May 7, 2007
STANFORD, Calif.- Freshman forward/center Jayne Appel (Pleasant Hill, Calif.) headlines a 37-player list of the nation's top 19-and-unders (born on or after Jan. 1, 1988) competing for a spot on the 2007 USA Basketball U19 World Championship Team at the 2007 USA Basketball Junior National Teams Trials, which will be held May 17-20 in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Incoming Cardinal freshmen Kayla Pedersen and Jeanette Pohlen join Appel on the list of invitees. Overall, 26 of the 37 hopefuls return with USA Basketball experience.
USA Basketball will conduct the 2007 Women's Junior National and National Team Trials in order to select finalists for three USA Basketball squads-the U19 World Championship Team, U21 World Championship Team and Pan American Games Team. Trials for all three teams will take place at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.
While hopefuls for the U21 World Championship and Pan American Games National Teams will conduct trials together, trials for the U19 World Championship Team are expected to take place independently. Finalists for the three squads will be named following trials, with official 12-member rosters determined prior to their respective competitions.
Appel and Pedersen are returnees from the 2006 squad that captured a perfect 4-0 record and gold medal at the 2006 FIBA Americas U18 Championship.
Appel is coming off an impressive rookie campaign that resulted in being named the 2006-07 Pac-10 Freshman of the Year. In 33 games off the bench, she averaged 13.2 points and 7.5 rebounds per game while leading the Cardinal in field goal percentage at a 53.8 clip. Appel scored in double-figures 22 times, notched five double-doubles and established the school's single-season record with 61 blocked shots.
Pedersen, a 6-4 forward from Fountain Hills, Ariz., attends Red Mountain High School. Pedersen was named to the Parade All-America First Team and honored as the Gatorade Player of the Year for Arizona. She also was recognized by USA Today as a Second Team selection.
Pohlen, a 6-0 guard from Brea, Calif., attends Brea Olinda High School. Pohlen was selected to the Parade All-America Second Team and as the Gatorade Player of the Year for California.
Pedersen and Pohlen also represented the West team at the 2007 McDonald's All-America Game.
Sixteen countries will compete in the U19 World Championship for Women that will be held July 26-Aug. 5 in Bratislava, Slovakia. 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.