Aug. 15, 2012
USA Basketball U18 National Team Website
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State freshman Candice Agee (Victorville, Calif./Silverado) scored 11 points and grabbed four rebounds as the USA Basketball U18 National Team kicked off the FIBA Americas U18 Championship with a 99-26 victory over the Dominican Republic on Wednesday. Agee and Team USA will be back in action tomorrow as it takes on Argentina at 3:45 p.m.
"I loved it," said Agee on playing her first ever international game. "It was amazing. Being my first game I thought I was going to come out a little shaky. Once we got into a rhythm it was just natural and I loved it."
Following a close first quarter, Team USA scored the first 31 points of the second quarter to create some quick separation in Gurabo, Puerto Rico. Agee's 11 points were third most on the team and all 10 USA players scored at least five points in the contest. The Victorville, Calif. native was added to the 2012 USA Basketball U18 National Team on Aug. 3. The Championship will run until Aug. 19 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Team USA will play Argentina on Thursday and then face Colombia at 3:45 p.m. on Friday to wrap up preliminary pool play. The top two teams from each preliminary round group will be seeded and advance to the medal semifinals on Aug. 18. Winners of the semifinals will compete in the gold medal game to be played on Aug. 19. The USA women are the reigning FIBA Americas U18 champion after going 5-0 to win gold in 2010. Fans interested in watching Agee and Team USA in action for all games can catch it online as FIBAAmericas.com will provide live streaming and live online statistics for all four games each day.
Agee is the first Lady Lion player to don the red, white and blue since Tanisha Wright played on the US Young Women's Team in 2003. The freshman center has joined the U18 National Team at the U.S. Olympic Training Center (USOTC) in Colorado Springs for training camp, which will run August 4-11. The squad will then head to Puerto Rico August 12 in preparation for the start of the tournament.
The 6-6 Agee was ranked 34th by ESPN/HoopGurlz, 38th by Collegiate Girls Report, 17th by Blue Star Basketball and 40th by All-Star Girls Report and Peach State as a high school senior. Agee is the fourth McDonald's All-American in school history and is one of three McDonald's honorees on the 2012-13 Lady Lion roster, joining Maggie Lucas (Narberth, Pa.) and Dara Taylor (Wilmington, Del.). Agee tallied seven points and seven rebounds in the McDonald's High School All-America game in April. She is also a 2012 WBCA High School All-America honorable mention. She is a three-time Desert Sky League first team selection and was the league's Most Valuable Player as a junior. Additionally, she was the Daily Press Girls' Athlete of the Year. Agee was named to the All-Region first team as a junior. The center played her AAU ball with West Coast Premier. Agee also plays volleyball at Silverado High School.
The 12-member squad, in addition to Agee, includes 2011 USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Year Breanna Stewart (Cicero-North H.S./North Syracuse, N.Y.); Bashaara Graves (Clarksville H.S./Clarksville, Tenn.); Morgan Tuck (Bolingbrook H.S./ Bolingbrook, Ill.); Jannah Tucker (New Town H.S./Randallstown, Md.); Moriah Jefferson (Texas Home Educators Sports Association/Glenn Heights, Texas); Alexis Prince (Edgewater/Orlando, Fla.); Kendall Cooper (St. Anthony H.S./Carson, Calif.); Allisha Gray (Washington County H.S/Sandersville, Ga.); Lexie Brown (North Gwinnett H.S./Suwanee, Ga.); Michaela Mabrey (Manasquan H.S./Belmar, N.J.) and Brittney Sykes (University H.S./Newark, N.J.).
University of Miami head coach Katie Meier will serve as head coach of the U18 squad, while collegiate head coaches Nikki Caldwell of Louisiana State University and Kelly Graves of Gonzaga University will act as assistant coaches.
FIBA Americas U18 Championship for Women Originally known as the FIBA Americas Junior World Championship Qualifying Tournament, the event was held every four years beginning in 1988. FIBA changed its calendar and the tournament is now conducted every other year, followed in the next summer by the FIBA U19 World Championship.
USA women's teams boast of a remarkable 39-2 overall record in U18/Junior Qualifiers and have won gold in 1988, 2000, 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2010, while capturing silver medals in 1992 and 1996. In fact, the USA has not lost a game at the FIBA Americas U18 Championship since 1996 and is riding a 25-0 winning streak into this year's competition.
Some of the athletes who have represented the U.S. in this event in the past include: Jayne Appel (2006); Alana Beard (2000); Kelsey Bone (2008); Tamika Catchings (1996); Marissa Coleman (2004); Skylar Diggins (2008); Sonja Henning (1988); Niesa Johnson (1992); Rebecca Lobo (1992); Maya Moore (2006); Chiney Ogwumike (2010); Nneka Ogwumike (2008); Candace Parker (2004); Courtney Paris (2004); Cappie Pondexter (2000); Nicole Powell (2000); Lynn Pride (1996); Diana Taurasi (2000); and Candice Wiggins (2004).
Connect with USA Basketball online at usabasketball.com, facebook.com/usabasketball, twitter.com/usabasketball and www.youtube.com/therealusabasketball.
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