USA Basketball To Hold Open Tryouts For 2013 USA Women’s U16 National Team

Colorado Springs, Colo. • Jan. 17, 2013

Following the successful open trials for the 2011 USA Women’s U16 National Team, USA Basketball has announced it will again hold open tryouts to select the 2013 USA U16 National Team. The USA U16 squad will compete in the 2013 FIBA Americas U16 Championship in hopes of earning the U.S. a berth in the 2014 FIBA U17 World Championship.

Featuring up to 200 athletes age 16 or younger (born on or after Jan. 1, 1997), trials will be held May 23-27 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. In addition to the application process, the USA Basketball Women’s Developmental National Team Committee will issue invitations to attend trials to approximately 30 athletes. Athletes wishing to participate should complete and submit their application to USA Basketball by April 12. Participants will receive confirmation of acceptance by April 26. Should the number of applicants exceed 200, the USA Developmental National Team Committee will determine the final roster of participating athletes.

“Given the success that USA Basketball saw with the 2011 USA U16 National Team Trials, we felt that we should continue with the same format,” said Carol Callan, USA Basketball Women’s National Team Director and non-voting chair of the USA Developmental National Team Committee. “While the committee will issue invitations to some athletes, that in no way guarantees that the entire team will be comprised of those invited athletes. In 2011 a number of the open applicants made the third cut, while several of the invited athletes did not. We have always felt that competition and a large pool of talented athletes are important reasons for our success.  While we like to think the committee knows who most of the top players are, it’s not always possible to evaluate each and every athlete across the country, especially within the younger age groups. USA Basketball does not want to overlook anyone and this is one way to be able to evaluate many more athletes over the course of the weekend.

“I think it’s also important to note that the first part of the process the athletes will be working on, including skills, fundamentals and educational seminars, are designed to develop their individual talents. In 2011 we brought in 1996 U.S. Olympic Team assistant coach Ceal Barry, who did a tremendous job as our lead clinician. The athletes learned what it takes to make it to the next level, and the skills and educational sessions were very well received by the parents as well.”

Things begin with an evening skills session on May 23 and continue with morning and afternoon skills sessions on May 24. The skills sessions will include individual skills, position work and scrimmage opportunities. While the committee will evaluate athletes throughout the process, the first trials session is on the evening of May 24, followed by trials sessions the mornings, afternoons and evenings of May 25 and 26. Due to the number of participants, players will be divided into two groups for the three skills sessions and the first four trials sessions. Roster reductions may begin following the completion of the second trials session, and the team is expected to be announced on May 27.

In 2011, 115 young athletes participated in the USA U16 National Team Trials. That list was pared to 53 by the third day of trials, to 34 on the fourth day and on the fifth and final day the 12-member team was finalized.

In 2012, several of the applicants from the 2011 U16 National Team Trials were invited to participate in the USA U17 World Championship Team Trials, two of whom, Lindsay Allen (St. John’s College H.S. / Bowie, Md.) and Jessica Washington (Jenks H.S. / Tulsa, Okla), earned spots on the 2012 squad and helped the U.S. capture the 2012 FIBA U17 World Championship gold medal.  

The 2013-16 USA Basketball Women’s Developmental National Team Committee is still being finalized, but will include two representatives selected by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), two representatives assigned by the AAU and one athlete representative.

FIBA Americas U16 Championship
The 2013 FIBA Americas U16 Championship will feature eight U16 national teams from North, South and Central America and the Caribbean with at least the top three finishing teams qualifying for the 2014 FIBA U17 World Championship. The 2014 U17 Worlds will have an expanded field - from 12 to 16 teams - and FIBA has yet to announce which zones will receive an extra berth.

In its first installment, the USA Women’s U16 National team conquered all comers at the 2009 FIBA Americas U16 Tournament in Mexico City, Mexico, and returned home with the gold medal and a qualifying berth in the 2010 FIBA U17 World Championship. Cruising undefeated through the tournament, the USA won its five games by an average of 70.0 points and listed No. 1 in 13 of 19 statistical categories. The 2011 U.S. squad was not much different, dominating opponents in Merida, Mexico, by an average margin of 43.2 points per contest en route to a perfect 5-0 mark, the gold medal and the USA’s 2012 U17 World Championship berth.

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 U.S. 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 teams are the current men’s and women’s champions in the Olympics, men’s and women’s FIBA World Championships; women’s FIBA U19 World Champions; men’s and women’s FIBA U17 World Champions; and the men’s and women’s U18 and U16 FIBA Americas Championships; as well as the women’s FIBA 3X3 World Championship and 3x3 U18 World Championship.

USA Basketball also currently ranks No. 1 in all five of FIBA’s world ranking categories, including combined, men’s, women’s, boys and girls.

2013 USA Basketball Women’s U16 National Team Trials Schedule

NOTES: All times listed are local, Mountain Daylight Time. All skills and trials sessions will be held at the U.S. Olympic Training Center’s Sports Center II in Colorado Springs, Colo. For a complete schedule listing, please see the schedule page.