U19: The Stars & Their Stripes

By Glenn Nelson
HoopGurlz Publisher
Posted Mon, 05/21/2007 - 15:31 A closer look - through images and words - at the 16 finalists for the USA U19 World Championships Team.

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STORY & PHOTOS BY GLENN NELSON
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - If the USA Basketball selection committee aimed to address the general strategy aimed at U.S. national teams - in other words, slow them down, make them shoot the ball and defend the three - then mission likely accomplished with the U19 team.

Just the additions of the high-school level's most advanced perimeter-shooting technicians - Angie Bjorklund, of Spokane, Wash., and Elena Delle Donne, of Wilmington, Del. - makes this a more solid club than the one that steamrolled through Americas qualifying.

The group also has length and athleticism to extend defensively, plus the development of Sacramento's Vicki Baugh and Kayla Pedersen of Fountain Hills, Ariz., into highly skilled power players gives the U.S. more versatility in its size. Of course, Maya Moore of Lawrenceville, Ga., whom you'd swear was three inches taller than her list 6 feet, gives the team an It factor.

The key will maximizing the extremely short prep period to get this team to jell. The responsibility for that, in addition to the Doug Bruno-led coaching staff, will rest with point guards Italee Lucas of Las Vegas and Khadijah Rushdan of Wilmington, Del., who took a 2 1/2-day walk on the wild side. Bruno took both aside after the finalists were announced, presumably to address this very issue.

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Jayne Appel
6-4 post
Pleasant Hill, Calif.
Stanford University
At the end of last year, Appel may have been the best high-school player in the 2006 class and she went on to lead Stanford in scoring and rebounding to earn Pac-10 Freshman of the Year honors. She is strong inside and out and probably would be a cinch to make the final roster, though the suspicion here is that the Pan Am Games coaching staff will want to snatch her up.

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Vicki Baugh
6-4 forward
Sacramento, Calif.
Sacramento HS / Tennessee*
Baugh looked more like a mobile power forward with a strong skillset than an emerging, giant wing. She is bigger and stronger than last year, and made her presence felt particularly at the defensive end with what seemed like a swat every other minute. She also continues to be a menace in the open floor.

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Angie Bjorklund
6-0 guard
Spokane, Wash.
University HS / Tennessee
Bjorklund, the No. 2 player in the 2007 class, per HoopGurlz.com, had her best shooting during the last day of scrimmages, when everyone else had succumbed to fatigue or the altitude. Until then, she likely earned a spot as an intelligent playmaker who always played hard and physical, and was a positive presence on the floor.

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Allyssa DeHaan
6-9 post
Grandville, Mich.
Michigan State University
To drag out a common cliche, DeHaan has one of two things that you cannot teach - height (the other being speed). When she can get near the basket (which is a question, given her 180 pounds), she knows how to use that height effectively for finishes or rebounds. The suspicion here is that her height can be used to replicate potential foes.

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Elena Delle Donne
6-5 wing
Wilmington, Del.
Ursuline Academy
Delle Donne, the No. 1 player in the 2008 class, per HoopGurlz.com, has plenty of sessions when she was money with everything she put up. She also was a solid with her ballhandling, passing and positional defense. She also plays within herself, so the coaching staff will have to develop sets to get the most out of her.

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Amy Jaeschke
6-5 post
Wilmette, Ill.
New Trier HS / Northwestern*
Bright and positive, Jaeschke is full of fundamental gems. She is among the best at creating space on the catch, finishes with both hands on either layups or hook shots, can hit the mid-range jumper and passes well. Not a speedster, she sometimes got lost in up-and-down spells, but can get you a bucket out of a deliberate, halfcourt set.

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Jantel Lavender
6-4 post
Cleveland, Ohio
Central HS / Ohio State
The toughest of the bigs, Lavender was nearly automatic on the box, but frequently was overlooked during a guard-dominated trials. She also is an excellent passer and mid-range shooter and she and either Appel or Jaeschke can kill teams in high-low offensive sets. Lavender also will be the most effective one-on-one defender down low.

