Jeff Walz to Lead 2018 USA Women's U18 National Team Trials This Weekend
May 24, 2018 | Women's Basketball
Walz will serve as head coach of the 2018 USA Women's U18 National Team.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -  University of Louisville head coach Jeff Walz will lead the 2018 USA Basketball Women's U18 National Team Trials, which are set to kick off on May 26 with 35 athletes. Trials will continue through May 28 at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The trials will feature eight international medalists alongside 14 athletes who possess prior USA Basketball training camp experience and 13 players new to USA Basketball.
The 2018 USA Women's U18 National Team will be led by Walz, with Natasha Adair of the University of Delaware and Cori Close of UCLA serving as the USA's assistant coaches. The coaching staff will be assisted during trials by court coaches Jose Fernandez of the University of South Florida and Joni Taylor of the University of Georgia.
Walz will guide the USA at the 2018 FIBA Americas U18 Championship, for which the dates and location are still to be announced. The top four finishing teams at the championship will earn a qualifying berth into next summer's 2019 FIBA U19 World Cup.
This past summer Walz led the 2017 USA Basketball Women's U23 National Team to a 3-0 record and a tournament title at the Four Nations U24 Tournament in Tokyo, and he previously helped USA Basketball to gold medals as an assistant coach for the 2014 USA Women's U18 and 2015 USA U19 national teams.
Walz recently completed his 11th season (2007-08 to present) as the Louisville head coach, where he owns a 299-96 (.757) record.
In 2017-18, he led the Cardinals to a 36-3 record, the Atlantic Coast Conference regular season and tournament titles and the NCAA Tournament Final Four, and he was named the 2018 ACCÂ Coach of the Year.
Overall at Louisville, he has led the program to 10 NCAA Tournaments, eight NCAA Sweet 16s, four Elite Eights, three Final Fours and two appearances in the national championship game. Ten times he has led Louisville to at least 20 wins in a season, and three times his squad has tallied at least 30 victories.
The trials athletes will compete in two sessions each day on May 26, 27 and 28 before the 12-member 2018 USA Women's U18 National Team is expected to be announced on the evening of May 28. Athletes eligible for this team must be U.S. citizens who are 18 years old or younger (born on or after Jan. 1, 2000).
Expected at trials are: Shakira Austin (Riverdale Baptist H.S./Fredericksburg, Va.); Breanna Beal (Rock Island H.S./Rock Island, Ill.); Grace Berg (Indianola H.S./Carlisle, Iowa); Aijha Blackwell (Whitfield School/Berkeley, Mo.); Jenna Brown (The Lovett School/Smyrna, Ga.); Kennedy Brown (Derby Senior H.S./Derby, Kan.);  Desiree Caldwell (Byron P. Steele II H.S./Cibolo, Texas);  Taylor Chavez (Valley Vista H.S./Surprise, Ariz.);  Amira Collins (Paul VI Catholic H.S./Waldorf, Md.);  Maori Davenport (Henderson H.S./Troy, Ala.); Aquira DeCosta (St. Mary's H.S./Stockton, Calif.); Elizabeth Dixon (Ridgeway H.S./Germantown, Tenn.); Queen Egbo (Travis H.S./Houston, Texas);  Emily Engstler (St. Francis Prep/New York, N.Y.);  McKenzie Forbes (Folsom H.S./Folsom, Calif.);  Hayley Frank (Strafford H.S./Marshfield, Mo.); Katlyn Gilbert (Heritage Christian School/Indianapolis, Ind.); Zarielle Green (Duncanville H.S./Dallas, Texas);  Heavenly Greer (Horizon H.S./Phoenix, Ariz.);  Nazarah Hillmon-Baker (Gilmour Academy/Cleveland, Ohio);  Rhyne Howard (Bradley Central H.S./Cleveland, Tenn.);  Ashley Joens (Iowa City H.S./Iowa City, Iowa);  Jazmine Massengill (Heights Christian Academy/Harrison, Tenn.);  Olivia Nelson-Ododa (Winder-Barrow H.S./Winder, Ga.);  Jordan Nixon (Mary Louis Academy/New York, N.Y.); Karisma Ortiz (Archbishop Mitty H.S./San Jose, Calif.); Jaden Owens (Plano West H.S./Plano, Texas); Anaya Peoples (Schlarman H.S./Danville, Ill.);  Sedona Prince (Liberty Hill H.S./Liberty Hill, Texas);  Abby Prohaska (Lakota West H.S./Liberty Township, Ohio);  Sammie Puisis (William Mason H.S./Mason, Ohio);  Honesty Scott-Grayson (Riverdale Baptist H.S./Severn, Md.);  NaLyssa Smith (East Central H.S./Converse, Texas);  Christyn Williams (Central Arkansas Christian School/Little Rock, Ark.); and  Zoe Young (Valley H.S./Urbandale, Iowa).
All 25 athletes who are members of the high school class of 2018 have signed a National Letter of Intent. Nine athletes are set to graduate high school in 2019, and one player, Greer, belongs to the class of 2020.
