Video: MaxPreps girls basketball all-AmericansWith the honor comes expectations, and the 12 members of last year's disappointing U16 FIBA Americas team learned that the hard way this past week. Only two of those 12 –
Aquira DeCosta of
St. Mary's (Stockton, Calif.) and
Sedona Prince of
Liberty Hill (Texas) – survived the tryout for this year's U17 team that will go the World Championships in Spain in June.
In addition, the selection committee dipped into the open tryout pool for three members of the team, an unprecedented number. Usually, almost all of the spots are filled by players who are specifically invited to the tryouts in Colorado Springs, but this time around
Janelle Bailey of
Providence Day (Charlotte, N.C.),
Taylor Mikesell of
Jackson (Massillon, Ohio) and
Abby Prohaska of
Lakota West (West Chester, Ohio) beat out the favorites to earn a spot.
Abby Prohaska, Lakota West
Photo by Michael Noyes
The rest of roster:
Jenna Brown of
Lovett (Atlanta);
Samantha Brunelle of
Monroe (Stanardsville, Va.);
Charli Collier of
Barbers Hill (Mt. Belvieu, Texas);
Maya Dodson of
St. Francis (Alpharetta, Ga.);
Destanni Henderson of
Fort Myers (Fla.);
Olivia Nelson-Ododa of
Winder-Barrow (Winder, Ga.) and
Christyn Williams of
Central Arkansas Christian (North Little Rock, Ark.).
Only two members of the Class of 2017 made the cut, as the selection committee leaned heavily upon the Class of 2018. Brunelle is from the Class of 2019, but the other nine are all rising juniors.
Perhaps the most surprising move in the final days of tryouts was that Alexis Morris, the leading scorer for last year's U16 team, was passed over. She was one of the final 18 that survived the May 26-30 tryout process (which began with 139 players), but after three more days, the selection committee opted to go with more fresh faces.
Rellah Boothe of IMG Academy, who was also in the final 18 for the U17 team, was moved up to the U18 team, which will be competing in the FIBA Americas tournament this summer.
The 12 team members will return to Colorado Springs for training camp, June 8-14, before the team departs on June 15 for the 2016 FIBA U17 World Championship, which will be played June 22-July 2 in Zaragoza, Spain. Players eligible for this team must be United States citizens born on or after Jan. 1, 1999.
