May 20, 2007
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Notre Dame rising senior guard Charel Allen (Monessen, Pa./Monessen) and rising sophomore guard Melissa Lechlitner (Mishawaka, Ind./South Bend St. Joseph’s) both have been chosen as finalists for USA Basketball National Teams, it was announced Sunday by the USA Basketball Women’s Collegiate Committee. Following four days of trials at the U.S. Olympic Training Center (USOTC) in Colorado Springs, Colo., Allen was tapped as one of 14 finalists for the USA U21 World Championship Team, while Lechlitner is among a group of 16 finalists for a spot on the USA U19 World Championship Team. Both players were making their first-ever appearance at the USA Basketball Trials, and are in position to become the first Notre Dame players to put on the Team USA jersey since Megan Duffy helped lead the USA World University Games Team to the gold medal in 2005.
“This means the world to me,” Allen said. “Not only do I have the opportunity to represent the U.S., but also my family, my school and everyone around me that has been so supportive. I’m just very excited to have had the opportunity to try out. I’m going to go and work as hard as I can, bring my game, and do whatever I have to so I can make the team.”
“I’m pretty excited about making the first cut, but there’s still a long way to go before I’m on the team,” Lechlitner said. “To make the top 16 is a nice tribute to the hard work and effort I put in during my freshman year.”
Allen was selected from among a group of 45 players, ages 21-and-under (born on or after Jan. 1, 1986), who took part in this weekend’s USA Basketball Women’s National Team Trials. Joining Allen as finalists for this year’s USA U21 World Championship Team are: Jolene Anderson (Wisconsin / Port Wing, Wis.); DeWanna Bonner (Auburn / Fairfield, Ala.); Essence Carson (Rutgers / Paterson, N.J.); Laura Harper (Maryland / Elkins Park, Pa.); Ashley Houts (Georgia / Trenton, Ga.); Amy Jaeschke (New Trier H.S./Wilmette, Ill.); Crystal Langhorne (Maryland / Willingboro, N.J.); Marscilla Packer (Ohio State / Pickerington, Ohio); Courtney Paris (Oklahoma / Piedmont, Calif.); Kia Vaughn (Rutgers / Bronx, N.Y.); Abby Waner (Duke / Highlands Ranch, Colo.); Candice Wiggins (Stanford / San Diego, Calif.); and Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton (Purdue / Naperville, Ill.). Wiggins also is a finalist for the USA Pan American Games Team, while Jaeschke also remains alive for a berth on the USA U19 World Championship Team.
The 14 finalists for the USA U21 World Championship Team will reconvene June 12 in Colorado Springs to begin training for the tournament, with the eventual 12-member squad being named prior to the team departing for Europe June 16. The 12-nation FIBA U21 World Championship will be held June 29-July 8 in Moscow, Russia, with Team USA led by Duke head coach Joanne P. McCallie and assisted by Furman head coach Sam Dixon and Arizona State head coach Charli Turner Thorne.
McCallie returns as the USA’s head coach after piloting the 2006 USA U20 National Team to a gold medal at the FIBA Americas U20 Championship, which was held in Colorado Springs. For next month’s U21 World Championship, the United States was placed in Group B in the 12-nation tournament along with Australia, Brazil, Hungary, Japan and Spain. Group A includes Belgium, Canada, China, Mali, France and Russia. The FIBA U21 World Championship was held for the first time four years ago (2003), when it was known as the FIBA World Championship For Young Women, with the USA capturing the 2003 gold medal with a 7-1 record in Sibenik, Croatia. FIBA changed the names of its age-based World Championships in 2005 to reflect the age athletes must be to be eligible for the event.
