualified the U.S. for the 2001 FIBA (International Basketball Federation) Junior World Championship, 12 of the nation's top 19-and-under standouts were named to the 2001 USA Basketball Women's Junior World Championship Team today. The selections were made by USA Basketball Women's Collegiate Committee following four days of trials, held June 15-18 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The Committee also named six alternates who would be called upon to join the team in case of an injury during the USA's June 25-July 9 training camp.
Washington freshman guard Giuliana Mendiola did not make the final roster.
Named to the team were: Alana Beard (Duke / Sherveport, La.), Tera Bjorklund (Colorado / St. Peter, Minn.), Shameka Christon (Arkansas / Hot Springs, Ark.), Monique Currie (The Bullis School / Washington, D.C.), Jessica Moore (Connecticut / Palmer, Ark.), Loree Moore (Narbonne H.S. / Harbor City, Calif.), Cappie Pondexter (John Marshall H.S. / Chicago, Ill.), Nicole Powell (Stanford / Phoenix, Ariz.), Stacy Stephens (Texas / Winnsboro, Texas), Ann Strother (Highlands Ranch H.S. / Highlands Ranch, Colo.), Diana Taurasi (Connecticut / Chino, Calif.) and Wynter Whitley (Holy Innocents' Episcopal / Atlanta, Ga.).
Selected as alternates were: Mistie Bass (Janesville Parker H.S. / Janesville, Wis.), Teresa Borton (West Valley H.S. / Yakima, Wash.), Amber Jacobs (Boston College / Clarks Summit, Pa.), Kelly Mazzante (Penn State / Montoursville, Pa.), Nicole Wolff (Walpole H.S. / Walpole, Mass.) and Shanna Zolman (Wawasee H.S. / Syracuse, Ind.).
Beard, Loree Moore, Pondexter, Powell and Taurasi helped the United States earn its 2001 Junior World Championship berth after winning five games in five days to capture the 2000 COPABA Junior World Championship Qualifying Tournament in Mar del Plata, Argentina. Averaging a team high 15.4 ppg., Beard paced the 2000 USA Junior National Team, Taurasi was the team's second leading scorer at 12.6 ppg., while the U.S. received contributions from Powell, 8.2 ppg., Pondexter, 6.6 ppg. and Loree Moore, 6.0 ppg.
One of two 2001 All-Americans, Beard captured National Freshman of the Year honors from the Women's Basketball Journal and earned All-America honorable mention from the Associate Press and Kodak/Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA). In addition, Beard was named 2001 NCAA Tournament All-West Region, Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Freshman of the Year, All-ACC first team, All-ACC Tournament first team and ACC All-Defensive team. Powell was also listed among the 2001 Kodak/WBCA All-America honorable mentions, as well as being named 2001 Pacific 10 Conference Freshman of the Year, All-Pac-10 first team and Pac-10 All-Freshmen Team.
Three other collegians were listed among their respective all-conference teams, including Southeastern Conference All-Freshmen Team member Christon. Taurasi, the 2001 NCAA Tournament East Region Most Outstanding Player, was selected to the Big East Conference All-Rookie Team and Stephens was named All-Big 12 Conference honorable mention.
Included among the five high school players is 2001 Parade Magazine and Rawlings/WBCA Player of the Year Pondexter. Parade Magazine listed Loree Moore and Pondexter on its All-America first team, while Strother and Whitley were selected to the All-America second team. Pondexter was also named to the USA Today All-USA first team, along with Loree Moore, while Strother was named to the All-USA third team. Currie earned Maryland Player of the Year honors from Gatorade, while Loree Moore (California), Pondexter (Illinois), Strother (Colorado) and Whitley (Georgia) were also named as their respective state's Gatorade Circle of Champions Player of the Year.
In all, listed on the squad are seven (Beard, Bjorklund, Christon, Jessica Moore, Powell, Taurasi) who recently completed their first year of NCAA eligibility, four (Currie, Loree Moore, Pondexter, Whitley) who will be college freshmen in the 2001-02 season and one lone high school player (Strother) who will be a senior in the fall. There are six different NCAA schools and five conferences represented, with Connecticut, the Big East and the Big 12 boasting the most athletes with two each. Of the four incoming college freshmen on the USA team, two are slated to play for Duke (Currie, Whitley), one for Tennessee (Loree Moore) and one for Rutgers (Pondexter) in 2001-02.
2000 USA Basketball Development Coach of the Year and University of Connecticut head coach Geno Auriemma will direct the 2001 USA Basketball Women's Junior World Championship Team, and will be assisted by University of Oklahoma's Sherri Coale and Northeastern University's (Mass.) Willette White.
The 2001 USA Junior Team will train from June 25 - July 2 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs before traveling to Washington, D.C. on July 2 to host the 2001 USA Basketball International Invitational from July 4-8, which features junior national teams from Brazil, China and Japan.
