North Carolina State University Athletics
Gartrell Named to 2006 USA U18 Women's National Team
6/19/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
June 19, 2006
Incoming freshman Nikitta Gartrell (Atlanta, Ga./Benjamin E. Mays HS) was named to the 2006 USA U18 Women's National Team that will compete in the FIBA Americas Championships for Women June 28-July 2 in Colorado Springs, Colo., as announced by USA Basketball on Monday, June 19. Gartrell, a 2006 WBCA All-American honorable mention, earned her second consecutive invitation to represent the United States in red, white and blue, topping her 2005 stint as a member of the USA Youth Festival White team that won silver.
"It's a great honor (to wear the USA Basketball jersey)," said Gartrell. "I feel good because I know that I'm going to be representing the United State for my talents and my ability playing basketball. I knew there were a lot of guards and a lot of great people playing for a spot on this team. I just feel good knowing I made the team."
Following three days of tryouts featuring 32 of the nation's top 18-and-unders (born on or after Jan. 1, 1988), USA Basketball announced the final 12-member team that will compete in the 2006 FIBA Americas U18 Championship For Women June 28-July 2 in Colorado Springs, Colo. Player selections were made by the USA Basketball Women's Collegiate Committee, chaired by Sue Donohoe, the NCAA's vice president of Division I women's basketball.
The USA U18 squad will remain in Colorado Springs and train June 19-27 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center (USOTC) in preparation for the USA Basketball-hosted tournament. The training camp will be highlighted by an exhibition game against the Canadian U18 National Team at 5:00 p.m. (all times MDT) on June 23rd at the Fort Carson Special Events Center in Fort Carson, Colo. The USA - Canada exhibition contest will be free and open to members of the U.S. military and their families.
Beginning practice following the team announcement this morning (June 19, 2006) at the USOTC, the squad will train again at 5:00 p.m. and continue with two sessions a day through June 27 (unless noted all the sessions will be held at the USOTC's Sports Center II and due to space constraints practices are not open to the public). On June 20 the team is scheduled for practices at 11:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. On June 21, after a 10:00 a.m. practice, the U.S. will scrimmage against Brazil's U18 squad at 5:00 p.m. Continuing to hold 10:00 a.m. sessions from June 22-25, the USA on June 22 will scrimmage Argentina's U18 team at 5:00 p.m. On June 23 the USA and Canada will compete at the Fort Carson Special Events Center at 5:00 p.m., June 24 will see a three-way scrimmage between the U18 teams from the USA, Argentina and Puerto Rico at 5:00 p.m., and on June 25 the USA and Brazil will again scrimmage at 5:00 p.m. On June 26 the USA will practice at Colorado College beginning at 12:30 p.m., followed by a one-hour session in the USOTC's Sports Center I starting at 6:00 p.m. The U.S. will have two more practice sessions, starting at 11:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on June 27 before tipping-off 2006 FIBA Americas U18 Championship For Women play against Paraguay at 6:15 p.m. on June 28 in Sports Center I.
2006 FIBA Americas U18 Championship For Women Facts
Site: Colorado Springs, Colorado
Dates: June 28 - July 2, 2006
USA Head Coach: Doug Bruno, DePaul University (Ill.)
USA Assistant Coaches: Carol Owens, Northern Illinois University; Jennifer Rizzotti, University of Hartford (Conn.)
USA Team: Jayne Appel, Victoria Baugh, Kelley Cain, Tina Charles, Nikitta Gartrell, Stefanie Gilbreath, Jantel Lavender, Italee Lucas, Maya Moore, Kayla Pedersen, Brittainey Raven, Khadijah Rushdan.
Nations Competing: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Paraguay, Puerto Rico and USA.
USA's FIBA America U18 Championship Record: 24-2
USA Medal Count: 3 gold, 2 silver
USA's FIBA Americas U18 Champ. Winning Streak: 10 games
Defending FIBA Americas U18 Champion: United States
The 2006 FIBA Americas U18 Championship For Women is being hosted at the USOTC from June 28-July 2. Teams in addition to the United States that will participate in the U18 tournament include Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Paraguay and Puerto Rico. The event, which will be held in Sports Center I, is free and open to the public. The top four finishing teams will earn qualifying berths for the 2007 FIBA U19 World Championship, slated to be held July 7-22 in Bratislava, Slovakia.
FIBA Americas U18 Championship For Women
Originally known as the FIBA Americas Junior World Championship Qualifier, the tournament has been held every four years since 1988. FIBA recently changed its calendar, and the event will now be conducted every other year. The name of the event has also recently been changed to reflect the age limit for eligible athletes. USA women's teams boast of a remarkable 24-2 overall record at this event and have won gold in 1988, 2000 and 2004, while capturing silver medals in 1992 and 1996.
To follow the progress of training camp and the FIBA Americas Championship, visit www.USABasketball.com