Meanwhile, Lechlitner emerged from the USA Women’s Junior National Team Trials pool that consisted of 37 players, ages 19-and-under (born on or after Jan. 1, 1988). In addition to Lechlitner, the other finalists for the 2007 USA U19 World Championship Team are: Jayne Appel (Stanford/Pleasant Hill, Calif.); Victoria Baugh (Sacramento H.S./Sacramento, Calif.); Angie Bjorklund (University H.S./Spokane, Wash.); Allyssa DeHaan (Michigan State/Grandville, Mich.); Elena Delle Donne (Ursuline Academy/Wilmington, Del.); Amy Jaeschke (New Trier H.S./Wilmette, Ill.); Jantel Lavender (Cleveland Central Catholic H.S./Cleveland, Ohio); Demauria Liles (Gulf Coast Community College/Suitland, Md.); Italee Lucas (Centennial H.S./Las Vegas, Nev.); Maya Moore (Collins Hill H.S./Lawrenceville, Ga.); Kayla Pedersen (Red Mountain H.S./Fountain Hills, Ariz.); Khadijah Rushdan (St. Elizabeth H.S./Wilmington, Del.); Jasmine Thomas (Oakton H.S./Fairfax, Va.); Krystal Thomas (The First Academy/Orlando, Fla.); and Monica Wright (Virginia/ Woodbridge, Va.). Appel, who didn’t participate in this weekend’s trials due to injury, also is among the finalists for the USA Pan American Games Team.
Lechlitner and the rest of the 16 finalists for the USA U19 World Championship Team will reassemble July 12 in Washington, D.C., for the start of pre-tournament training, with the final 12-member squad being selected before the team leaves the country July 17. The 16-nation FIBA U19 World Championship For Women will be held July 26-Aug. 5 in Bratislava, Slovakia, with the U.S. team piloted by DePaul head coach Doug Bruno. Prairie View A&M head coach Cynthia Cooper-Dyke and Northern Illinois head coach (and former Notre Dame assistant) Carol Owens complete the USA U19 World Championship coaching staff.
The USA qualified for the FIBA U19 World Championship For Women after Bruno led the USA U18 squad to a 4-0 slate and gold medal at the zone qualifier, the 2006 FIBA Americas U18 Championship for Women, an event hosted by USA Basketball at the USOTC in Colorado Springs. FIBA announced on March 6 the draw for the 2007 FIBA U19 World Championship For Women, and the USA has been placed in Group B, along with China, Ivory Coast and Lithuania. Originally known as the FIBA Junior World Championship, the tournament is held every four years and was first held in 1985. USA women’s teams are 32-10 in the U19/Junior World Championships, capturing gold with an 8-0 record most recently in 2005.
Should either Allen or Lechlitner make the final cut for their respective teams, they would become the fifth Notre Dame women’s basketball player, and the third in four years, to compete for her country on the international level. Besides Duffy’s gold medal turn as a co-captain and starter for the 2005 USA World University Games Team, former All-America center Ruth Riley was a member of the 2004 U.S. Senior National Team that struck gold at the Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. Riley also made prior USA Basketball appearances in 1998 (Select Team) and 1999 (World University Games Team), as did former Irish All-Americans Katryna Gaither (two teams, two medals) and Beth Morgan (four teams, three medals) from 1996-99. All told, Notre Dame players have earned nine medals in international competition, including four golds.
The BIG EAST Conference had strong representation among the finalists announced for all three USA Basketball teams (U19, U21, Pan American Games), with 11 BIG EAST representatives headlining the 43 players still in contention to wear the red, white and blue this summer. Allen is joined on the USA U21 World Championship Team finalists roster by Rutgers’ Essence Carson and Kia Vaughn, while Lechlitner’s fellow finalists on the USA U19 World Championship Team roster include incoming BIG EAST freshmen Maya Moore (Connecticut) and Khadijah Rushdan (Rutgers). In addition, five BIG EAST players were tapped as finalists for the USA Pan American Games Team — Charde Houston and Mel Thomas (Connecticut), Matee Ajavon (Rutgers), Krystal Ellis (Marquette) and Angel McCoughtry (Louisville). No other conference in the nation had more USA Basketball finalists selected, with the Atlantic Coast Conference next on the list (9), followed by the Southeastern and Big Ten conferences (7 each), and the Pac-10 Conference (3).
The complete roster of finalists for each of the three USA Basketball Women’s National Teams, as well as short audio clips with each of the finalists, can be found on the USA Basketball web site.
— ND —