June 4, 2007 • Colorado Springs, Colorado

• 2007 USA Women's Youth Development Festival Rosters

The nation's top 36 prep girl's basketball players, including 11 who earned Parade Magazine All-America honors in 2007, are scheduled to compete in the 2007 USA Basketball Women's Youth Development Festival slated for June 13-17 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. The invitations were issued by the USA Basketball Junior Development Committee, chaired by Jill Meerman, assistant athletic director at Decatur Central H.S. (Ind.) and NFHS representative.

"The committee feels confident that this group of Festival participants represents the top juniors and seniors throughout the country," Meerman said. "The overall strengths of this group are athleticism and versatility, and several of the athletes in this year's group are extremely talented at multiple positions. We are excited to introduce them to USA Basketball, and we look forward to seeing what they are capable of."

The 2007 USA Basketball Women's Youth Development Festival will feature the top U.S. high school rising juniors and seniors, divided into three teams: Red, White and Blue. The three U.S. squads and a national team from Brazil will square off in three games of round-robin preliminary play before being seeded and competing in the Festival's semifinals and medal round.

Selected to play for the USA Red Team were: Sarah Boothe (Warren Township H.S. / Gurnee, Ill.); Heather Buck (Stonington H.S. / Stonington, Conn.); Emilee Harmon (Pickerington H.S. Central / Pickerington, Ohio); Tayler Hill (South H.S. / Minneapolis, Minn.); Nneka Ogwumike (Cy-Fair H.S. / Cypress, Texas); Brooklyn Pope (Paul L. Dunbar H.S. / Forth Worth, Texas); Brittany Rayburn (Attica H.S. / Attica, Ind.); Tierra Ruffin-Pratt (T.C. Williams H.S. / Alexandria, Va.); Nikki Speed (Marlborough H.S. / Pasadena, Calif.); DeNesha Stallworth (Pinole Valley H.S. / Pinole, Calif.); Shekinna Stricklen (Morrilton H.S. / Morrilton, Ark.); and April Sykes (East Oktibbeha H.S. / Crawford, Miss.).

Representing the USA White Team will be: Kelsey Bone (Dulles H.S. / Stafford, Texas); Ashley Corral (Prairie H.S. / Vancouver, Wash.); Skylar Diggins (Washington H.S. / South Bend, Ind.); Caroline Doty (Germantown Academy / Ft. Washington, Pa.); Tiffany Hayes (Winter Haven Sr. H.S. / Winter Haven, Fla.); Briana Gilbreath (Cinco Ranch H.S. / Katy, Texas); Amber Gray (Lakota West H.S. / Cincinnati, Ohio); Lynetta Kizer (Potomac H.S. / Woodbridge, Va.); Monique Oliver (North Las Vegas H.S. / North Las Vegas, Nev.); Samantha Prahalis (Commack H.S. / Dix Hills, N.Y.); Taylor Turnbow (Tucker H.S. / Clarkston, Ga.); and Shanay Washington (Del Valle H.S. / Austin, Texas).

USA Blue Team players include: Alyssia Brewer (Sapulpa H.S. / Sapulpa, Okla.); Jasmine Dixon (Polytechnic H.S. / Long Beach, Calif.); Ayana Dunning (Eastmoor Academy / Columbus, Ohio); Kelly Faris (Heritage Christian / Plainfield, Ind.); Ashley Gayle (Bishop Gorman H.S. / Las Vegas, Nev.); Lexie Gerson (Peddie School / Ft. Washington, Pa.); Glory Johnson (Webb School of Knoxville / Knoxville, Tenn.); Alicia Manning (Etowah H.S. / Woodstock, Ga.); Casey Morris (Peidmont H.S. / Fairfield, Calif.); Shay Selby (Regina H.S. / Geneva, Ohio); Chay Shegog (Brooke Point H.S. / Stafford, Va.); and Ieasia Walker (Copiague H.S. / Amityville, N.Y.).

Fourteen of the participants were recognized in 2007 by Parade Magazine, EA Sports or Gatorade.

Sykes, Ogwumike and Doty were named to the Parade Magazine All-America second team; while Johnson, Stricklen, Diggins and Dixon were third team members; and Bone, Shegog, Brewer and Pope were selected to Parade's fourth team.

Ogwumike and Sykes earned EA Sports All-America first team honors; and Brewer, Diggins, Doty, Gayle, Johnson, Pope, Shegog, Speed and Stricklen were second team members.

Representing their respective states as the Gatorade State Player of the Year were: Buck (Connecticut), Sykes (Mississippi), Johnson (Tennessee) and Ogwumike (Texas).

The USA Basketball Youth Development Festival gives U.S. participants exposure to USA Basketball, international basketball rules and the opportunity to go head-to-head against the best prep players in North America. The entry-level event combines position clinics, which target post or perimeter skills, with practice sessions and the four-team, five-game tournament.

This year's Festival kicks off at 5:30 p.m. (All time local, MDT) on June 13 with the first skills session. The June 14 schedule begins with a 9:00 a.m. Introduction to USA Basketball seminar, followed by a one-hour skills clinic starting at 10:00 a.m. All four teams have practice sessions at 11:00 a.m. followed by 3:00 p.m. practices for USA Red and White and 4:15 p.m. practices for USA Blue and Brazil. The day will conclude with skills work from 6:30-8:00 p.m.

On Friday, June 15, following a 9:00-10:30 a.m. skills clinic, the preliminary competition will get underway at 11:00 a.m. with USA Red versus USA White and USA Blue facing Brazil. The final skills clinic will be held from 5:00-6:00 p.m. and the day will conclude with a 6:30 p.m. tip-off between the USA Red and USA Blue, while the USA White will play Brazil.

The final preliminary round contests are scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. on June 16 with USA White versus USA Blue and USA Red versus Brazil. The semifinal contests, pitting No. 1 versus No. 4 and No. 2 versus No. 3, are slated for 6:00 p.m. The winners of the semifinals will go head-to-head on June 17 at 9:00 a.m. in the gold medal game, with the bronze medal contest starting at 8:15 a.m. All games and practices will be held in Sports Center II.

USA Basketball Women's Junior Development Committee

In addition to Meerman, the USA Basketball Women's Junior Development Committee includes AAU appointees Rachelle Baker, Kathy Campbell and Matthew Williams; National Federation of State High School Associations appointees Rhonda Farney (head coach, Georgetown High School, Texas) and Gretchen Seeley (head coach, Eastside College Prep, Calif.); as well as athlete representatives Jennifer Gillom (1988 Olympic gold medalist) and Katy Steding (1996 Olympic gold medalist).