North Carolina State University Athletics
Kastanek, Team USA Open Practice Saturday in Houston
10/15/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Oct. 15, 2011
HOUSTON, Texas - NC State junior guard Marissa Kastanek and the 2011 USA Basketball Women's Pan American Games Team is set to convene in Houston, Texas, on Oct. 15, for four days of training before departing for Guadalajara, Mexico and the 2011 Pan American Games.
The U.S. squad will open training camp with a 6:00 p.m. CDT practice on Oct. 15 at the Toyota Center, followed by at 10:00 a.m. session at the Toyota Center and a 6:00 p.m. practice at Rice University on Oct. 16.
The USA will practice again at Rice at 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. on Oct. 17 and at the Toyota Center at 10:00 a.m. on Oct. 18 before departing for Mexico.
The team will have a practice on Oct. 19 and 20 (TBD) in Guadalajara before the 2011 Pan American Games women's basketball competition begins on Oct. 21.
The USA, which will look to defend its 2007 Pan American Games gold medal, will be led by an experienced trio of accomplished coaches, including USA head coach Ceal Barry alongside assistant coaches Jennifer Gillom and Debbie Ryan.
The USA roster includes: Breanna Stewart (Cicero-North Syracuse H.S./North Syracuse, N.Y.), a high school senior who helped the USA to a gold medal and earned a spot on the five-person all-tournament team at the 2011 FIBA U19 World Championship this past July; alongside NCAA student-athletes Shante Evans (Hofstra/West Chester, Pa.); Christine Flores (Missouri/San Antonio, Texas); Tavelyn James (Eastern Michigan/Detroit, Mich.); Emilie Johnson (UC Santa Barbara/Loomis, Calif.); Marissa Kastanek (NC State/Lincoln, Neb.); Kevi Luper (Oral Roberts/Adair, Okla.); Valencia McFarland (Mississippi/ Edwards, Miss.); Katelan Redmon (Gonzaga/Spokane, Wash.); Kayla Standish (Gonzaga/Ellensburg, Wash.); April Sykes (Rutgers/Starkville, Miss.); and Avery Warley (Liberty/Washington, D.C.). The player selections were made by the USA Basketball Women's National Team Player Selection Committee.
"We have a great variety of players, and I think the selection committee did a tremendous job in a tough time period," Barry said of the U.S. roster. "It's tough for college players to get away, but this is a group that is versatile and talented. We'll find out once we get to Houston how we are going to fit these pieces together, and I'm looking forwarding to working with all 12 players."
The U.S. women open play in the Pan American Games on Oct. 21 against Argentina at 1 p.m., followed by Puerto Rico at 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 22, before closing out preliminary round group play against host Mexico at 8 p.m. on Oct. 23.
The top two finishing teams from each preliminary round group advance to the medal semifinals, while the third and fourth place teams will play out for 5th-8th place. The semifinals will be played on Oct. 24, and the finals will take place on Oct. 25.
The Pan American Games are a multi-sport competition held every four years (2011, 2015, etc.) in the year preceding the Olympics. Organized by the Pan American Sports Organization (PASO), the Games are open to men and women representing countries from North, South and Central America and the Caribbean.
Overall, the USA women in Pan American Games competitions have won seven of 14 gold medals, as well as four silver and two bronze medals, compiling a 72-12 overall record.
