May 14, 2007

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. --- Highlighted by eight athletes who won a gold medal at the 2006 FIBA Americas U20 Championship and qualified the U.S. for the 2007 FIBA U21 World Championship, including North Carolina's Erlana Larkins, 45 of the nation's elite athletes have accepted invitations to the 2007 USA Basketball Women's National Team Trials, slated to be held May 17-20 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center (USOTC) in Colorado Springs, Colo.

The invitations were issued 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. The Committee is expected to announce finalists for the 2007 USA U21 World Championship Team and the 2007 USA Pan American Games Team on May 20.

The eight returning players from last summer's USA Basketball U20 National Team that qualified the USA for the 2007 U21 Worlds include: Jolene Anderson (Wisconsin), DeWanna Bonner (Auburn), Essence Carson (Rutgers), Larkins (North Carolina), Marscilla Packer (Ohio State), Courtney Paris (Oklahoma), Kia Vaughn (Rutgers) and Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton (Purdue).

In addition to those returning from last year, 37 players, including UNC's Rashanda McCants, will also be vying to represent the United States this summer at either the FIBA U21 World Championship or Pan American Games. They are Jessica Adair (George Washington), Demetress Adams (South Carolina), Matee Ajavon (Rutgers), Charel Allen (Notre Dame), Alex Anderson (Chattanooga), Marissa Coleman (Maryland), Tanae Davis-Cain (Florida State), Krystal Ellis (Marquette), Emily Fox (Minnesota), Mercedes Fox-Griffin (Oregon State), A'Quonesia Franklin (Texas A&M), Megan Frazee (Liberty), Laura Harper (Maryland), Amber Holt (Middle Tennessee), Alexis Hornbuckle (Tennessee), Charde Houston (Connecticut), Ashley Houts (Georgia), Tasha Humphrey (Georgia), Briann January (Arizona State), T.J. Jordan (Old Dominion), Crystal Kelly (Western Kentucky), Crystal Langhorne (Maryland), McCants (North Carolina), Angel McCoughtry (Louisville), Nicole Michael (Syracuse), Britany Miller (Florida State), Ashley Paris (Oklahoma), Allie Quigley (DePaul), Angel Robinson (Georgia), Dominic Seals (South Plains), Takia Starks (Texas A&M), Mel Thomas (Connecticut), Kirsten Thompson (Arizona State), Ashley Walker (California), Abby Waner (Duke), Candice Wiggins (Stanford) and and Earnesia Williams (Texas).

Courtney Paris, a member of the 2007-08 USA Basketball Women's Senior National Team, as well as January, Thompson and Waner will not attend Trials, and their waivers are under consideration by the Committee.

Franklin, Holt, Hornbuckle, Humphrey and Thomas, who are all over 21, are eligible only for the USA Pan American Games Team.

The USA will look to defend its world title in this age group, open to athletes 21-years-old or younger (born on or after Jan. 1, 1986), at the 2007 FIBA U21 World Championship, held this year June 29-July 8 in Moscow, Russia. Duke head coach Joanne McCallie returns as the USA's head coach after piloting the 2006 USA U20 National Team to a gold medal at the 2006 FIBA Americas U20 Championship. She will be assisted by collegiate head coaches Sam Dixon of Furman, an assistant to McCallie last summer, and Arizona State's Charli Turner Thorne.

The USA U21 finalists, named following the USA Trials, will reconvene in Colorado Springs June 12 to begin training for the tournament, and the eventual 12-member team will be named prior to the squad departing for Europe on June 16. The United States was placed in Group B in the 12-nation tournament along with Australia, Brazil, Hungary, Japan and Spain. Group A includes Belgium, Canada, China, Mali, France and Russia.

The Pan American Games women's basketball tournament will be held July 20-24 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and will feature eight national teams from FIBA Americas. Coaching the USA squad will be Temple University (Pa.) head coach Dawn Staley, a 2007-08 USA Basketball Women's Senior National Team assistant coach. Assisting Staley will be collegiate head coaches Kathy Delaney-Smith of Harvard and Bill Gibbons of Holy Cross. The USA Pan Ams finalists named following the USA Trials will reconvene on July 6 in Washington, D.C., and the eventual 12-member squad will be named prior to the team departing for Brazil on July 16.

Jacques Curtis of Shaw, Donnita Drain of Langston and Narleski Wyrick of Southwestern Christian College will serve as court coaches for the 2007 Women's National and Junior National Team Trials.

