Walz, Hines-Allen, Durr Ready for USA Basketball U-23 Trials
July 25, 2017 | Women's Basketball
Trials are being held in Colorado Springs from July 31 through Aug. 4.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – It is the dream of many athletes to represent their countries and compete on the international stage.
University of Louisville women's basketball's Asia Durr and Myisha Hines-Allen each will get a shot at realizing that goal next week. The duo will be vying for two of the 12 coveted spots on the 2017 USA Basketball Women's U-23 National Team, which is being led by the Cardinals' head coach Jeff Walz.
Trials are taking place from July 31 through Aug. 4 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. Forty players, who must be U.S. citizens, 23 years old or younger, and currently are freshmen, sophomores, or juniors in college, were invited to form the inaugural team.
Those players will continue training at the USOTC through Aug. 7 before departing for Tokyo, Japan, the site of the U-23 Four Nations Tournament that features the U.S., Australia, Canada, and Japan in a round-robin tournament from Aug. 12-15.
“I'm extremely excited and honored to begin another experience with USA Basketball,” Walz said. “The opportunity to work with some of the best talent in today's college game is truly special. I know all the players coming to the camp possess high-level talent, and once the team is determined, I'm really eager to begin working with that group of young women.”
Durr already has enjoyed two stints with USA Basketball that resulted in gold medals: the 2013 FIBA Americas U-16 Championship and the 2014 FIBA U-17 World Championship.
“It means a lot to me to be able to represent your country,” Durr said. “I wasn't able to compete on the 2015 U.S. U-19 World Championship Team because of an injury, but I've spent a lot of time in the gym to continue improving my game and I'm looking forward to competing in Colorado.”
The rising junior, Durr became the school's 28th 1,000-point scorer last year. That season, she broke the program's single-season record with 119 3-pointers, while extending her school record for consecutive games with a trey to 39 contests. Durr finished the year with 692 points, an average of 19.2 per game – both marks that rank fourth in the school's annals.
Hines-Allen is attempting to make her first USA Basketball team. The rising senior was a trials participant for the 2015 Women's Pan American Games and World University Games teams.
“I'm super excited for the opportunity to compete for the U-23 National Team,” Hines-Allen said. “I really admire what Angel McCoughtry has been able to do with USA Basketball, and I'm continuing to work hard for my senior season and have the ability to compete internationally.”
The Montclair, N.J., native reached 1,000 career points earlier in 2016-17 and has risen to ninth on the school's all-time scoring list (1,482). Currently, she is sixth on the school's career list in field goals (634) and rebounds (778). She tallied 17 double-doubles last season, tying the school's single-season record that was set twice by Angel McCoughtry.
For the latest information on Louisville women's basketball, log on to GoCards.com, or, for up-to-the-minute updates, follow the team's Twitter account at www.twitter.com/UofLWBB or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/UofLWBB.
