Quotes >> 2011 USA Women's U16 National Team

May 30, 2011 • Colorado Springs, Colo.

Jill Rankin Schneider, USA head coach (Monterey High School, Texas)
Are you pleased with the team selection?
I'm just tickled to death. They're really a great group of players. I think we've got an exceptional amount of versatility. We've got good size across the board. I'm just so pleased with the humility of them. There was  genuine excitement and I think they've got the base ingredient that we have to have to come together as a team in such a short time, which is that certain degree of humility and I think that's going to be real critical.

USA Basketball U16 National Team head coach Jill Rankin Schneider discusses the team following the USA U16 National Team's selection.

NOTE: See the full interview with Rankin Schneider in the video at right.

Receé Caldwell (Claudia Taylor Johnson H.S./San Antonio, Texas)
How did you feel when you heard you named called?
It was a sigh of relief. It was like I made it this far and I can just continue. So I was very ecstatic.

Were you nervous last night?
Yes sir, I could not sleep last night, I really couldn’t. I was just thinking about the girls and how good they were, so I was kind of nervous. But I did manage to get a couple hours of sleep.

How did you feel your trials went; did you focus on doing anything in particular?
These trials were great. All these girls…they’re all the top players in the country. When I came in I just had the mindset of trying to be a good point guard, trying to get my bigs involved and then when I was open trying to stretch the D and shoot. I just tried to control the tempo.

What do you think it will take for this team to come together and be successful?
We do have a lot of chemistry right now. The way we interact with each other is just great already. So I think we’re already kind of a team, and I think we just need to know how each other plays.

Jordin Canada (Windward School/Los Angeles, Calif.)
How did you feel when you heard you named called?
It was the greatest feeling in the world, it was like a sense of relief because I was so nervous, and I didn’t know what to expect. When I heard my name I was just like relieved and so happy.

We’re you nervous last night, this morning?
Yes I was very nervous. I was with the team and we were all having a good time, but once I went to sleep and early in the morning when I woke up I had that nervous feeling like today they’re making the final cut, naming  12 players, so I was really nervous.

How did you feel your trials went; did you focus on doing anything in particular?
I just played the way I play. I think I did really well during the trials, you know, hustling hard, playing a lot of defense and talking.

What do you feel you can contribute to this team?
Leading the team and talking more, getting to know one another.

What do you think it will take for this team to come together and be successful?
Practice, a lot of practice, a lot of team bonding, laughing together, just relaxing together, doing everything together as a team. That’s what it’s going take.

Kaela Davis (Buford H.S./Suwanee H.S.)
How did you feel when you heard you named called?
My immediate reaction was kind of ‘you’ve done it’, you know, everything you worked so hard for has just kind of paid off. Being here last year…it’s tough getting cut, it’s not a good feeling, so I think just being able to feel what it feels like to make a team and just know you’re part of something that’s unbelievable. It’s a great feeling.

*Note: Davis tried out for the 2010 USA U18 National Team.

We’re you nervous?
I was so nervous! I told them I felt like I didn’t breathe for like an hour. Finally after my name got called I could finally just breathe and be excited about the whole situation.   

How did you feel your trials went; did you focus on doing anything in particular?
I don’t think I was trying to show any specific thing, I think I was just trying to show who I am, what I do and I guess the reason why I’m here. I wasn’t trying to do anything foreign to me, or any differently. I think I showed what I could do and apparently they like it. I’m excited.

What do you feel you can contribute to this team?
I think just being a leader no matter what. I try to communicate the best I can with my teammates and hopefully be in that leadership role and lead the way through this whole thing.

What do you think it will take for this team to come together and be successful?
It’s a great group of girls.  We kind of bonded through the trials so I think just the way trials went is a great advantage. This will be a good experience, and like I said this is a great group of girls and I think we won’t have a problem coming together as a team.

Rebecca Greenwell (Owensboro Catholic H.S./Owensboro, Ky.)
How did you feel when you heard you named called?
I was extremely surprised. I didn’t play well the second session and my confidence was a little low by the third session. But I just came out and gave it all I had, and I hoped that it was enough for the selection committee to see. When my name was called I was so happy and really surprised.

Were you nervous last night?
Yes, I could not sleep at all. I felt like I was going to throw up all night. I couldn’t get any sleep. There are a lot of people back home who have been rooting for me and gave me some confidence that I was going to make it.

How did you feel your trials went; did you focus on doing anything in particular?
The reason I think I was invited is for my shooting, so some advice that was given to me before I came was to play to my strengths. So I tried to be a good shooter throughout the trials, and I think I did alright with that.

What do you feel you can contribute to this team?
I hope I’m going to be a shooting guard on this team but I can also penetrate, drive to the basket and feed it to the post, so I hope that’s my role on the team.

What do you think it will take for this team to come together and be successful?
I think when we come back next week we’ll be here for like 10 days, so we’ll get really close.  We’re already close, at the dorms we all had a good time. So I think just playing together we’ll all get to know each other more and I think we’ll be a great team.

Linnae Harper (Whitney M. Young H.S./Chicago, Ill.)
What was your initial reaction when you heard your name selected?
I was really nervous. I honestly thought my name wasn’t going to be chosen. I knew I gave my all since Thursday, so I thought that maybe I had a chance, but when my name was called it was just a sense of relief. I’m just happy and excited.

