Since the inception of the inaugural Women’s NBA Academy Games, Monica Rogers has been there every step of the way.

The former No. 2 overall pick in the WNBA has been amped up since she arrived in Atlanta a week prior to the start of this year’s event. She’s admittedly exhausted from the many hours she poured into this project, but there’s a tone of excitement in her voice that’s impossible to overlook.

“I literally might not even sleep tonight because I’m just so excited for these girls to have this opportunity and to play hard and have fun,” Rogers said a day before competition got underway. “I think they enjoy being with each other. They’ve made friends with their teammates who don’t even speak the same language as them, and it’s fun to see them come out of their shell and perform like I know they can to earn a chance at a future in basketball.”

While the NBA Academy Games has showcased international prospects for four years on the men’s side, this year marks the first for women. The two-day competition began Thursday and ends Friday evening, with a total of 38 top prospects from more than 20 countries outside the U.S. descending upon Atlanta.

The showcase takes place during the NCAA women’s basketball live period, allowing coaches from across the country to make the trip to Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School in Atlanta to evaluate some of the top prospects the rest of the world has to offer.

A number of Division I schools are represented at this year’s event, including Wisconsin, Auburn, Michigan, Virginia Tech, Georgetown, Columbia, Liberty, Florida Gulf Coast, Rhode Island and UTSA, as well as a handful of Division II and JUCO schools. On top of that, several WNBA teams also sent scouts to assess talent, including the New York Liberty, Atlanta Dream and Seattle Storm.

In many ways, the Women’s NBA Academy Games mirrors what has been implemented on the men’s side. Rogers has seen firsthand the challenges international players face, both as a player for seven seasons in the WNBA and as an assistant coach at Liberty University in 2018-19.

“From a player’s perspective, I think most international players want to play at the highest level possible, and the NCAA offers not only that but an education as well,” Rogers said. “A lot of the issues players run into is they don’t even know they can get a full NCAA scholarship for playing basketball, and then beyond that, they have no idea how to obtain that and all the steps that are required to achieve that goal.

“There’s a lot of issues from a player’s perspective, but our goal for this event is to educate them and give them the experience of exposure from the NCAA and WNBA, and also just give them the experience of playing against other international players who share the same goal.”

img
Agata Makurat of Poland cheers on her team at the Women's NBA Academy Games on Thursday in Atlanta. (Nicole Sweet/NBA Academy)

Agata Makurat of Poland is among the top prospects featured at this year’s showcase. The 6-foot-3 guard comes from a family with no shortage of greatness on the hardwood, as her mother coached her for half a decade when she began playing and her father played basketball.

Her two older sisters were also both Division I players. Her oldest sister, Ola, played for three different schools during her college career, starting at Liberty before leaving her mark at Utah and finishing up at Arkansas State. Her other sister, Anna, played two seasons at UConn (2019-21) before returning to Europe to compete professionally.

“We were always competing, and I always wanted to be better than them,” Agata said with a laugh. “They are my motivation right now because they are already pros, and it’s the place I want to be in a couple years.”

Last month, Agata verbally committed to Vanderbilt, but she’s using the summer to step back on the court and regain her confidence after undergoing surgery earlier in the year. While she’s made the trip three times prior, the Academy Games marks her first time competing in the U.S.

“It’s completely different than my country,” said Agata, who will graduate in 2023. “The girls are more athletic, and the game is tougher. I’m really enjoying it so far.”

Agata’s favorite players are WNBA stars Breanna Stewart and Katie Lou Samuelson, both of whom play a similar style to the one she wants to play.

“I’m trying to be as versatile as I can and maybe play as a guard even when I’m a post player, so it’s easier for me because most of the post players are not as fast,” Agata said. “I have the opportunity to show my skills as a guard.”

Still a year removed from her final high school season, Erica Marie Carr Ramos of Mexico is using the Academy Games to leverage her own interest from college coaches. Ramos hails from Chihuahua, Mexico and has been playing since she was 4 years old.

The 6-3 Ramos has been in the U.S. for a little over a year and has been working hard at improving her hookshot and footwork in the post. Before arriving in the U.S., Ramos was used more as a shooting guard/small forward, but her unique size gives her an advantage down low. And coaches have taken notice.

Ramos is excited to get the opportunity to play with players from all around the world, and she hopes the exposure from the Academy Games will help her gain valuable experience.

“Getting to play in front of coaches, getting to be coached by other coaches and be adapted to their plays and their system — feeling comfortable, that’s new,” Ramos said. “It’s normal to feel uncomfortable when you learn a new position, a new play.”

img
Erica Marie Carr Ramos competes in the Women's NBA Academy Games on Thursday in Atlanta. (Nicole Sweet/NBA Academy)

Several schools have already shown interest in Ramos, including UNLV, UTSA, Tulsa, North Texas and Baylor. Much of that interest can be attributed to her first summer on the AAU circuit, which has allowed her to gain a heightened level of exposure.

Still, her year in the U.S. has been a learning experience on the court. Ramos’ parents were both basketball players as well, and they trained her to be a versatile presence who could play inside-out.

“When I moved back to the States, it was kind of difficult because they only wanted me to be in one position because I’m tall,” said Ramos, who tries to model her game after WNBA MVP favorite A’ja Wilson. “I kind of struggled with that the first year. Slowly, I’m starting to get my rhythm back and my skills back with being versatile.”

With teams composed of players from various countries, Ramos has been an asset at the Academy Games, helping facilitate communication between Spanish- and English-speaking players. She’s enjoying the multi-cultural aspect of getting to know her teammates.

“It’s been great,” Ramos said. “It gives me the opportunity to meet girls from other countries, learn about their cultures, talk with them, make friends and also have these relationships, hopefully, in the future and continue them.”

The Academy Games began with three days of practice that allowed players to adjust to time-zone changes, settle into their teams and prepare their bodies for exhibition games on Thursday and Friday.

For the exhibition games, international players are divided into four teams — black, green, blue and red — while two select teams of top local players from Atlanta-based The Skill Factory are also on hand to compete. The women’s event also included a panel discussion about leadership and player pathways, led by former WNBA players Rushia Brown, Chasity Melvin, Nakia Sanford and Tracy Henderson.

In 2021, the WNBA had seven international players drafted for the first time since 2001. Three of those players from the 2021 draft were taken in the first round alone, including the Dallas Wings’ No. 2 overall pick, Awak Kuier of Finland.

Rogers believes the importance of international players thriving in the WNBA is “imperative” because it allows the league to advance the game globally.

“I think it’s great,” she said. “I have a lot of respect for international players because I played overseas for five seasons, and the commitment, the work ethic — there’s so many great things about international basketball. We see it in the NBA as well. It just brings the game full circle, and it really evolves the game as well.”

Trent Singer is the High School Editor at Just Women’s Sports. Follow him on Twitter @trentsinger.

Aaliyah Gayles surprised her USC teammates Thursday when she stopped in during the Trojans’ summer workouts.

The heartwarming moment was caught on camera as teammates surrounded Gayles and offered up hugs and words of encouragement. TMZ Sports spoke with Gayles’ father, Dwight, who confirmed this was his daughter’s first time with the team since she was shot 10 times at a North Las Vegas house party on April 16.

Gayles officially signed with USC on April 25 and is expected to make a full recovery.

The Spring Valley High School (Nev.) graduate averaged 13.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.5 steals and 3.3 assists last season and is the No. 8 recruit in the class of 2022, according to ESPN.