The U.S. will conduct one practice session at George Mason University's Patriot Center, on July 3 at 11:00 a.m. (all times EDT), before kicking off the round-robin tournament on July 4 at the Patriot Center. The tournament's July 4-6 preliminary rounds are open to credentialed media only, however the July 8 gold and bronze medal games are open to the public free of charge.
The United States will open 2001 USA Basketball Women's Junior International Invitational play against Brazil on July 4 at 11:00 a.m. at the Patriot Center. The USA-Brazil contest will be followed by a 12:30 p.m. tip-off between China and Japan. The Invitational continues at the Patriot Center July 5 with a 1:00 p.m. game between Brazil and China, and the United States will face Japan at 2:30 p.m. The round-robin preliminary round concludes on July 6 at the Patriot Center with a 1:00 p.m. game between the U.S. and China, and a 2:30 p.m. match-up between Brazil and Japan. Moving the Invitational to George Washington University's Smith Center, the gold and bronze medal games will be held on Sunday, July 8. The bronze medal game will begin at 3:00 p.m., followed by the championship contest scheduled for 4:30 p.m.
Following one final practice in Washington on July 9 at 12:00 p.m. at the MCI Center, the 2001 USA Women's Junior World Championship Team will travel to Prague for a July 11-12 training camp before beginning 2001 FIBA Junior World Championship play on July 14 against Lithuania in Brno.
Held every four years since 1985, the U.S. is the defending FIBA Junior World Champions having won its first gold medal in four tries at the event in Natal, Brazil, at the 1997 Junior Worlds. Featuring 12 teams, the 2001 FIBA Women's Junior World Championship is scheduled to be contested July 14-22 in Brno, Czech Republic.
The 12 teams have been placed into two groups for preliminary round robin play. The United States will compete in Pool B and opens preliminary play against Lithuania on July 14. The U.S. will then play China on July 15, Brazil on July 16, Mali on July 18 and will conclude preliminary round play against Russia on July 19. Preliminary Pool A consists of Australia, Cuba, Czech Republic, France, Japan and Poland. The top two teams from each group will advance to the medal semifinals, with the winners of the medal semifinal games competing for the gold medal. The remainder of the field will compete for 5th - 12th place.
Owning an 18-9 overall record (66.7 winning percentage) at the competition, after finishing no better than fifth in the first three Junior Worlds, the USA captured the `97 gold medal with an exciting 78-74 overtime victory over 1993 Junior World Champion Australia.
2001 USA Basketball Women's Junior World Championship Team
NAME = POS = HGT = WGT = DOB = YOG = SCHOOL / HOMETOWN Alana Beard = G = 5-11 = 156 = 05/14/82 = 2004 = Duke / Shreveport, LA Tera Bjorklund = C = 6-5 = 180 = 06/29/82 = 2004 = Colorado / St. Peter, MN Shameka Christon = F = 6-1 = 175 = 02/15/82 = 2004 = Arkansas / Hot Springs, AR Monique Currie = G/F = 6-0 = 170 = 02/25/83 = 2001 = The Bullis School (Duke) / Washington, DC Jessica Moore = F = 6-3 = 180 = 07/09/82 = 2004 = Connecticut / Palmer, AK Loree Moore = G = 5-9 = 155 = 03/21/83 = 2001 = Narbonne H.S. (Tennessee) / Harbor City, CA Cappie Pondexter = G = 5-8 = 152 = 01/07/83 = 2001 = John Marshall H.S. (Rutgers) / Chicago, IL Nicole Powell = F = 6-2 = 170 = 06/22/82 = 2004 = Stanford / Phoenix, AZ Stacy Stephens = F = 6-1 = 194 = 01/21/82 = 2004 = Texas / Winnsboro, TX Ann Strother = G = 6-1 = 150 = 12/11/83 = 2002 = Highlands Ranch H.S. / Highlands Ranch, CO Diana Taurasi = G = 6-0 = 170 = 06/11/82 = 2004 = Connecticut / Chino, CA Wynter Whitley = F = 6-2 = 175 = 09/30/82 = 2001 = Holy Innocents' Episcopal (Duke) / Atlanta, GAAlternates: Mistie Bass = C = 6-3 = 190 = 12/02/83 = 2002 = Janesville Parker H.S. / Janesville, WI Teresa Borton = F = 6-3 = 171 = 12/31/82 = 2001 = West Valley H.S. (Notre Dame) / Yakima, WA Amber Jacobs = G = 5-8 = 150 = 06/29/82 = 2004 = Boston College / Clarks Summit, PA Kelly Mazzante = G = 6-0 = 154 = 02/02/82 = 2004 = Penn State / Montoursville, PA Nicole Wolff = G = 6-0 = 150 = 03/07/84 = 2002 = Walpole H.S. / Walpole, MA Shanna Zolman = G = 5-10 = 140 = 09/07/83 = 2002 = Wawasee H.S. / Syracuse, IN
Head Coach: Geno Auriemma, University of Connecticut Assistant Coach: Sherri Coale, University of Oklahoma Assistant Coach: Willette White, Northeastern University (Mass.)
NOTE: High school seniors have signed a national letter of intent to attend the school indicated
