May 8, 2002
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – University of Notre Dame rising sophomores Jacqueline Batteast (South Bend, Ind./Washington HS) and Teresa Borton (Yakima, Wash./West Valley HS) have accepted invitations to try out for the 2002 USA Basketball World Championship For Young Women Qualifying Team, USA Basketball announced Tuesday. A total of 35 of the country’s top 20-and-under players are scheduled to participate in the three-day Trials, which will be held May 17-19 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., with the finalists being announced the next day.
“We’re excited to have two of our players trying out for USA Basketball,” Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw said. “It says a lot that both Jackie and Teresa were among the top under-20 players chosen for these Trials. I’m sure they will represent Notre Dame and the Irish women’s basketball program very well.”
Batteast, a 6-2 forward, started 22 games for Notre Dame this past season, averaging 13.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per game, and earning recognition as both the United States Basketball Writers’ Association (USBWA) National Freshman of the Year and a Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Association (WBCA)/Kodak All-America honorable mention selection. She also was a unanimous choice as the BIG EAST Conference Rookie of the Year, was a second-team all-conference pick and was unanimously voted to the BIG EAST All-Rookie Team. In addition, she was a six-time BIG EAST Rookie of the Week, ranking among the top 10 in the league in scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage (.404), blocked shots (1.38 bpg.) and double-doubles (11). One of six All-Americans participating in the Trials, Batteast will be trying out for her first USA Basketball team later this month.
“I’m very honored to have the opportunity to play with some of the best players in the nation,” Batteast said. “I’m also excited about possibly having a chance to represent my country and gain some valuable experience in an international tournament. What makes it even better is the fact that I’m getting to try out alongside one of my own teammates, which will make this experience very special.”
Borton, a 6-3 center, saw action in all 30 games for the Irish in 2001-02, averaging 6.0 points and 4.8 rebounds per game while shooting a team-best 49.7 percent from the field. She started six times, posting a pair of double-doubles, and she tied a BIG EAST rookie record by going 7-of-7 from the field in a win over Seton Hall on Jan. 9. Borton and Batteast also became the first freshman tandem in 20 years to start a season opener for Notre Dame, turning the trick on Nov. 18 against Valparaiso. Borton will be making her second visit to the U.S. Olympic Training Center — last year, she was selected as an alternate for the U.S. Junior World Championship Team, which won a bronze medal.
“I just want to go out there and have fun and see what I can do,” Borton said. “I’m looking forward to playing against the best and cheering on my teammate, too. Because I’ve been through the Trials before, it’s not going to be a stressful thing for me this time.”
“Teresa played well last year, even though she was coming off an injury,” McGraw said. “She’s much better prepared this time around, having a year of college experience under her belt, and that should benefit her a great deal.”
Batteast and Borton are seeking to become the latest Notre Dame players to be selected for national team play. Ruth Riley competed with the U.S. Women’s Select Team in 1998, and later earned a silver medal with the 1999 U.S. World University Games squad. Last month, she completed a four-week spring training camp with the U.S. Senior National Team and is waiting to hear if she has been selected for the 2002 U.S. World Championship Team, which will compete in China Sept. 14-25.
Other Irish players who have been chosen for U.S. national teams include: Beth Morgan, who won three medals (one gold, one silver, one bronze) while playing for four American squads from 1996-99, and Katryna Gaither, who won a silver medal with the 1997 U.S. World Championship Qualifying Team and picked up a bronze medal with the 1999 U.S. Pan American Games Team.
A total of five BIG EAST players have been invited to this year’s USA Basketball Trials. In addition to Batteast and Borton, Rutgers guard Cappie Pondexter, Boston College guard Amber Jacobs and Syracuse guard Julie McBride were chosen from conference schools. Notre Dame is one of seven institutions to send more than one player to Colorado Springs — the others are Georgia, Kansas State, LSU, Minnesota, Texas and Texas Tech.
The eventual 12-member U.S. team, which will be comprised of U.S. citizens 20-years-old or younger (born on or after Jan. 1, 1982), will compete in the Confederation of Pan American Basketball Associations (COPABA) World Championship For Young Women Qualifying Tournament July 17-21 in Ribeirao Preto, Brazil. It will feature eight teams from North, Central and South America, as well as the Caribbean, with the top three nations qualifying for the inaugural International Basketball Federation (FIBA) World Championship For Young Women, which is scheduled to be played in Dubrovnik, Croatia in July 2003 (dates TBD).
Once the finalists for the 2002 U.S. team are selected May 20, those players will take part in a training camp in Colorado Springs July 7-11, during which time the final 12-member squad will be named. The U.S. then is scheduled to continue its training July 12-20 in Brazil prior to the start of 2002 COPABA Qualifying Tournament.
Texas Tech head coach Marsha Sharp will direct the 2002 USA Basketball World Championship For Young Women Qualifying Team. Her assistants are collegiate head coaches Nikita Lowry of New Mexico State and Lisa Stone of Drake.
— ND —
NOTE: The complete roster for the 2002 USA Basketball Trials may be found on the Internet by accessing the USA Basketball website at www.usabasketball.com.