The whispers in the hallway, the lonely bus rides to and from meets, the exhaustion from the burden of it all — for the first girls who dared to become wrestlers, these shared experiences made it rather difficult for them to imagine they were the pioneers of what is now the fastest-growing high school sport.

In 1990, a little more than 100 girls across the country competed in high school wrestling. The concept of a wrestling team composed entirely of girls was implausible, and the only opportunities to participate were with the boys. Stereotypes made it even more difficult. Not only was there a physical disadvantage when competing against boys, but also a cultural one — much of society wasn’t ready to accept that women could train and compete in a machismo sport like wrestling.

But that stigma couldn’t slow down the movement.

According to the National Wrestling Coaches Association, there are now approximately 34,000 girls and over 6,000 teams in the U.S. participating in wrestling at the high school level. Year after year, those numbers have continued to boom, and with 36 states now recognizing girls wrestling as a sanctioned sport, it shows no signs of slowing down.

The growth has also reached the college level, where the number of women’s teams stands at 120 with 1,462 participants. In September 2021, the University of Iowa became the first Power Five conference institution to offer women’s wrestling, and they’re set to begin competing in 2023-24.

NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer believes the success in growing the sport can be attributed to visibility created at the Olympic level, as well as from coaches who have championed the movement at the scholastic and intercollegiate levels. He also credits organizations like the one he serves as a key to the swell.

“The NWCA has been very successful in helping to add 120 intercollegiate women’s wrestling programs across the nation, and those opportunities have helped to inspire many young girls to enter our sport,” Moyer says. “We also have a lot of other affiliated organizations in our sport that work well together to grow our sport.”

img
Kylie Welker, Iowa wrestling signee, competes against Jacklyn Smith at the US Marine Corps Junior and U16 National Championships last July. (Photo by Tony Rotundo)

With each year that passes, it seems a new wrestling milestone is set. In 2001, at West Virginia’s Class AA-A state tournament, Erica Dyes fell just short of becoming the first girl to win a state title, becoming instead the first girl to finish second in a boys competition. Deanna Rix of Maine (2005) and Alyssa Lampe of Wisconsin (2006) later matched that feat before Michaela Hutchison of Alaska became the first girl to claim a title against boys, winning the 103-pound crown in 2006.

Then there was Clarissa Chun, who in 1998 became the first high school champion at the first girls state tournament in Hawaii in the 98-pound weight class. Chun went on to be crowned a world champion in freestyle wrestling in 2008 before claiming a bronze medal at the 2012 Olympics. She was an assistant coach for the USA Wrestling women’s national team from 2017-21, and on Nov. 18, 2021 she was named the inaugural coach of Iowa’s women’s program.

Stories of the early pioneers in women’s wrestling are not forgotten, while advocates of the sport continue to strive for equal representation. The sport has made many strides in recent years, but the fact remains that 16 states and territories have yet to sanction girls wrestling at the high school level.

For many, the fight continues.

img
Francesca LoPresti (Albany HS) takes on Ariana Pereira (Newark Memorial HS) in the finals of the 2020 Napa Valley Girls Classic. (Photo by Tony Rotundo)

‘Girls can wrestle, too’

It’s a typical summer for Annaliese Witmer in her hometown of Bellefonte, Pa., where she can finally decompress and enjoy her time away from the classroom. Annaliese is no different than her classmates in that she’s not bound by her textbooks and homework during these warmer months. The summer allows her time to swim and play her ukulele, but more importantly, she’s able to focus on what she’s grown to love the most in recent years: amateur wrestling.

Annaliese will be a junior when the school year begins in late August but is still buzzing from a sophomore year in which she joined her school’s student newspaper, Bellefonte’s Red & White, and fully immersed herself in journalism.

Bellefonte is a central Pennsylvania borough with a population of a little more than 6,000, and it sits just 15 minutes northeast of State College, where Annaliese’s mother and father attended college at Penn State and got engaged at Beaver Stadium. Wrestling has always been a part of her life. Her father, Brian, wrestled a little bit during his high school years, but he’s always held onto his fandom.

Annaliese’s older brother, Zack, was a four-time letter winner in wrestling at Saint Joseph’s Catholic Academy in nearby Boalsburg, where he had a 116-21 record and was a team captain, before enrolling at Columbia College in New York. Zack is a member of the school’s wrestling team and is entering his sophomore season.

“When my brother was growing up, my dad would take him to Penn State wrestling matches when he was still in diapers,” Annaliese says. “When he was 2, he started wrestling, and he’s been wrestling ever since.”

Annaliese admits she always dreaded having to spend every weekend watching her brother compete in tournaments, but by the time she was 14, she had developed a love for the sport. Right around then, she had realized girls could wrestle, too.

Annaliese recalls one particular tournament last fall, the Super 32 Challenge, in which the girls’ results from the national event weren’t posted, and it never sat right with her.

“That’s when I was like, ‘Hey, I need to give girls wrestling some attention. Nobody else is going to,’” she says.

With the help of her brother, Annaliese set out to write an article on girls wrestling. She was able to get in touch with Emma Randall, an assistant coach for the 2016 women’s Olympic team who had recently taken a position as head coach at the New York City Regional Training Center.

“I didn’t know who she was until I started doing research on who I was going to be interviewing, and I was like, ‘Holy crap,’” Annaliese says.

Along with Randall, Annaliese also interviewed Grace Stem, who competed for the U.S. in the women’s freestyle at the 2021 Cadet European Championships, and Ava Bayless, a fellow “wrestling sister” she knew through local circles but has since signed a National Letter of Intent with Iowa. The result was a 1,325-word article published on Dec. 2, 2021 in Bellefonte’s Red & White, titled “Girls Can Wrestle Too.”

From that moment on, Annaliese’s confidence boomed. On New Year’s Eve, she launched a website of her own called Takedown Talk, devoted entirely to promoting girls and women in wrestling.

“I wrote that first article for my school newspaper, and at that point I had zero followers on Twitter,” Annaliese says. “I never used Twitter in my life, so all the followers I have now — I think I have 400-something — have all been from my wrestling advocacy.

“It’s something I always thought about doing, like, ‘Oh, I want to make my own website about something I feel passionate about.’”

As soon as Annaliese started her Twitter account, she immediately began gaining followers from people interested in her advocacy through Takedown Talk. She even received a follow from Sally Roberts, a former combat sport veteran and sport psychology consultant who founded Wrestle Like a Girl, an organization focused on empowering girls and women through wrestling.

“I had a lot of help making the website,” says Annaliese, who also advocates for ADHD awareness through her website. “I reached out to a lot of people who have done it before me and kind of asked for their advice, like ‘Hey, would you actually read my content? Is this something people would actually be interested in?’

“I made the website and thought it was going to be for fun. I never thought I’d be sitting in this position today.”

Pennsylvania is one of 16 states and territories that have yet to sanction girls wrestling, though it has been granted Emerging Sport Status by the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association, meaning that it’s on track to be a fully sponsored sport as soon as 100 teams are formed. There are currently 54 schools in the state that have approved a girls wrestling program.

But within just a year’s time, the sport has seen exponential growth in Pennsylvania — Annaliese recalls reading an article in mid-June of 2021 when there were only 11 programs. She has worked closely with the nonprofit organization SanctionPA to help increase wrestling opportunities for girls across the state.

For Annaliese, the advocacy starts in her own community, as Bellefonte itself has yet to sanction girls wrestling. She’s spoken to the school’s athletic director about starting a program, but the fact that there are currently no girls competing on the boys team has kept the school from attempting to establish a program of its own.

