2009 U19 Worlds … T-Minus One Day to Go

July 22, 2009 - Bangkok, Thailand

USA head coach Carol Owens is ready for the 2009 FIBA U19 World Championship to begin.

The USA Basketball Women's U19 World Championship Team has been preparing for the July 23 " Aug. 2 FIBA U19 World Championship since beginning training camp on July 9 in Colorado Springs. After two-a-days at the U.S. Olympic Training Center, the team departed for Bangkok, Thailand, on July 17. Since the team's arrival in Thailand, the USA defeated France 86-46 in a friendly exhibition game and scrimmaged Australia for a taste of the international game.

With the start of the 2009 FIBA U19 World Championship just 24 hours away, USA Basketball.com sat down with USA head coach Carol Owens of Northern Illinois University to find out her thoughts on the U.S. squad, international competition, how ready the team is to face its first opponent, and several other items.

The 2009 FIBA U19 World Championship is starting tomorrow. How has the USA team progressed since your first practice on July 9 in Colorado Springs through today?
They have progressed very well. We've had our best practice yet, the day before our first game, which is very good. I think the growth of the team has gone the way we wanted. We had an intense nine days in Colorado and I'm glad we came to Bangkok when we did because I think our young ladies have been able to adjust to the time change, the jet lag and all that. I think they're very anxious to get started.

How much did the exhibition against France and the scrimmage against Australia get the team ready for the international game?
It helps a lot. There's only so much you can say as a coach about what is to be expected, but when you get to play like this, you understand the international rules a little better. I'm very happy that we've been able to play France and Australia, two very good teams, two very physical teams. Both teams have been together for quite some time. It gives us an opportunity to see where we are and then we can make adjustments and get ready for our first game against Spain.

Without knowing anything about the Spanish team, how difficult is it to prepare for a team you don't know much about?
I think it will be good for our team to go in ready to expect whatever a team has to offer. You talk about it being a physical game, an up-tempo game. You have to refer back to, what is international basketball? What do some of these traditionally play like? I expect it to be a very competitive, physical, up-tempo game, for Spain to come right at us. I think they'll challenge us in a lot of different areas. I feel our team is ready, they're anxious to play. They have some sort of idea as to what is expected. I think we're going to get better as the games go in this tournament.

You spent two summers as an assistant coach in 2006 and 2007, then last summer you were head coach for the USA U18 National Team. How much have the last three years benefitted you in terms of getting ready for this competition?
I think it's benefitted me a lot. I've grown as a USA Basketball coach, I spent two years under Doug Bruno and learned a lot from Carol Callan in terms of her experience with various teams. With the short period of time that we have to get a team together, a team we can be proud of, it's intense. We want to make it intense. We want to make this experience one that will last forever. I know as a coach you play a part in that. We have a great staff in Bill (Fennelly) and Amanda (Butler). They're two of the best coaches in the country and I'm fortunate to have two assistant coaches who can help me through this. I fell that we're all doing this together.

The competition is different at the U18 level as compared to the U19 level. How do you get the players who competed last summer at the 2008 FIBA Americas U18 Championship to understand that?
We've met several times to discuss that. We have a few of our players who didn't even play at the U18's. So what they know is what we tell them about the competition. That's why the friendly game and the scrimmage was so important. They now know the level of competition, the talent, the height of the players, is a little bit different than what we faced last summer. They're understanding that, but we have a fairly young team that is continuing to grow.

While the team is young, you have players like Nneka Ogwumike, who has been to the NCAA Final Four, and others who have NCAA Tournament experience. How much will that help you?
I think that helps quite a bit. Especially with Nneka being one our captains. I think she's really comfortable with what we're trying to do. This will be our second year together. She and Sam Prahalis, who has NCAA Tournament experience, they know when games are on the line how they need to step up and lead. I think with Skylar Diggins playing last year, she's a high-level player that can compete at any level. I feel that we have some players who can lead the way in terms of how they play, how they approach games, their mental toughness, their talent level, and also their leadership.

Are you happy to finally get started tomorrow?
I'm really excited. I know the staff, we're all very excited to get going and get competing. The team is also. We've practiced well, we've done all we can do in practice. Now it's time for us to play.