What do you think you did well this week that stood out to the selection committee?
I think I was a team player and was supportive toward my team, making sure we all played together and kept our heads up.

What part of the experience are you looking most forward to?
I’m excited to get to know the rest of my teammates. They’re all really nice and have great personalities. I’ve never been out of the country, so I’m looking forward to doing that, and meeting new people and different cultures that I’m not used to.

What do you think you will bring to the team?
I like to hustle a lot, so I think I’ll bring that to the team.

Stephanie Mavunga (Brownsburg H.S./Indianapolis, Ind.)
What was your initial reaction when you heard your name selected?
My heart sunk. I was speechless. At first I thought they went past my name alphabetically. They said ‘Erica McCall’ and that’s my roommate. I thought, ‘Ma comes before Mc.’ I’m just so excited and so blessed. The group of girls I’ll be with is so great, and I’m just so happy.

What do you think you did well this week that stood out to the selection committee?
I’m not exactly sure; that’s why I was so nervous. I guess I got a few buckets here and there, and I talk a lot on the court.

What part of the experience are you looking most forward to?
Just meeting more of the girls. I feel like I’m already close to a lot of them. I knew Taya (Reimer) before this week, but the rest of them I just met. It looks like I’m already best friends with the rest of them because we’re already so close, but we just met here. I just want to go out there and have fun with them and get the gold medal.

What do you think you will bring to the team?
I pass the ball a lot, and I’m very uplifting and encouraging toward my teammates.

Erica McCall (Ridgeview H.S./Bakersfield, Calif.)
What was your initial reaction when you heard your name selected?
I didn’t believe it was my name. It was really surreal. I’m really excited and ready to get started.

What do you think you did well this week that stood out to the selection committee?
I blocked a lot of shots and hustled hard.

What part of the experience are you looking most forward to?
I’m just excited to play with different teams from all around the world and getting to be with my team.

What do you think you will bring to the team?
I think I’ll be a big factor in defense and hustling.

Taya Reimer (Hamilton Southeastern H.S./Fishers, Ind.)
What was your initial reaction when you heard your name selected?
I was so surprised. This is like a dream come true for me. I didn’t even know if I heard my name correctly, but it was awesome.

What do you think you did well this week that stood out to the selection committee?
I just tried to do the little things, like emphasize passing or running through the offense like the coaches talked about. I was enthusiastic and tried to be a good teammate.

What part of the experience are you looking most forward to?
It’s a great group of girls. I feel like we all get along and will definitely be very team-oriented. I think it’s going to be really fun.

What do you think you will bring to the team?
Hopefully I can try and be a leader on the court, and off the court be really enthusiastic. And then bring some rebounding and do the little things on defense also.

Mercedes Russell (Springfield H.S./Springfield, Ore.)
How did it feel when you heard your named called as one of the team members?
I was nervous in the beginning. It was a great feeling.

How do you feel you played at trials?
I thought I had played well. The first two days were so-so, and then I thought I started doing better. I thought I did well moving around, shooting, getting low and getting big.

What does it mean to you to wear USA across your chest and represent your country?
It’s an honor. To represent your country is a great thing.

Jannah Tucker (New Town H.S./Randallstown, Md.)
How did it feel when you heard your named called as one of the team members?
I was very relieved because I didn’t play in the last session. Nothing major, I just hurt my hamstring a little bit, but I definitely wasn’t taking anything for granted. I was very excited because it’s going to be a great experience.

How do you feel you played at trials?
I did feel like I played well. It was definitely an adjustment with the altitude, so I think it was good that we gradually got into scrimmaging. I thought I played well overall, but I had great teammates, too.

What does it mean to you to wear USA across your chest and represent your country?
It means so much to me because I get to represent our country and help spread the word and help get people to respect and like America more. It’s a great accomplishment and a great honor.

Sydney Umeri (The Lovett School/Acworth, Ga.)
How did it feel when you heard your named called as one of the team members?
I felt relieved. I had been waiting over 24 hours to hear about it, and I was just so happy to hear my name. I’m going to be representing the USA, and my family and the people from my hometown, so it was just a huge relief. I was so excited.

How do you feel you played at trials?
I think I played pretty strongly, but as far as post moves, I wasn’t very quick with my hands. I dropped balls, and I felt like that was my biggest downfall here. But I stepped it up, so I was really excited about that.

Who are you going to call first?
I’m definitely going to call my mom and my dad first. They have been wanting to know for a while, and then I’m going to call my coaches from my school because they have been very supportive of me.

Jatarie White (Providence Day School/Charlotte, N.C.)
How did it feel when you heard your named called as one of the team members?
My heart just dropped. It was like, ‘Oh my gosh I made it.’ I went through so much, and all of my hard work paid off.

How do you feel you played at trials?
I had my ups and downs, but I felt like when my offense was off and I couldn’t score or contribute to the scoreboard, I played good defense and I hustled to get balls that were on the floor.

What does it mean to you to wear USA across your chest and represent your country?
It means a lot. I represent everybody that lives here, and I want to go out and show people that we are nice people, and we are good people and we love what we do.