“I feel like there’s always been girls who have wanted to wrestle and have wrestled, but it’s just now getting popular because girls know they can wrestle,” Annaliese says. “If you look at Pennsylvania, when I was growing up there were maybe two girls, if that, in the whole state who wrestled. There weren’t very many.

“Now there’s over 500 in my state alone, and I think that’s probably because when these schools have wrestling teams, girls start wrestling.”

Thanks to Title IX, Ballard couldn’t turn her away

It was a difficult story for Aymi Paradise-Flores to recount, but she knew it needed to be told.

Aymi took the stage in late April to share her story from three decades prior as part of the Des Moines Storytellers Project, a series of events in which community members worked with Des Moines Register journalists to tell first-person stories live on stage.

Her story began in rural Iowa. Aymi’s father, Arvin Foell, was a second-degree black belt in judo who taught at a studio in Fort Dodge, and Aymi was excited to be like her father. She began practicing judo when she was a kindergartener, learning first how to fall. She would curve like a roly poly, tuck her chin, drop from standing, spread her arms like an eagle and slap the mat.

img
Aymi practices judo with her father, Arvin, at a studio in Fort Dodge, Iowa. (Photo provided by Aymi)

Some of her earliest memories involved going to her father’s judo tournaments. One in particular stands out from an event in Omaha, Neb., where Arvin broke his arm but still won. He received his trophy with a bloody cloth around the figure’s arm.

That embodied the kind of toughness instilled in Arvin at a young age. As a teenager, he worked at a granary at night and went to school during the day, eventually becoming the first in his family to go to college and one of a few to complete high school. He attended Iowa State, where he met his wife, Jeanne, at a plant pathology lab as work-study students. Together, they had four children, the oldest of whom was Aymi.

Arvin was a pig farmer whose job required the family to move to various small towns across northern Iowa before they eventually landed in Huxley, a small town in the center of a trio of other small towns — Slater, Cambridge and Kelley — that made up Ballard High School.

When Aymi was in middle school, she found herself falling into a bad habit on a regular basis — she would come home, take a nap, eat junk food, take a nap again and then stay up all night doing homework — so in seventh grade, she begged her dad to practice judo again.

“I wanted to really be more powerful again, and it was a good connection with my dad,” Aymi says. “When we would go, we’d get that one-on-one time.”

Master Yong Chin Pak was the head instructor at the Iowa State Judo Club, where Aymi and Arvin trained. For Arvin, judo was a way for him to manage his anger, and Aymi eventually practiced it for the same reason. By the time she was 13, Aymi was the only non-college kid in the club, and in the summer of 1988, she and her father both took home gold at the Iowa Games.

img
Aymi, left, poses for photos after winning the Iowa Games in the summer of 1988. (Photo provided by Aymi)

A couple of years later, Aymi found herself falling back into the same bad habit from several years prior. She longed for the camaraderie and connection she found in judo, so in 10th grade, she discovered wrestling.

It seemed like an ideal fit, but there was one problem — not only was a girls team non-existent at Ballard, there were no girls wrestling at all. In fact, Iowa only had two girls wrestling in the entire state at the time, and Ballard had never had a female wrestler.

That all changed with Aymi, and thanks to Title IX, Ballard couldn’t turn her away.

The principal and coaches at Ballard were worried Aymi would get hurt, but Arvin never shared those same concerns.

“I’d just have those conversations with my dad at a time when it’s not easy to have conversations, and my father and I have kind of always been really similar and really close. So that makes things both hard and easy,” Aymi says. “Judo and wrestling had both been avenues to connect with my dad, especially through my teenage years when words were really hard to make work. In fact, a lot of times in my teenage years, I remember writing letters to my dad because I felt like I could never get out the right words.

“Wrestling and judo was that other language that we shared.”

Aymi still remembers her first pin at practice. She’d been working on her technique for months, as well as her conditioning and weightlifting. The teammate she wrestled that day assumed it was his lucky day, and while he was focused on the wrong kind of moves, Aymi was fixated on defeating her opponent. First she tried to pick his ankle, and then she went for a double-leg dive. To no avail, she dove into the fireman’s carry, lifted him over her shoulder and brought him to the mat for a pin.

The next day, that same teammate told the other kids at school that he let her win because he felt her up, and just like that, one of the most memorable moments of Aymi’s young wrestling career was tainted by a boy who was too insecure to admit defeat to a girl.

Despite several allies on the team, they were still few and far between. Matches were repeatedly forfeited because her opponents refused to wrestle a girl, and most of her teammates pretended like she didn’t even exist. She dressed in the locker room with cheerleaders, and on bus rides to and from road meets, Aymi often sat by herself at the front of the bus.

Then there was the reaction from those outside of her school in Huxley, where many didn’t believe she should be wrestling at all. Aymi heard the speculation and innuendo about her wrestling with the boys, and her decision to join the team even led to her father’s removal as a deacon at the family’s church, with longtime friends denouncing him on the basis of allowing his daughter to wrestle boys.

“I think in the end it demoralized and traumatized me more than I realized, but I think I internalized and kept going on and put up that face of pretending like it didn’t demoralize me as much as it did on the inside,” Aymi says. “It’s your game face. It was almost like it was still a competition all the time. I think that’s what it was more than anything.

“I just wasn’t going to give up, and I wasn’t going to give in to a lot of those pressures. Wrestling is not an easy sport, and it’s constant conditioning. You’re constantly pushing your own limits. I wasn’t in it for all the reasons people thought I was.”

img
Aymi poses for a school photo as a member of the Ballard High School wrestling team. (Photo provided by Aymi)

Amid all the assumptions about why Aymi had taken up the sport, it was as if no one ever bothered to ask her why she was there.

She did it to prove to herself that she could do it and push herself to limits she didn’t know she could achieve. The more people didn’t want her there, the more Aymi wanted to stay. Even her father told her later on that he didn’t think she’d last a week.

She lasted two years.

“I got my letter that first year, and I feel like that’s what they thought I was in it for, too, a different recognition,” Aymi says. “That’s why I went out for a second year because it was never about that either. It wasn’t about just getting that letter, and knowing that wasn’t a real letter — I won that letter because of forfeits — it always felt disingenuous or like some sort of token.

“It was about being able to keep going when no one wants you to keep going but you, so I’ve come back to that theme a lot of times in my life and in a lot of different situations.”

Although she never won a match, it was never about the wins and losses for Aymi, but she still found reason to celebrate her successes, even the small ones. She speaks with confidence in being distinguished as Ballard’s first female wrestler, and much like her father, she knows she can weather any storm she faces.

Aymi’s experiences are rooted in a lonely, alienated place, but she emerges stronger than ever before. Through it all, she’s learned to be empathetic, persistent and resilient.

Nowadays, she’s a credit recovery flex teacher and debate and speech head coach at Hoover High School in Des Moines, and as she looks back on her journey at Ballard, Aymi recognizes it as something much larger than her own. She paved the way for future girls to push the limit in a male-dominated sport, including her sister, who joined Ballard’s team just several years after Aymi.

A mere two weeks before Aymi told her story in Des Moines, Ballard voted to create a girls wrestling team, and Aymi’s no longer ashamed to disguise the identity she’s been hiding since changing her name.

It’s the story of Amy Foell — pronounced “fell” — Ballard’s first female wrestler, Class of 1994.

“Now there’s a place to go with those kinds of skills,” Aymi says. “There was no place to go with those skills when I was doing it. That’s why I admire it now.

“This is why this story was important to tell now.”