The team members will return to Colorado Springs for training camp on July 20, before the team departs for the 2018 FIBA Americas U18 Championship, which will be held Aug. 1-7, 2018 at a location still to be announced.Â
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The 2018 USA Women's U18 National Team will be led by Walz, with Natasha Adair of the University of Delaware and Cori Close of UCLA serving as the USA's assistant coaches. The coaching staff will be assisted during trials by court coaches Jose Fernandez of the University of South Florida and Joni Taylor of the University of Georgia.
Walz will guide the USA at the 2018 FIBA Americas U18 Championship, for which the dates and location are still to be announced. The top four finishing teams at the championship will earn a qualifying berth into next summer's 2019 FIBA U19 World Cup.
This past summer Walz led the 2017 USA Basketball Women's U23 National Team to a 3-0 record and a tournament title at the Four Nations U24 Tournament in Tokyo, and he previously helped USA Basketball to gold medals as an assistant coach for the 2014 USA Women's U18 and 2015 USA U19 national teams.
Walz recently completed his 11th season (2007-08 to present) as the Louisville head coach, where he owns a 299-96 (.757) record.
In 2017-18, he led the Cardinals to a 36-3 record, the Atlantic Coast Conference regular season and tournament titles and the NCAA Tournament Final Four, and he was named the 2018 ACCÂ Coach of the Year.
Overall at Louisville, he has led the program to 10 NCAA Tournaments, eight NCAA Sweet 16s, four Elite Eights, three Final Fours and two appearances in the national championship game. Ten times he has led Louisville to at least 20 wins in a season, and three times his squad has tallied at least 30 victories.
The trials athletes will compete in two sessions each day on May 26, 27 and 28 before the 12-member 2018 USA Women's U18 National Team is expected to be announced on the evening of May 28. Athletes eligible for this team must be U.S. citizens who are 18 years old or younger (born on or after Jan. 1, 2000).
Expected at trials are: Shakira Austin (Riverdale Baptist H.S./Fredericksburg, Va.); Breanna Beal (Rock Island H.S./Rock Island, Ill.); Grace Berg (Indianola H.S./Carlisle, Iowa); Aijha Blackwell (Whitfield School/Berkeley, Mo.); Jenna Brown (The Lovett School/Smyrna, Ga.); Kennedy Brown (Derby Senior H.S./Derby, Kan.);  Desiree Caldwell (Byron P. Steele II H.S./Cibolo, Texas);  Taylor Chavez (Valley Vista H.S./Surprise, Ariz.);  Amira Collins (Paul VI Catholic H.S./Waldorf, Md.);  Maori Davenport (Henderson H.S./Troy, Ala.); Aquira DeCosta (St. Mary's H.S./Stockton, Calif.); Elizabeth Dixon (Ridgeway H.S./Germantown, Tenn.); Queen Egbo (Travis H.S./Houston, Texas);  Emily Engstler (St. Francis Prep/New York, N.Y.);  McKenzie Forbes (Folsom H.S./Folsom, Calif.);  Hayley Frank (Strafford H.S./Marshfield, Mo.); Katlyn Gilbert (Heritage Christian School/Indianapolis, Ind.); Zarielle Green (Duncanville H.S./Dallas, Texas);  Heavenly Greer (Horizon H.S./Phoenix, Ariz.);  Nazarah Hillmon-Baker (Gilmour Academy/Cleveland, Ohio);  Rhyne Howard (Bradley Central H.S./Cleveland, Tenn.);  Ashley Joens (Iowa City H.S./Iowa City, Iowa);  Jazmine Massengill (Heights Christian Academy/Harrison, Tenn.);  Olivia Nelson-Ododa (Winder-Barrow H.S./Winder, Ga.);  Jordan Nixon (Mary Louis Academy/New York, N.Y.); Karisma Ortiz (Archbishop Mitty H.S./San Jose, Calif.); Jaden Owens (Plano West H.S./Plano, Texas); Anaya Peoples (Schlarman H.S./Danville, Ill.);  Sedona Prince (Liberty Hill H.S./Liberty Hill, Texas);  Abby Prohaska (Lakota West H.S./Liberty Township, Ohio);  Sammie Puisis (William Mason H.S./Mason, Ohio);  Honesty Scott-Grayson (Riverdale Baptist H.S./Severn, Md.);  NaLyssa Smith (East Central H.S./Converse, Texas);  Christyn Williams (Central Arkansas Christian School/Little Rock, Ark.); and  Zoe Young (Valley H.S./Urbandale, Iowa).
All 25 athletes who are members of the high school class of 2018 have signed a National Letter of Intent. Nine athletes are set to graduate high school in 2019, and one player, Greer, belongs to the class of 2020.
The team members will return to Colorado Springs for training camp on July 20, before the team departs for the 2018 FIBA Americas U18 Championship, which will be held Aug. 1-7, 2018 at a location still to be announced.Â
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