June 20, 2005

Featuring eight players who were part of last summer's gold medalist USA U19 World Championship Qualifying Team, USA Basketball announced Sunday the 12 players who will comprise the 2005 USA Women's U19 World Championship Team that is being led by Duke University head mentor Gail Goestenkors.

The USA team was selected after the team's 15 finalists finished 4-0 and won gold at the 2005 International Sports Invitational in San Diego, Calif. Held June 8-11, U19 teams from the USA, Australia, China and Russia all competed in the tournament. The USA player and coach selections were made by the USA Basketball Women's Collegiate Committee.

Named to the 2005 USA U19 World Championship Team were: Jolene Anderson (Wisconsin / Port Wing, Wis.); Nicky Anosike (Tennessee / Staten Island, N.Y.); Erika Arriaran (Norco High School / Norco, Calif.); Essence Carson (Rutgers / Paterson, N.J.); Marissa Coleman (St. Johns College High School / Cheltenham, Md.); Crystal Langhorne (Maryland / Willingboro, NJ); Erlana Larkins (North Carolina / Riviera Beach, Fla.); Courtney Paris (Piedmont High School / Piedmont, Calif.); Abby Waner (ThunderRidge High School / Highlands Ranch, Colo.); Candice Wiggins (Stanford / Poway, Calif.); and Christina Wirth (Seton Catholic High School / Mesa, Ariz.). and Sharnee' Zoll (Virginia / Philadelphia, Pa.).

Goestenkors, an assistant coach with the gold medal winning 2004 Olympic and 2002 World Championship USA teams, was selected to lead the 2005 USA Basketball Women's U19 World Championship Team, and is being assisted by Felisha Legette-Jack, head coach at Hofstra University's (NY), and Carol Ross, head mentor at the University of Mississippi.

"I think the committee did an excellent job and we have a tremendous team,"said Goestenkors. "We have great athleticism, we have incredible post players, and guards who will get the post players the ball. We have great versatility and we should be able to do a variety of things.

"I'm pleased about winning a gold medal at the International Sports Invitational, but we have so many things to work on. The International Sports Invitational was a great experience for us because it has shown us some of our strengths and also some of our weaknesses. I'm excited about the opportunity to go back and break things down and build a championship team," added Goestenkors.

The USA squad will regroup June 28 in Colorado Springs, Colo., and train there until July 2, then USA women will train July 3-6 at American University in Washington, D.C. Following five additional days, July 7-11, of training and two exhibition games (July 9 and 10) against Hungary's U19 Team in Budapest, Hungary, the 2005 USA U19 Team will travel to Tunis, Tunisia, for the July 15-24 FIBA U19 World Championship Tournament.

Among the players selected for the USA U19 squad, 11 had previous USA Basketball experience before this year. Eight were members of the 2004 USA U19 World Championship Qualifying Team that finished 5-0 to win gold and earn the US a spot in this summer's FIBA U19 World Championship. Those eight players include: Arriaran, Carson, Coleman, Larkins, Paris, Waner, Wiggins and Wirth. Additionally, Anosike, Arriaran, Carson, Coleman, Langhorne, Paris, Waner, Wiggins, Wirth and Zoll are USA Basketball Youth Development Festival alums.

Of the 12 U19 players, seven completed their freshman season in college in 2004-05, while five completed their high school senior years in 2004-05.

Three of the players who completed their first collegiate season earned conference freshman or rookie of the year honors: Anderson (Big Ten), Langhorne (ACC) and Wiggins (Pac-10). Wiggins also claimed the PAC-10 Player of the Year honor and became the first player in PAC-10 history to earn player of the year honors as a freshman.

Arriaran, Coleman, Paris and Waner were named to the 2005 Parade Magazine All-America first team and to the USA Today All-USA first team honors. Additionally, Arriaran was Parade's Player of the Year, Paris earned the Naismith Award and Player of the Year by USA Today and Waner was the Gatorade and McDonald's National Player of the Year.

To be eligible for the 2005 USA U19 World Championship Team, an athlete must have been born on or after Jan. 1, 1986 (19-years-old or younger).

Formerly known as the FIBA Women's Junior World Championship, the 2005 FIBA U19 World Championship features 12 teams, and is scheduled to run July 15-24 in Hammamet and Tunis, Tunisia. The USA has been placed in preliminary group A and its first round opponents will be Russia on July 15, then the USA will face Congo, Serbia & Montenegro, Puerto Rico and will close preliminary round action on July 20 against South Korea. Group B consists of Australia, Canada, China, Hungary, Spain and Tunisia.

Held every four years since 1985, the US boasts of a 24-10 record and has captured one gold and one bronze medal. In 2001, at the most recent U19 World Championship Tournament, then known as the Junior World Championship, a USA Basketball team piloted by University of Connecticut's Geno Auriemma and featuring players like Alana Beard and Diana Taurasi collected the bronze medal with a 6-1 record.

The United States secured its 2005 FIBA Women's U19 World Championship berth after the 2004 USA team earned the gold medal at the FIBA Americas Women's Junior World Championship Qualifying Tournament in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. The US finished a perfect 5-0 and outscored its opponents by a remarkable 81.0 PPG, while averaging 123.0 PPG

USA Basketball

Based in Colorado Springs, Colo., USA Basketball is a non-profit 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.

The competitions in which USA teams regularly compete include the Olympics, World Championships, Pan American Games, World University Games, World Championship for Young Men/Women, Junior World Championships, Hoop Summit and Youth Development Festivals.

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