Leveling the playing field

Since 2004, women’s wrestling has been recognized as an Olympic sport, providing exposure that had previously been unattainable. That same year, Patricia Miranda claimed the first medal for the U.S. when she won bronze at 48 kg, while Sara McMann became the first U.S. woman Olympic finalist, winning silver at 62 kg.

Then, in 2016, Helen Maroulis became the first U.S. woman to win a gold medal in women’s freestyle wrestling when she defeated three-time Olympic champion Saori Yoshida of Japan in the finals in Rio de Janeiro.

img
Helen Maroulis of the United States defeats Saori Yoshida of Japan for the 53kg wrestling gold at the Rio Olympics. (Photo by Tony Rotundo)

Moyer dedicates a large part of his routine every day to speaking with college administrators about the importance of adding women’s wrestling. In many cases, the NWCA helps to raise startup funds for new programs and provide full scholarships for women’s college coaches and high school coaches aiming to transition to the next level, allowing them to attend a comprehensive CEO Leadership Academy where the goal is to strengthen their CEO skills.

The focus is on things like recruiting, retention, fundraising and branding, and the NWCA also has a dedicated administrator to help support new programs as they are established.

“At the high school level, we have a modified version of the CEO academy that is uniquely designed to help scholastic coaches become better at recruitment, retention and other skills necessary to sustain girls programs,” Moyer says. “We also advocate vigorously with all of the collegiate and scholastic governing bodies to embrace girls/women’s wrestling.”

For the advocates, the mission doesn’t end until the playing field is equal.

In Bellefonte alone, there are no clubs within a two-hour radius for girls to wrestle, according to Annaliese. There’s also the issue of gaining access to necessary gear — things like shoes and singlets aren’t readily available for girls to find. While she’s happy with the progress that’s been made, Annaliese knows there’s still more work to be done.

“The growth has been amazing that I’ve seen so far in my lifetime,” she says, “but I don’t think I’ll ever be fully satisfied until it is even with the boys, until we get equal media coverage and have as many opportunities as the boys because we still do have a lack of opportunities.”

The debate over trans inclusion in sports was one that weighed heavy on Aymi’s mind as she prepared to tell her story in April. She compares it to her own battle for inclusion three decades prior.

“I was like, ‘You know what? Twenty years ago, they didn’t want you on their team either, so how dare you keep someone else out who wants to be there,’” Aymi says. “I think that, more than anything, is what prompted me. These girls just don’t know.

“It wasn’t just an option that you could sign up for. It wasn’t OK. People didn’t want you there.”

img
Nanea Estrella (Spartan Combat RTC) celebrates after winning the 59kg title at the U.S. Senior Nationals in April. (Photo by Tony Rotundo)

Aymi still sees the sexism entrenched at a generational level as she recalls a heartbreaking moment in which her daughter was playing flag football in first grade, and a boy on that team told her, “Girls don’t play football.”

“She was too sad and embarrassed and never went back,” Aymi says while holding back tears. “It still happens, and that was like two years ago. That’s what needs to change, the attitude that certain sports are for boys or girls instead of it just being a sport.”

Attitudes surrounding the sport are barriers that continue to stymie progress. While advocates believe it’s important to celebrate the progress, it’s still not enough.

What comforts Aymi is knowing there are others out there who are just like her, early pioneers who dared to challenge the norm. She also takes great pride in being someone who helped start that conversation among her generation — many of whom are now parents and, in some cases, grandparents of the next generation.

“I think that just even seeing that possibility changed the way they allowed their children to interact in sports,” Aymi says. “I think that’s what’s been the biggest legacy, not necessarily my journey, but the exposure and seeing that it’s possible and seeing that, ‘Oh, she got beat her first time and never came back.’

“No, I kept coming back for more and more.”

Trent Singer is the High School Editor at Just Women’s Sports. Follow him on Twitter @trentsinger.

The U.S., France, Spain and Hungary each finished 3-0 and emerged as group leaders following the conclusion of group play Tuesday at the FIBA U17 Women’s World Cup in Debrecen, Hungary.

The Round of 16 begins Wednesday, with the U.S. taking on Korea in their bracket play opener. France will square off against Mexico, Spain will face Mali and Hungary will go up against Argentina.

Team USA, whose roster is full of top high school talent headed for Division I programs, cruised through group play with three dominant performances. They averaged 88.7 points per game and held their opponents to a tournament-best 41 points per game. On Sunday, they routed New Zealand 102-34 in a game that featured the only triple-digit score thus far in the tournament.

Juju Watkins led the way for the Americans, averaging 11.7 points per game, while Breya Cunningham chipped in 10.0 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. Watkins notched a double-double with 12 points and 10 boards in the group play finale for the U.S. against Germany, a game in which the U.S. won 86-40 to clinch first place in the group.

Canada’s Toby Lee Fournier leads all players at the World Cup with 18.7 points and 15.3 rebounds per game. Egypt’s Jana Elalfy is second among all players in scoring with 17.3 points per game.

Full score recap

Saturday, July 9

  • Slovenia 87, Australia 81
  • Egypt 75, Korea 73
  • France 98, Argentina 35
  • Spain 60, Canada 57
  • Germany 68, New Zealand 35
  • Hungary 55, Belgium 39
  • Japan 77, Mexico 40
  • United States 78, Mali 49

Sunday, July 10

  • Canada 92, Korea 58
  • Australia 66, Argentina 44
  • Spain 86, Egypt 48
  • France 93, Slovenia 56
  • Germany 55, Mali 44
  • Hungary 79, Japan 55
  • United States 102, New Zealand 34
  • Belgium 92, Mexico 43

Tuesday, July 12

  • France 77, Australia 66
  • Slovenia 73, Argentina 45
  • Canada 67, Egypt 44
  • Spain 92, Korea 52
  • Hungary 71, Mexico 36
  • Belgium 60, Japan 57
  • United States 86, Germany 40
  • New Zealand 61, Mali 58

Upcoming schedule

Wednesday, July 13 (Round of 16)

  • Mexico vs. France
  • Belgium vs. Australia
  • Japan vs. Slovenia
  • Canada vs. New Zealand
  • Spain vs. Mali
  • Hungary vs. Argentina
  • Egypt vs. Germany
  • United States vs. Korea

There’s a moment from last fall that sticks with coach Rick Link the most when he reflects on Amelia White’s career at Homestead High School.

The Spartans were in the regional semifinals of Indiana’s Class 3A bracket, and their opponent was two-time defending state champion Noblesville, a program that hadn’t lost a match in over two and a half years. On top of that, Noblesville hadn’t allowed more than three goals in a game in over four years.

But with White on the pitch, this year was different.

In front of a jubilant home crowd, Homestead faced a 1-0 deficit before one touch to White changed everything.

“We touched the ball to her to kick it back off, and she dribbled straight to the goal past five of their defenders and scored within six seconds to tie it back up,” Link says. “She had a hat trick, plus she was tripped in the box. Another girl took the PK, and we won 4-2.

“I saw their coach later at the state voting that we do together down in Indianapolis. He said people were asking, ‘Well, why didn’t you do something different to stop her?’ And he goes, ‘There was nothing you could do to stop her.’ She’s flying by his best defenders, and that was the most dominating performance I’ve ever seen on the offensive end.”

White hasn’t slowed down since then.

Homestead went on to finish the season 22-0 and claim its first state championship in program history. White was named Miss Indiana by the Indiana Soccer Coaches Association and the Gatorade Indiana Girls Soccer Player of the Year, and now she can add one more accolade to the list — Just Women’s Sports High School Soccer Player of the Year.

After racking up 25 goals and 15 assists in her senior season, she’s headed to the Division I ranks to compete for Penn State.