Trials will feature an opening session on May 17, beginning at 6:30 p.m. (all times MDT); followed by two-a-days May 18-19, with morning sessions tipping-off at 10:00 a.m. and evening sessions at 5:30 p.m.; and an 8:30 a.m. session on May 20. USA Basketball is expected to announce finalists for each team following the morning session on May 20. The 2007 USA U19 National Team Trials will also take place May 17-20 at the USOTC, however, the U19 sessions will take place at different times during the weekend.

In all 23 of the 45 under consideration for a spot on one of the teams have been a member of a past USA Basketball squad. Eight athletes return from the 2006 USA U20 National Team that captured the gold medal in Mexico City, Mexico, including Jolene Anderson, Bonner, Carson, Larkins, Packer, Courtney Paris, Vaughn and Wisdom-Hylton. In 2005 Jolene Anderson, Carson, Coleman, Langhorne, Larkins, Courtney Paris, Waner and Wiggins captured the gold medal at the FIBA U19 World Championship. Prior to the U19 Worlds, that group, along with USA U19 National Team finalist Williams, won the 2005 International Sports Invitational gold medal. In 2004 Carson, Coleman, Harper, Houston, Larkins, Courtney Paris, Robinson, Waner and Wiggins started their age group off on the right foot by sweeping the competition at the 2004 FIBA Americas U18 Championship to collect the gold medal.

Getting their start in a USA Basketball uniform at the 2004 USA Youth Development Festival were Coleman, McCants, Ashley Paris, Courtney Paris, Robinson, Thompson, Vaughn and Waner; while Ajavon, Carson, Harper, Hornbuckle, Houston, Humphrey, Langhorne, Packer, Thomas, Wiggins and Wisdom-Hylton all competed in the 2003 USA Youth Development Festival.

No fewer than 16 athletes earned 2007 All-America honors, including the lone underclassman on the 2007 Associated Press (A.P.) All-America first team and the A.P. National Player of the Year Courtney Paris. Langhorne, McCoughtry and Wiggins were named 2007 A.P. All-America second team, while Humphrey and Larkins were on the A.P. All-America third team. McCoughtry, Courtney Paris and Wiggins all three were Wade Trophy finalists and were joined on the Kodak/WBCA All-America squad by Langhorne. Earning 2007 Kodak/WBCA All-America honorable mention were Allen, Jolene Anderson, Carson, Humphrey, Kelly, Larkins, Vaughn and Wisdom-Hylton; while Ajavon, Carson, Coleman, Ellis, Franklin, Hornbuckle, Houston, Kelly, Quigley, Walker, Waner and Wisdom-Hylton were 2007 A.P. All-America honorable mentions. Seals, the 2007 State Farm/WBCA Junior College/Community College Player of the Year and a member of the 2007 Kodak/WBCA JC/CC All-America Team, also earned 2007 All-America second team honors from the NJCAA.

Seventeen athletes shone during tournament time. Ajavon and Vaughn were named 2007 All-Final Four; Ajavon was MOP of the Greensboro Regional; Larkins was MOP of the Dallas Regional; and Carson, Courtney Paris, Vaughn and Wisdom-Hylton earned 2007 NCAA All-Region honors. During conference tournaments, Ajavon (Big East Conference), Alex Anderson (Southern Conference), Jordan (Colonial Athletic Association), Courtney Paris (Big 12 Conference) and Wiggins (Pacific-10 Conference) earned conference tournament MVP awards. Joining them on conference all-tournament teams across the nation were: Carson (Big East), Coleman (Atlantic Coast Conference), Ellis (Big East), Frazee (Big South Conference), Holt (Sun Belt Conference), Hornbuckle (Southeastern Conference), Houston (Big East), Langhorne (ACC), Larkins (ACC), Vaughn (Big East), Waner (ACC) and Wisdom-Hylton (Big Ten Conference).

The 45 athletes under consideration for the two USA squads represent 32 schools from 11 NCAA Division I conferences and one junior college. Maryland, Georgia and Rutgers lead the universities with three representatives each. The Big East tops the list of conferences with 10 representatives, while the ACC and SEC are represented by eight and six athletes, respectively.

In all, 35 athletes were honored by their respective conference for their play throughout the 2006-07 season, highlighted by conference Player of the Year honorees Alex Anderson (SoCon), McCoughtry (Big East) and Courtney Paris (Big 12); Holt (Sunbelt) and Houts (SEC) were named Freshman/Newcomer of the Year in their leagues; while Carson (Big East), Courtney Paris (Big 12) and Wisdom-Hylton (Big Ten) collected conference Defensive Player of the Year accolades.