STANFORD, Calif. – Jenna Brown and the USA Basketball U18 National Team open play at the 2018 FIBA Americas Championship in Mexico City on Wednesday evening.
The United States was drawn into Group A and will compete against Argentina, Chile and Puerto Rico in the tournament's early stages. Group B includes Canada, Colombia, El Salvador and host Mexico. After the conclusion of preliminary round play, teams will be seeded for the August 5 quarterfinals. The semifinals will be played on August 6 and the finals on August 7.
The U.S. will be aiming for its ninth consecutive gold medal at the event as well a berth in next summer's FIBA U19 World Cup, which will be awarded to the top four finishing teams.
Brown made the 12-member squad from a pool of 35 following three days of camp at the United States Olympic Training Center in late May. The freshman was on campus with the Cardinal for the first session of summer school and returned to Colorado Springs on July 20 to begin preparations with her U.S. teammates. The group arrived in Mexico yesterday.
This USA appointment is the second of Brown's career. She previously won bronze for the United States alongside current Cardinal Maya Dodson at the 2016 FIBA U17 World Cup in Zaragoza Spain.
Brown is part of Stanford's decorated recruiting class along with twins Lacie and Lexie Hull out of Spokane, Wash. that is ranked 10th nationally. She is a five-star talent, rated as the 18th-best player in the country and No. 2 point guard according to espnW HoopGurlz.
In April, Brown was named the National High School Senior Girls' Basketball Athlete of the Year by the National High School Coaches Association, the first winner from the state of Georgia since Maya Moore (2007) and the Cardinal's first winner since Chiney Ogwumike (2010).
In group play, the United States will face Argentina on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. PT, Chile on Thursday at noon PT and Puerto Rico on Friday at 4:30 p.m. PT. All of Team USA's games will stream live at Facebook.com/USABasketball.
Brown will be the 12th Stanford player to represent the United States in a FIBA Americas U18 Championship, joining Chiney Ogwumike (2010), Sarah Boothe (2008), Nneka Ogwumike (2008), Joslyn Tinkle (2008), Jayne Appel (2006), Kayla Pedersen (2006), Candice Wiggins (2004), Nicole Powell (2000), Carolyn Moos (1996), Sonja Henning (1988) and Trisha Stevens (1988).
Junior Mikaela Brewer and sophomore Alyssa Jerome played together for Canada and won silver at the most recent FIBA Americas U18 Championship in 2016.