While the future is certainly bright for White, her beginnings warrant their own story. It all began when she and her twin sister discovered their passion for soccer a little more than a decade ago.

img
Amelia White, left, competes in a match for Fort Wayne United FC. (Photo provided)

Growing up in Fort Wayne, Amelia and Sophia both began playing soccer when they were 6 years old. Inspired by their older brother, they discovered their own love of the game and played on a recreational team, but it didn’t last very long.

“I would just score goals,” Amelia says. “Me and my sister would only pass to each other, so they actually kicked us off the rec team because we wouldn’t pass to anyone and we’d just score goals.”

Shortly thereafter, they joined Fort Wayne United FC and the journey started to get more serious. Amelia was about 13 years old when she began training with the boys, and by the time she was 14, she was playing with FWUFC’s oldest age group for girls.

It was around that time that Link watched Amelia play for the first time.

“I was just amazed,” Link says. “The ball sticks to her foot. Her speed with the ball, I mean, I’ve never seen anyone that fast with the ball at her foot. She’s racing past people, dribbling past people, and they don’t have the ball. And they can’t keep up.

“You could watch her play for five minutes and realize she’s a once-in-a-lifetime type of player.”

The experience of getting to share the pitch with her sister throughout the years is one that Amelia cherishes, but she admits it wasn’t easy to navigate the comparisons that always seemed to surface between the two. While Amelia was busy attending national team camps, Sophia was settling into her role as a stalwart defender and wasn’t drawing the same level of hype. It was hard on Sophia, but as time passed, they learned to handle it better.

“I think now it’s really good that we recognize we’re on different sides of the field,” Amelia says. “We both have different jobs. She’s really good at what she does, and I’m good at what I do. We’re pretty competitive still, but I think that helps us a lot.”

As freshmen, they made an immediate impact on Link’s squad. The Spartans advanced to the state championship game but lost to perennial powerhouse Carmel in a 2-1 decision.

Sophia went on to start at center back all four years at Homestead, but Amelia’s eyes were fixed on competing internationally. In 2019, Amelia was invited to play for the U.S. U-17 women’s national team at a friendly tournament in Sweden, and the obligation forced her to miss a large chunk of her sophomore season at Homestead.

Then, a year later, Amelia was upfront with her coach early on that she had planned to compete for the U.S. at the U-17 World Cup and would have to miss the season due to training in the fall. The World Cup was eventually canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It was pretty much the first time that I’d ever been away from home for a long amount of time at a pretty young age, but it was a really good experience and a really big learning experience, just going to other countries and learning about other cultures,” she says. “It was awesome. Trainings were super intense. It definitely helped me develop as a player, but it was mainly the stuff they would tell me and I took back home that really made a difference.”

From the moment it began, Amelia knew her senior season was going to be special. For one, it was an opportunity to get to take the field with her sister one more time. But beyond that, she had developed a unique bond with her entire team that made their cohesion as a unit that much stronger.

“Even though everyone was really close and best friends, we took the training pretty serious. I think that’s what made a difference. I love those girls,” Amelia says. “Once we did get to the tournament, we played at such a high level against older girls, so I think the seniors did a really good job of showing and leading how to deal with that.”

Link believes Amelia’s experience with the national team brought along an entirely new element to her game. She was much more focused on elevating the players around her, demonstrating a sense of maturity he’d yet to see from her.

“She set a lot of other girls up,” Link says. “She could’ve taken over every game we played. She took over at times if she needed to, but she really involved her teammates more her senior year and was just out there to have fun.”

Following the momentous win over Noblesville, Homestead went on to claim the region crown with a 2-0 victory over Harrison before Amelia was forced to miss the state semifinal match due to a training obligation with the national team. The Spartans escaped that game with a win over Saint Joseph, in which they tied 0-0 in regulation before advancing in penalty kicks.

A week later, Amelia was back on the pitch with her sister in the state final. She scored a goal and led the Spartans to a 2-1 win over Carmel, avenging their loss from three years prior and clinching the first state soccer title in school history.

“It didn’t even feel real,” Amelia says. “Coming off of hard games before, like the Noblesville game, we were already on a high, but we knew that was going to be a really tough game. Once the final whistle blew, it was just really surreal.”

Although she only played two full seasons at the high school level, Amelia finished her career at Homestead with 52 goals and 31 assists. She’s ranked as the No. 2 recruit in the Class of 2022 by Top Drawer Soccer, which earned her attention from a handful of Division I schools.

In November, Amelia and Sophia sat next to each other in front of family, friends, coaches and media as they each signed national letters of intent to continue their careers at the college level — Sophia with IUPUI and Amelia with Penn State.

Amelia chose the Nittany Lions over the likes of Georgetown, USC and Notre Dame, impressed by the relationship she’d built with head coach Erica Dambach.

“It’s very family-oriented, which I really liked to see when I was on my visit,” says Amelia, who currently plans to major in political science but is still undeclared. “The campus is also just gorgeous, and it was the only place where I really felt at home and secure. I could just envision myself being here, and I think that was the really big difference that separated Penn State from the other schools because I just didn’t really feel that when talking to other coaches or visiting campuses.

“Penn State is just such a big school. There’s so many degrees and opportunities to explore here, so I really enjoyed that, too.”

As she heads to the college level, Amelia is bound to run into competition unlike anything she’s seen before, and Link is fascinated by how her game will translate at the next level.

“She’s always been the best player on her team by far, even when she’s playing up. Obviously when she came in as a freshman in high school, she was playing against seniors, but she was used to that because she was always playing up in club level, too,” he says. “I think she’ll need to continue to work really hard because I think it’ll be the first time where there might be some girls who will be able to match her skills and speed, and that typically has not been the case.”

Amelia is already training with her teammates at Penn State and is enrolled in summer classes. She has goals of getting back in the mix with the national team and wants to make an impact right away at Penn State, but she understands her role while learning behind players like Ally Schlegel, who led the Nittany Lions with 10 goals last season.

Amelia credits her coaches at FWUFC as some of her greatest mentors over the years — people like Bobby Poursanidis and Claire Ward.

For Amelia, it always seems to come back to Fort Wayne, a town that has produced soccer stars like Sarah Killion, DaMarcus Beasley and Akil Amen-Diop Watts.

Amelia wants to be the next name on that list, and if her senior season at Homestead is any indication, she’s well on her way.

“It was just one of those years where things came together, and we didn’t have any serious injuries,” Link says. “We won in PKs twice in the tournament, so there’s obviously luck involved there.

“It doesn’t hurt to have players like Amelia and Sophia as well.”

Trent Singer is the High School Editor at Just Women’s Sports. Follow him on Twitter @trentsinger.

It all began as just another day for Riley Jackson, but it quickly evolved into one she’ll never forget.

Aware that she’d been named her state’s Gatorade Girls Soccer Player of the Year a week prior, Jackson and her father headed to her high school Thursday in Roswell, Ga., to take part in what she thought were the ceremonial photos for being the recipient of that award, but when she approached the doors of the school’s library, something much more prestigious was waiting on the other side.

To Jackson’s surprise, the room was filled with friends, family, teammates and a coordinated media team who were all on hand to watch her receive the trophy for Gatorade National Girls Soccer Player of the Year, an award in which the sophomore standout bested nearly half a million student-athletes from across the country.

“My mouth was hanging wide open. I was probably about to cry,” Jackson said. “Seeing all my friends and family there to support me was huge. The huge camera crew, I honestly didn’t really know what to do in the moment because I was just so overwhelmed with excitement.

