May 4, 2000
Notre Dame, Ind. – Notre Dame guard Alicia Ratay (Lake Zurich, Ill.) has been one of 45 collegiate women’s basketball players invited to attend the 2000 USA Basketball Women’s Summer Development/R. William Jones Cup Team Trials May 17-22 in Colorado Springs, Colo.
The 12-team roster will be announced May 22 and will compete in the R. William Jones Cup to be held July 16-20 in Taipei, Taiwan. The USA Basketball Jones Cup squad will be coached by Virginia Tech head mentor Bonnie Hendrickson who served as an assistant coach on the 1999 USA Basketball Women’s World University Games squad. St. Joseph’s head coach Stephanie Gaitley and Grambling State head coach David “Rusty” Ponton have been selected as assistant coaches for the team.
Ratay was Notre Dame’s second-leading scorer in her freshman season as she averaged 14.0 points per game. She became the first Irish player selected as the BIG EAST Rookie of the Year and was a six-time player-of-the-week rookie-of-the-week honoree during the 1999-2000 campaign. Ratay shot 49.3 percent from the field overall and 48.0 percent from three-point range as she finished fourth nationally in that category. Notre Dame finished the season ranked fifth nationally while recording a 27-5 record.
Ratay is one of three BIG EAST players who will be attending the tryouts. Also attending the trials will be Sue Bird and Shea Ralph from the University of Connecticut.
The squad will train July 3-12 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center before departing on July 13 for the Jones Cup Competition.