April 24, 2007 • Colorado Springs, Colorado

With a packed competition schedule in the summer of 2007, USA Basketball today announced that Jacques Curtis of Shaw University (N.C.), Donnita Drain of Langston University (Okla.) and Narleski Wyrick of Southwestern Christian College (Texas) will serve as court coaches for the 2007 USA Basketball Women's National Teams Trials, which will be used to determine finalists for three USA Basketball squads– the U19 World Championship Team, U21 World Championship Team and Pan American Games Team. The coaching staff selections were made by the USA Basketball Women's Collegiate Committee, which is chaired by Sue Donohoe, the NCAA's vice president of Division I women's basketball, and approved by the Executive Committee.

	Coaches Jacques Curtis (top), Donnita Drain (middle) and Narleski Wyrick will serve as court coaches at the 2007 USA Basketball Women's National Teams Trials. Following three days of trials, May 17-20, the USA Basketball Women's Collegiate Committee will select finalists for three squads, the USA U19 World Championship Team, USA U21 World Championship Team and USA Pan American Games Teams.

Trials for the three teams will take place May 17-20 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. While hopefuls for the U21 World Championship and Pan American Games National Teams will conduct trials together, trials for the U19 World Championship Team will take place independently.

Finalists for all three squads will be announced following trials, with official rosters determined prior to their respective competitions.

Jacques Curtis

In seven seasons at Shaw University (2000-01 to present) Curtis has lead the Lady Bears to an overall record of 159-56 (.740 winning percentage), including a 138-22 (.863 winning percentage) mark in the past five seasons. His selection as a trials court coach is his first USA Basketball appointment.

"This will provide me with an opportunity to work with some of the finest coaches and elite players in the country, which will enable me to broaden my coaching techniques as well as enhance my knowledge of the game," Curtis said. "I have always considered myself to be a great motivator, and I hope during my time with USA Basketball that I have the opportunity to assist the coaching staff with motivating these young women to be the best that they can."

In 2006-07, Curtis' squad finished 18-10 and advanced to the first round of the Central Iintercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Tournament. The Lady Bears have advanced to the past five CIAA Tournaments, capturing four consecutive titles from 2003 to 2006. A three time CIAA Coach of the Year, Curtis received the honor in 2004, 2005 and 2006.

From the 2002-03 season through 2005-06, Shaw remained unbeaten in conference play, and reached four consecutive NCAA Division II Tournaments, capturing regional titles in 2005 and 2006. Also during that stretch, Curtis lead Shaw to a 32-2 record in 2004-05, the most wins in the program's history. He was named the NCAA Division II Tournament's South Region Coach of the Year in 2005.

After launching his coaching career as an assistant men's coach at Shaw University, Curtis accepted his first head coaching position, again with a men's team, at his alma mater Savannah State University (Ga.) in 1998. He was named the Shaw University head women's coach on July 15, 2000.

Curtis earned a bachelor's degree in computer engineering technology from Savannah State and a master's degree in information science from North Carolina Central University.

Donnita Drain

Tallying a mark of 213-162 in 12 seasons (1995-96 to present) as the head coach at Langston University, Drain will undertake her first USA Basketball coaching assignment as a court coach for the 2007 USA Basketball Women's National Teams Trials.

"I'm really excited to have the opportunity to work with some young women who will be changing the face of basketball over the next 10 years," Drain said. "I'm also excited to work with some of the premiere Division I coaches in the country and observe their styles. Coaches are always looking for new things to implement into their programs, and I think this will be a time for me to learn some new things."

Drain has led the Lady Lions to five NAIA National Tournament appearances and captured eight consecutive winning seasons. Her 2006-07 team finished 29-5, reaching the Red River Athletic Conference semifinals and the NAIA National Tournament quarterfinals.

Drain has helped to produce two conference players of the year, an NAIA All-American and two Academic All-Americans.

While playing basketball at Northwestern Oklahoma State University, Drain collected NAIA Player of the Week honors and was selected to the All-America honorable mention, All-Oklahoma Intercollegiate Conference (OIC) and All-District IX teams. An OIC Scholar Athlete and the 1998 Northwestern Ranger Queen, Drain was inducted into Northwestern Oklahoma's Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998.

An active member of the Women's Basketball Coaches' Association and the Black Coaches Association, Drain was a two-sport athlete at Taloga High School (Okla.) where she was an all-state selection in basketball and softball. She obtained a master's degree in education administration from Texas A & M University at Commerce.

Narleski Wyrick

Wyrick has completed eight seasons (1999-00 to present) as head coach at Southwestern Christian College. His service at the 2007 women's trials will be his first USA Basketball assignment.

"USA Basketball has a history, and I am looking foward to being a part of that," Wyrick said. "I hope I can learn from the great coaches I will have the opportunity to work with, and I think my strength is helping players develop individually and then within the team concept. My goal is to help all three teams become great teams. If I can do that, I will have been successful."