“Honestly, at first, it was confusion because I thought that I was just going to take a couple pictures, and it turned into a big ceremony to have this award presented to me.”

To top it off, Chicago Red Stars and U.S. Women’s National Team star Mallory Pugh was on hand via Zoom to surprise Jackson with the award, which has only had three sophomore winners in its 37 years of existence. But make no mistake about her age — Jackson is already well-decorated.

And this is only the beginning.

“I’m super grateful to have the opportunity,” Jackson said about receiving the national honor. “I think, for me, it’s a motivator to keep working hard, to keep wanting to achieve what I’ve trained for my entire life and keep working toward those goals and wanting to get better every single day.”

The 5-foot-8 midfielder wrapped up her sophomore year at Blessed Trinity Catholic High School with 14 goals and 18 assists despite missing the postseason due to obligations with the U.S. Soccer U17 Women’s National Team. The Titans finished 19-2-1 on the year and were ousted in the semifinals of the Class 5A state tournament, however, Jackson was making a name for herself on a much grander stage.

The U17 national team defeated Mexico 2-1 in the championship, and Jackson was the Golden Ball winner, awarded to the tournament’s best player.

“It’s always been my dream to represent my country and play outside of the country because that was actually my first international trip,” said Jackson, who captained the Americans in the final. “Having that opportunity and being a part of that team meant a lot to me. Even putting on the crest means a lot to me every single day there.

“I always say, ‘When I put on the crest, I feel like I can fly,’ so having the opportunity to play and represent my country meant a lot. And to win the tournament and win the Golden Ball, I don’t think I could’ve done all the things I did without the support of my friends and family back home but also my coaches and teammates while I was there because we had such a close relationship.”

img
Riley Jackson poses with friends and teammates while holding the Gatorade National Girls Soccer Player of the Year trophy on Thursday, June 30, in Roswell, Ga. (Photo provided by Gatorade)

In addition to her on-the-field accomplishments, Jackson has also demonstrated excellence in the classroom, where she’s maintained a weighted 4.26 GPA, and she volunteers locally as a youth soccer instructor and camp coach.

“It means a lot to me to be a role model for the little girls in my community also because I do live in a tight-knit community,” said Jackson, who’s also a USSF certified, paid referee, “so having the opportunity and the support to be an inspiration for those little girls means a lot to me, too.”

Pugh’s rise to national stardom at such a young age is an inspiration to Jackson, but she also tries to model her game after several others on the USWNT, including Rose Lavelle and Lindsey Horan.

“Riley Jackson can change the game with one touch of the ball,” said Jason Page, head coach of Walton High School in Georgia. “She can out-work any player on the field, her vision is national-elite level and she has precision passing with amazing touch.”

The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes 51 recipients from each of the 50 states as well as the District of Columbia, and it includes one national recipient from each sport. The student-athletes are selected by the Gatorade Player of the Year Selection Committee, which leverages experts including coaches, scouts, media and others as sources to help determine the state winners in each sport.

The award recognizes not only outstanding athletic performance but also high standards of academic achievement and exceptional character demonstrated both on and off the field. The program was established in 1985, and its recipients have won hundreds of professional and college championships. Previous winners across all sports include a distinguished list of athletes, including Pugh, Aly Wagner, Heather O’Reilly, Lauren Holiday, Abby Wambach, Elena Delle Donne and many other sports icons.

Through Gatorade’s “Play it Forward” platform, Jackson has the opportunity to award a $1,000 grant to a local or national organization of her choosing, designed to help young athletes realize the benefits of playing sports. Jackson is also eligible to submit a short video explaining why the organization she chose is deserving of one of twelve $10,000 spotlight grants, which will be announced throughout the year.

“Riley Jackson is now a part of an elite alumni group of past Gatorade Players of the Year, including athletic icons such as Peyton Manning and Abby Wambach,” said Gatorade Senior Vice President and General Manager Brett O’Brien. “She has proven why her name belongs on the trophy and we have no doubt Riley will go on to accomplish great things in and out of sport like so many POY winners before her.”

Only nine sophomores across all sports have been bestowed the honor of being named Gatorade National Player of the Year, including last year’s girls soccer recipient in Alyssa Thomason.

Jackson is the ninth, and Thursday’s surprise only reinforces the goals for which she continues to strive.

“Obviously it’s important for me to be a good all-around person, whether it’s academically or on the field,” Jackson said. “As of right now, it’s just about kind of figuring out what I want to do with college, just deciding what school would be a good fit for me to help me reach my future goals of playing internationally and playing professionally and being on the women’s national team.”

Trent Singer is the High School Editor at Just Women’s Sports. Follow him on Twitter @trentsinger.

For more than two decades the USA women’s national team has claimed gold at the FIBA U18 Women’s Americas Championships, and the tradition will continue beyond 2022.

Cotie McMahon led all scorers with 22 points while Kiki Rice chipped in 18 to lead Team USA to an 82-77 win over Canada on Sunday in Buenos Aires, clinching the 10th consecutive gold medal for the Americans.

McMahon scored eight in the first quarter alone, during which Team USA outscored Canada 20-16. The Canadians faced a 10-point deficit at halftime but trimmed it to four heading into the final period after outscoring Team USA 22-16 in the third quarter.

A layup by McMahon capped a 16-5 run for Team USA and pushed the lead to 76-61 with 5:12 remaining. Canada outscored Team USA 12-2 to close the game, but it wasn’t enough to overcome their 17 turnovers.

img

Londynn Jones added 15 points, five rebounds and five steals for Team USA, while Isuneh Brady contributed eight points and 15 rebounds. Grace Van Slooten had 11 points.

For Canada, T’yanna Todd was 4 of 8 from beyond the arc and led the way with 19 points. Mary Anna-Asare scored 15 points for Canada, while Emma Koabel and Marah Dykstra added 11 points apiece.

img

Team USA outscored Canada 18-8 on the fast break and had a 15-5 advantage in second chance points. The Americans finished with a 48-30 advantage in the paint.

Rice shot 10 of 13 from the charity stripe in the final and was named Most Valuable Player. She averaged 14.3 points, four rebounds and five assists per game throughout the tournament.

Rice was joined on the All-Star Five team by McMahon, Todd, Brazil’s Ana De Oliveira and Argentina’s Lara Tribouley.

Full score recap:

Friday, June 17:

  • United States 77, Mexico 41
  • Brazil 73, Puerto Rico 53
  • Canada 92, El Salvador 24
  • Argentina 64, Colombia 55

Saturday, June 18:

  • Colombia 58, El Salvador 37
  • Mexico 72, Puerto Rico 44
  • United States 84, Brazil 40
  • Canada 78, Argentina 63

Sunday, June 19:

  • Puerto Rico 57, El Salvador 32
  • Mexico 64, Colombia 39
  • Argentina 55, Brazil 50
  • United States 82, Canada 77

The postseason run for Yorktown (Va.) was filled with ebbs and flows, and Saturday’s title game was a fitting end for that drama.

Locked in a scoreless tie, Aminata Davis delivered a rocket shot from 33 yards out and found the back of the net for the Patriots, and they held on the rest of the way to secure a 1-0 victory over Kellam and claim the Class 6 state championship.

It’s the second title for Yorktown in three years, as it finishes its season with a 22-1-1 mark and atop this week’s JWS soccer rankings.

The win came just one day after Yorktown held on to defeat Patriot in the state semifinals by a 2-1 decision. It was the first goal allowed by Yorktown since May 11.

The Patriots outscored their opposition 18-1 in the postseason and suffered their only loss of the season back in March.