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Melissa Lechlitner
5-7 point guard
Mishawaka, Ind.
University of Notre Dame
Lechlitner was an all-freshman selection in the Big East and brings collegiate-pressure experience to the table. She plays hard and smart, and hits the open jumper, and could provide a calming influence - or a fall-back position should Italee Lucas and Khadijah Rushdan not calm their games by the departure date for Europe.

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Demauria Liles
6-1 forward
Suitland, Md.
Gulf Coast Community College
Liles, who should be at Maryland for the 2008-09 season, sat in a large pack of athletic, 6-0 to 6-1 players for a couple days, then busted out with her ability to run the floor and finish in traffic. She also has length which, combined with her explosiveness, also makes her a factor at the defensive end.

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Italee Lucas
5-9 point guard
Las Vegas, Nev.
Centennial HS / North Carolina*
Last year, Lucas was dazzling during the U18 trials as a floor leader and passer, but this year lapsed a bit into more individual play. She has more shake, strength and explosiveness than any guard in this age group. She has the ability to take over with her scoring, but may need to realize her main weapons are her teammates.

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Maya Moore
6-0 wing
Lawrenceville, Ga.
Collins Hill HS / Connecticut*
At the age group, there is Maya Moore and then everyone else. Her confidence and command, not to mention her wil to win, elevates her game beyond everyone else's. It would be a surprise if she did not establish herself as a looming mega-star on the international stage and set herself on the path to being an Olympian.

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Kayla Pedersen
6-4 forward
Fountain Hills, Ariz.
Red Mountain HS / Stanford*
Even with bum ankles, Pedersen last year showed she was one of the more versatile players in the country. Completely healthy this year, she left no doubt. She handles the ball well, plays at a high rate all the time and shoots it better than she did last weekend. Most impressive was her unrelenting attack on the basket and ability to finish in a variety of ways.

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Khadijah Rushdan
5-9 point guard
Wilmington, Del.
St. Elizabeth HS / Rutgers*
No player at the trials - and few in the country - had better court vision than Rushdan. She sees passing lanes in small creases as well as long distance, but had far more self control - and a better long-distance shooting touch - last year. She also was prone lapse on effort and needs to improve her conditioning.

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Jasmine Thomas
5-9 point guard
Fairfax, Va.
Oakton HS / Duke*
A controversial ommission from the U18 team, Thomas came back with a vengeance, establishing herself as the best point guard in the pool. She had consistent command on all her passes, particularly in transition, and shot extremely well - well enough to swing over to the other guard spot.

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Krystal Thomas
6-5 forward
Orlando, Fla.
The First Academy / Duke*
Thomas didn't stand out in overt ways, mainly because she's the best forward in the 2007 class on the box, and the guards generally were poor in getting players such as her involved. Even in the best conditions, Thomas is one who plays within herself, doing a lot of little things that add up to something bigger.

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Monica Wright
5-11 guard
Woodbridge, Va.
University of Virginia
The ACC Rookie of the Year is - hand down - the most physical player on the team. Her size, strength and explosiveness make her a nearly impossible stop off the bounce. She also has maintained her ability to hit 10-12-foot, pull-up jumpers, handles the ball well enough to get done whatever is necessary and is a more-than-solid defender.

* College signed with

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Glenn Nelson is the publisher of HoopGurlz.com. He also founded and coached the Dragons and Northwest HoopGurlz select girl's basketball teams. Glenn previously was the editor-in-chief at Scout.com and a longtime, national-award-winning basketball columnist and writer for The Seattle Times. His work also has appeared in several books and national magazines. He is co-author of "Rising Stars: The Ten Best Players in the NBA" (Rosen Publishing, 2002). For more on Glenn's World, click here. He can be reached at glenn@hoopgurlz.com.

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