USA Basketball announced the 2022 USA Basketball Women’s U18 national team on Friday following four days of trials in Colorado Springs, and incoming Arizona recruit Kailyn Gilbert of IMG Academy at Riveriew, Fla., is on the roster.
The 12-player roster, selected from the 30 trials invitees, will compete at the 2022 FIBA U18 Women’s Americas Championship in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from June 13-19. Team USA opens play on June 13 against Colombia.
The team was selected by the USA Basketball Developmental National Team Committee and represents the high school graduating classes of 2022 and 2023.
Introducing the 2022 USA Women’s U18 National Team! 🙌
🇺🇸 #USABWU18 pic.twitter.com/nggMeAEned
— USABJNT (@usabjnt) June 4, 2022
Gilbert, a 5-foot-8 playmaking guard, is a four-star recruit as rated by ESPN.
On National Signing Day, Arizona coach Adia Barnes raved about Gilbert: “We always talk about finding that player that has that Arizona ‘dog’ mentality and she has that. She’s going to be a better college player than she is a high school player. She can play the point or the off-guard position, she can shoot the ball, she’s smart and she’s a great passer. I can’t wait to coach her because she’s a gym rat and fits everything we do here.”
The 2022 WU18 National Team also includes Isuneh Brady, Aalyah Del Rosario, Londynn Jones, Chloe Kitts, Cotie McMahon, S’Mya Nichols, Indya Nivar, Courtney Ogden, Justine Pissott, KiKi Rice and Grace VanSlooten.
Jones and Rice were members of the USA Women’s U16 National Team that earned the gold medal over Canada at the 2019 FIBA U16 Women’s Americas Championship in Chile. Brady, Nichols, Nivar and VanSlooten participated in those team trials.
Additionally, Rice was a member of the 2021 USA Basketball 3×3 U18 World Cup Team, which secured the gold medal over Spain.
Gilbert, Del Rosario, Kitts, McMahon, Ogden and Pissott will make their USA Basketball debuts.
The team is coached by Joni Taylor (Texas A&M University), DeLisha Milton-Jones (Old Dominion University) and Teri Moren (Indiana University).
Following their matchup with Colombia, Team USA will play Puerto Rico on June 14 and El Salvador on June 15 to wrap up group play. Tournament play begins June 17.
The USA has won gold in the last nine FIBA U18 Women’s Americas Championships and 10 gold medals since the event’s inception in 1988.
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