Click here to see last week’s rankings.

(Note: These rankings do not include teams from Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oklahoma and South Carolina as their seasons have concluded.)

1. Yorktown (Va.) 22-1-1
Coached by Hannah Davis, the Patriots defeated two of the top teams in the state (Kellam and Patriot) to cap off an impressive 2022 campaign with the Class 6 crown in their possession.

2. Oregon (Wis.) 21-0-1
The Panthers cruised past Union Grove 5-0 to claim the Division 2 Sectional 3 title and will take part in the Division 2 state semifinals against Cedarburg on Thursday.

3. Kiel (Wis.) 22-0-2
The Raiders claimed a 4-0 win over Howards Grove to advance to state for the first time ever. Taylor Schad was a part of every goal for Kiel, scoring three times and assisting on the other. The Raiders will take on The Prairie School in a Division 4 state semifinal on Friday.

4. Northville (Mich.) 17-0-5
The Mustangs remain unbeaten after knocking off Rochester 2-1 in the Division 1 state semifinals. Northville is in its first championship game since winning it all in 2014. The Mustangs will face Bloomfield Hills on Friday in the final.

5. Bloomfield Hills Marian (Mich.) 17-1
The Mustangs, who have won the last four Division 2 state titles, are coming off a 2-1 win over Haslett in the state semifinals, and they’ll look to make it five crowns in a row when they take on Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central in Saturday’s final. Isa Agrusso and Elle Irvin lead Bloomfield Hills Marian with 18 goals apiece on the season.

Trent Singer is the High School Editor at Just Women’s Sports. Follow him on Twitter @trentsinger.

The USA Basketball run at the FIBA U17 Women’s World Cup has been emphatically noted. They’ve won four of the last five times the event has been held, and they’ll look to add to that dominance again this year.

Mikaylah Williams, Juju Watkins and Breya Cunningham are among the top three recruits headlining the star-studded U17 National Team, a 12-player squad that was finalized on June 1.

They’ll gear up for next month’s action at the 2022 FIBA U17 World Cup, which is slated to take place July 9-17 in Debrecen, Hungary, and head coach Sue Phillips is thrilled at the versatility this year’s roster has to offer.

“Understanding that it will take perhaps a variety of styles of play to be effective on any given night, I love the prospects of the interchangeable pieces and the different types of roster formations that we can put on the floor to be effective,” Phillips said.

This year marks the fifth USA Basketball coaching assignment for the longtime coach, who led the U16 team to a gold medal a year ago at the FIBA Americas U16 Championship in Mexico. Cunningham, Watkins, Madison Booker, Jaloni Cambridge, Jadyn Donovan, and Jada Williams were each members of that team, which defeated Canada 118-45 in the final.

Her experience with the U17 team is also worth noting. In 2014, Phillips helmed a squad that survived a 40-point performance from Angela Salvadores in the championship game, claiming a 77-75 win over Spain. That gold-medal team was also star-studded in its own right, including the likes of Arike Ogunbowale, Lauren Cox, Asia Durr and Sabrina Ionescu.

“We’re not only going to need to utilize our talent, but we have to play smart and play hard and play together. We can’t play hero ball,” Phillips said. “A lot of these teams that we’ll be competing against have been together for months, if not years, and their ability to work a two-player game and have this incredible chemistry on the floor is a given. So we are going to have to have our two-player defensive strategies on point.”

Mikaylah Williams is the two-time reigning Gatorade Louisiana Player of the Year after leading Parkway High School (La.) to a 32-2 record and a state championship last season, during which she averaged 22.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.2 steals per game. She remains uncommitted but has narrowed her list of schools down to five — Baylor, Duke, LSU, Ole Miss and Texas A&M.

Phillips lauds Williams’ “instant offense” and is thrilled to have the top recruit in the class of 2023 leading the way for Team USA.

“I think she has a beautiful mid-range game. It’s automatic,” Phillips said. “She has a knack for scoring. You give her a seam or space, she’s going to be able to get us a bucket. She’s strong, explosive. She can get on the glass. We’re going to need our guards to rebound to gain us some extra possessions and to secure the defensive stops.”

The reigning 2021-22 Gatorade California Girls Basketball Player of the Year, Watkins is also no stranger to Phillips. In March, Watkins notched a double-double with 23 points and 19 rebounds to lead Sierra Canyon to an 85-61 win over Archbishop Mitty in the Open Division state championship.

That Archbishop Mitty team was coached by none other than Phillips, who saw first-hand just how dynamic Watkins has become.

“Her team was victorious, and Juju was a big part of that,” Phillips said about Watkins, who averaged 25.0 points and 10.6 rebounds per game in guiding the Trailblazers to a 30-2 record last season. “She’s a three-level scorer. She’s probably one of the best I’ve seen in my 30-year coaching tenure in being able to finish with and through contact. She’s incredibly strong and creative with her finishes around the rim. She can impact the game defensively as well. She has great anticipation and athleticism, just an incredible feel for the game.”

Phillips is joined by assistant coaches Tom McConnell (Indiana University of Pennsylvania) and Brittanny Johnson (Evanston Township High School [Ill.]). Phillips believes both excel in different ways to create a fully-formed unit.

“Being able to help us conduct an effective and efficient practice and then also provide the mid-game adjustment insights, I really enjoy working with Tom and look forward to the coming weeks,” Phillips said. “Brittanny was a court coach last year and has now been put on the coaching staff as one of my assistants. I really enjoyed working with her in trials a few weeks ago. I think she is very intuitive about the game. She has a great understanding of the sense of strengths that our players can bring to the table.”

Selected by the USA Basketball Developmental National Team Committee, the U17 team is made up of future graduates from 2023 and 2024. They were chosen after six days of trials in Colorado Springs, Colo., where 40 invitees were dwindled down to a dozen.

Additionally, Kennedy Umeh was a finalist for the 2021 U16 roster, while Mikaylah Williams also has experience with USA Basketball, helping lead her team to a gold medal finish at the 2021 FIBA 3×3 U18 World Cup.

With the start of training camp looming ahead on June 26, Phillips is filling that time coaching her club and AAU teams. But the anticipation of heading to Europe to compete for gold is building by the day.

Times like these are everything to a coach who’s been in the ranks for more than 20 years.

“It’s an amazing two weeks. I just love basketball,” Phillips said. “I love teaching and coaching the game. I couldn’t be more excited to support the red, white and blue with this particular roster and coaching staff. I’m excited with our prospects and ability to make the World Cup, and I can’t wait to get to work.”

Click here to see a preview of the U18 National Team roster.