Inheriting a historically weak program, Wyrick compiled more wins in his first two seasons than his predecessors had in 10 years.

Competing in the Region 5 Northern Division of the NJCAA, Wyrick has helped to produce several All-Conference players during his tenure.

A four-year basketball player at Southwestern Christian himself, Wyrick graduated and assumed his first coaching position as the head men's basketball coach at his alma mater.

A Director of the National Youth Conference, Wyrick is also the minister for single men and women at Central Pointe Church of Christ in Dallas, Texas. In August 2006, he was a featured speaker at the 55th annual National Youth Conference of the Churches of Christ, and he will lead a workshop for Central Pointe Church at a national conference in June 2007.

2007 FIBA U19 World Championship for Women

On March 1, USA Basketball announced DePaul University's (Ill.) Doug Bruno as head coach of the 2007 USA U19 Women's World Championship Team and two-time Olympian and Prairie View A&M University (Texas) head coach Cynthia Cooper-Dyke and former USA Basketball player and Northern Illinois University head mentor Carol Owens as assistants.

The USA qualified for the U19 World Championships after Bruno, as the USA's head coach, led the U18 squad to a 4-0 slate and gold medal at the zone qualifier, the 2006 FIBA Americas U18 Championship for Women, an event hosted by USA Basketball at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.

FIBA announced on March 6 the draw for the 2007 FIBA U19 World Championship For Women, and the USA has been placed in Group B, along with China, Ivory Coast and Lithuania. Sixteen countries will compete in the U19 World Championship for Women that will be held July 26-Aug. 5 in Bratislava, Slovakia.

Originally known as the FIBA Junior World Championship, the tournament is held every four years and was first held in 1985. USA women's teams are 32-10 in the U19/Junior World Championships, capturing gold with an 8-0 record most recently in 2005.

2007 FIBA U21 World Championship for Women

Duke University (N.C.) head coach Joanne P. McCallie, who piloted the 2006 U20 National Team to the FIBA Americas U20 Championship gold medal and secured the U.S. berth in the 2007 FIBA U21 World Championship, was announced on Feb. 27 as head coach of the U21 World Championship Team. Assistant coaches have not yet been named.

The FIBA U21 World Championship For Women will take place June 29-July 8 in Moscow, Russia, and will feature 12 teams that qualified in 2006 through zone championships.

The Draw was held Feb. 9, and the United States was placed in Group B along with Australia, Brazil, Hungary, Japan and Spain. Group A includes Belgium, Canada, China, Mali, France and Russia.

Held just once, four years ago (2003), when it was known as the FIBA World Championship For Young Women, the USA captured the gold medal with a 7-1 record in Sibenik, Croatia.

2007 Pan American Games

While the coaching staff has not yet been named, the 2007 Pan American Games is slated to take place July 13-29 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Women's basketball will be contested July 20-24.

Most recently, the USA secured the silver hardware and a 5-2 record at the 2003 Pan American Games with a U.S. team that began training just two weeks prior to the event.

Started in 1951 for men and 1955 for women, the Pan American Games are held every four years (2007, 2011, etc.) in the year preceding the Olympics. Only countries from FIBA Americas are eligible to compete. The USA women have won six of 12 gold medals and rolled up a 67-12 overall record.

USA Basketball

Based in Colorado Springs, Colo., USA Basketball 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 United States 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 basketball competitions, as well as for some national competitions.

USA Basketball is governed by a 10-member Executive Committee and 25-member Board of Directors, who are appointed and elected by active members. Former WNBA President Val Ackerman serves as President of USA Basketball for the 2005-2008 term.

Serving since January 2001 as USA Basketball's Executive Director is Jim Tooley. Tooley, who has been with USA Basketball since 1993, is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the organization's day-to-day operations and business operations.

USA Basketball is an organization made up of associations. These 15 member organizations have representation on USA Basketball's Board of Directors and various committees, and ultimately determine how USA Basketball operates.

During the 2001-2004 quadrennium, over 925 men and women players and 125 coaches participated in USA Basketball, including the USA Basketball men's and women's Youth Development Festivals, USA Basketball trials, and USA Basketball teams. Between 2001-2004 the USA competed in 22 major international events and won medals an astounding 19 times, including gold or top finishes 14 times, silver once and bronze medals four times.

The competitions in which USA teams regularly compete include the Olympics, World Championships, Pan American Games, World University Games, U21 World Championships, U19 World Championships, Nike Hoop Summit and Youth Development Festivals.

USA Basketball also sanctions U.S. basketball team tours of foreign countries and foreign basketball team tours of the U.S., as well as oversees the certification of FIBA and USA Basketball officials and the assignment of those officials to international competitions.