USA Basketball Names 2009 Women's U16 National Team Roster



Elizabeth Williams (76) and Justine Hartman (59) battle for a rebound during the 2009 USA Basketball Women's U16 National Team Trials. Both punched their tickets to the 2009 FIBA Americas U16 Championship and will battle other countries in North, South and Central America and the Caribbean later this summer for a gold medal.



COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (May 31, 2009) -- Following three days of trials featuring 34 athletes at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., USA Basketball today announced the inaugural 2009 USA Basketball Women's U16 National Team roster, which will represent the USA in the 2009 FIBA Americas U16 Championship for Women (site and date TBD). The player selections were made by the 2009-12 USA Basketball Women's Developmental National Team Committee.



Named to the 2009 USA U16 National Team roster were: Jordan Adams (Mater Dei H.S. / Irvine, Calif.); Cierra Burdick (South Mecklenburg H.S. / Mathews, N.C.); Justine Hartman (Brea Olinda H.S. / Brea, Calif.); Betnijah Laney (Smyrna H.S. / Clayton, Del.); Ariel Massengale (Bolingbrook H.S. / Bolingbrook, Ill.); Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis (Mater Dei H.S. / Anaheim, Calif.); Alexia Standish (Colleyville Heritage H.S. / Colleyville, Texas); Breanna Stewart (Cicero-North Syracuse H.S. / North Syracuse, N.Y.); Kiah Stokes (Linn Mar H.S. / Marion, Iowa); Morgan Tuck (Bolingbrook H.S. / Bolingbrook, Ill.); Alexyz Vaioletama (Mater Dei H.S. / Fountain Valley, Calif.); and Elizabeth Williams (Princess Anne H.S. / Virginia Beach, Va.).

"I think the committee did a wonderful job," said Barbara Nelson, USA and Wingate University head coach. "We have 12 exceptional young ladies. Wonderful, very smart, very high basketball IQ, and I think that will allow us to do some great things.

"I see a lot of really interchangeable parts with this roster, which will be really helpful in the offenses we plan to run. We need to establish who our shooters are because I think that is going to be key for us, and from here on out, we need to understand the transition of the game better and not just waiting to set up a play.

"I am so excited to start practice. I am tired of watching them scrimmage, and I am ready to run some drills and teach some skills and hopefully take their basketball knowledge to a different level."

The 2009 USA Women's U16 National Team will remain in Colorado Springs through the morning of June 4 for training. Due to a left knee injury Tuck suffered during trials, Bashaara Graves (Clarksville H.S. / Clarksville, Tenn.) will practice with team through June 4. All 34 trials participants are members of the 2009-10 USA Basketball Women's Developmental National Team and are considered alternates.