MEET THE TEAM

Sunaja Agara, 16, Hopkins HS (Minn.)
Hometown: Minneapolis, Minn.
Height: 6-2
Class: 2023
Commitment: Stanford

Madison Booker, 16, Germantown HS (Miss.)
Hometown: Ridgeland, Miss.
Height: 6-1
Class: 2023
Commitment: Undeclared

Jaloni Cambridge, 16, The Ensworth School (Tenn.)
Hometown: Nashville, Tenn.
Height: 5-0
Class: 2024
Commitment: Undeclared

Morgan Cheli, 16, Archbishop Mitty HS (Calif.)
Hometown: Los Altos, Calif.
Height: 6-1
Class: 2024
Commitment: Undeclared

Breya Cunningham, 17, La Jolla Country Day School (Calif.)
Hometown: Chula Vista, Calif.
Height: 6-4
Class: 2023
Commitment: Undeclared

Jadyn Donovan, 16, Sidwell Friends School (Washington, D.C.)
Hometown: Upper Marlboro, Md.
Height: 6-0
Class: 2023
Commitment: Undeclared

Hannah Hidalgo, 17, Paul VI HS (N.J.)
Hometown: Merchantville, N.J.
Height: 5-7
Class: 2023
Commitment: Undeclared

Mackenly Randolph, 16, Sierra Canyon School (Calif.)
Hometown: Encino, Calif.
Height: 6-1
Class: 2024
Commitment: Undeclared

Kennedy Umeh, 15, McDonogh School (Md.)
Hometown: Columbia, Md.
Height: 6-4
Class: 2024
Commitment: Undeclared

Judea Watkins, 16, Sierra Canyon School (Calif.)
Hometown: Sylmar, Calif.
Height: 6-1
Class: 2023
Commitment: Undeclared

Jada Williams, 17, La Jolla Country Day School (Calif.)
Hometown: San Diego, Calif.
Height: 5-8
Class: 2023
Commitment: UCLA

Mikaylah Williams, 16, Parkway HS (La.)
Hometown: Bossier City, La.
Height: 6-1
Class: 2023
Commitment: Undeclared

The inaugural JWS high school basketball Player of the Year will lead the charge next week when the USA Basketball U18 national team heads to South America to compete for gold.

UCLA commit Kiki Rice is one of 12 players who will make the trip, all of whom will be seeking to claim the 10th straight gold medal for USA Basketball at the FIBA U18 Women’s Americas Championship. The international showcase is scheduled to take place June 13-19 in Buenos Aires.

The team will be led by Joni Taylor, who has seven years of head coaching experience at the college level. Taylor was 140-75 during her seven seasons at Georgia, including a 21-7 mark in 2020-21 that earned her SEC Coach of the Year honors. Then, in March, Taylor was named Texas A&M’s eighth head coach in program history.

Now comes another momentous opportunity for Taylor as she embarks on her first stint in a leading role for USA Basketball.

“When you get everyone together and there’s one mission and that mission is to go represent your country and win a gold medal, it’s a special thing,” said Taylor, who served as an assistant coach a year ago for the U19 national team. “It’s electric. The energy is electric every day. It’s intense. We all walk away from it better and proud, so I’m extremely grateful and happy to be here.”

There’s perhaps no bigger name on Taylor’s roster than Rice, who’s coming off a 2022 campaign in which she averaged 15.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 2.6 steals per game for Sidwell Friends (Washington, D.C.). She committed to the Bruins in November before leading Sidwell to a perfect 30-0 record and a DCSAA Class AA state title.

Taylor had high praise for Rice, whose dynamic abilities on the court are surpassed only by her character. Taylor also credited Rice with a stellar basketball IQ, which goes a long way in overcoming the hurdles of establishing a new offense in such a short period of time.

“As she continues to expand her range she’s going to be a three-level scorer that’s hard to defend,” Taylor said. “Her size gives her an advantage when she gets around the rim because she can finish with contact. She’s also a willing passer, so it’s great to have someone with that amount of talent who’s willing to pass the ball and understands how to get people in the right spots.

“I think when arguably your best player is humble and one of your hardest working, it makes it really easy for everyone else to follow.”

Rice will be joined by teammate Londynn Jones. Together, they helped lead the U16 national team to a gold-medal win over Canada in 2019. Isuneh Brady, S’Mya Nichols, Indya Nivar and Grace VanSlooten also participated in those team trials.

While Rice’s USA Basketball experience is well-documented — she was also a member of the 3×3 U18 World Cup Team that took home gold in 2019 — the team includes six players who will be making their USA Basketball debuts: Aalyah Del Rosario, Kailyn Gilbert, Chloe Kitts, Cotie McMahon, Courtney Ogden and Justine Pissott.

The COVID-19 pandemic played a part in allowing those debuts to come sooner rather than later. Taylor says the message for the newcomers is understanding what it means to represent your country on the international stage.

“That conversation has nothing to do with basketball,” Taylor said. “It’s about the way you carry yourself, the way you represent what’s on the front of your jersey, which is obviously the USA. It’s about making sure you handle moments the right way and knowing your history, knowing the people who wore your jersey number before you and what they did and how they represented and the gold medals they won.”

Taylor’s staff includes a pair of accomplished assistant coaches in DeLisha Milton-Jones and Teri Moren. Milton-Jones, a two-time WNBA champion and a three-time WNBA All-Star, just wrapped up her first season as head coach at Old Dominion. Meanwhile, Moren has nearly 20 years of head coaching experience at the collegiate level, including the last eight seasons at Indiana.

“Both have great energy,” Taylor said about her assistant coaches. “They’re both willing to serve. We all want to serve and just do what’s best for USA Basketball and to go over there and win a gold medal, so I’m extremely happy with the staff that USA Basketball put together and what we’ve been able to learn from each other and accomplish.”

Team USA will take the court Monday against Colombia and wrap up group play against Puerto Rico and El Salvador on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively. Tournament play begins June 17.

The 12-player roster, which was revealed Friday, was selected from 30 invitees following four days of trials in Colorado Springs, Colo.

The players are set to leave Friday, and in the days leading up to their departure, Taylor has enjoyed watching the evolution of their chemistry both on and off the court.

“There will be lifelong friendships that are formed through this experience,” Taylor said. Some of them may have the opportunity to compete next year and try out for the U-19 team.

“Who knows what’s going to happen there? But this is something that starts now and can carry on for a while.”

MEET THE TEAM

Isuneh Brady, 17, Cathedral Catholic HS (Calif.)
Hometown: San Diego, Calif.
Height: 6-3
Class: 2022
Commitment: Connecticut

Aalyah Del Rosario, 18, The Webb School (Tenn.)
Hometown: Danbury, Conn.
Height: 6-6
Class: 2023
Commitment: Undeclared

Kailyn Gilbert, 18, IMG Academy (Fla.)
Hometown: Riverview, Fla.
Height: 5-8
Class: 2022
Commitment: Arizona

Londynn Jones, 17, Corona Centennial HS (Calif.)
Hometown: Corona, Calif.
Height: 5-6
Class: 2022
Commitment: UCLA

Chloe Kitts, 17, Faith Christian Academy (Fla.)
Hometown: Oviedo, Fla.
Height: 6-3
Class: 2023
Commitment: Undeclared

Cotie McMahon, 18, Centerville HS (Ohio)
Hometown: Centerville, Ohio
Height: 5-11
Class: 2022
Commitment: Ohio State

S’Mya Nichols, 17, Shawnee Mission West HS (Kan.)
Hometown: Overland Park, Kan.
Height: 6-0
Class: 2023
Commitment: Undeclared

Indya Nivar, 18, Apex Friendship HS (N.C.)
Hometown: Apex, N.C.
Height: 5-10
Class: 2022
Commitment: Stanford

Courtney Ogden, 17, The Westminster School (Ga.)
Hometown: Atlanta, Ga.
Height: 6-1
Class: 2023
Commitment: Undeclared

Justine Pissott, 18, Red Bank Catholic HS (N.J.)
Hometown: Toms River, N.J.
Height: 6-4
Class: 2022
Commitment: Tennessee

Kiki Rice, 18, Sidwell Friends School (Washington, D.C.)
Hometown: Bethesda, Md.
Height: 5-11
Class: 2022
Commitment: UCLA

Grace VanSlooten, 17, IMG Academy (Fla.)
Hometown: Ottawa Hills, Ohio
Height: 6-3
Class: 2022
Commitment: Oregon

Trent Singer is the High School Editor at Just Women’s Sports. Follow him on Twitter @trentsinger.