May 8, 2013
Lucas espnW Blog | LadyLions.com
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - Penn State Lady Lion guard Maggie Lucas (Narberth, Pa.) and center Candice Agee (Victorville, Calif.) have been invited to participate in the upcoming USA Basketball Trials. Lucas has been invited to tryout for the Women's World University Games Team, while Agee will participate in the Women's U19 World Championships Team Trials. Lady Lion head coach Coquese Washington will serve as an assistant coach for this year's World University Games squad.
The USA Basketball trials for both teams will take place Thursday, May 16 - Sunday, May 19 in Colorado Springs, Colo. Invitations to the trials were issued by the USA Basketball Junior National Team Committee.
Lucas, who also tried out for the World University Games Team in 2011, is coming off of an outstanding junior campaign that saw her take home Big Ten Player of the Year honors, as well as All-America accolades from the WBCA, Associated Press, USBWA and Full Court. The Narberth, Pa. native averaged 20.1 points per game to finish third in the Big Ten and 16th nationally. She is the first Lady Lion to average 20 points per game since Kelly Mazzante accounted for 20.0 tallies per outing in 2003-04. Lucas also finished in the Top 10 in the country in three-point field goal percentage (4th- .462) and free throw percentage (9th - 90.0) and was 11th in three-point field goals made (3.06).
The sharp-shooter enters her final season in the Blue & White ranked first in career free throw percentage (.887), second in career three-pointers made (292), second in three-point field goal percentage (.433), third in scoring average (18.4), seventh in points scored (1,838), 19th in steals (176) and tied for 24th in assists (216). Lucas will start her senior season as the active NCAA leader in free throw percentage and three-point field goals made. She will also be fourth among active players in scoring.
The 2013 World University Games (WUGs) women's basketball competition will be held July 8-15 in Kazan, Russia. Organized by the International University Sports Federation (FISU) and held every other year, the WUGs is a multi-sport competition open to men and women who are between the ages of 17 and 24 (born 01/01/89 through 12/31/95). The USA Basketball women's team will be comprised of U.S. citizens who are currently enrolled in college and have remaining eligibility.
USA Basketball women's teams have participated in 16 prior World University Games and have collected a record eight gold, six silver and one bronze medal. Since 1973, the first year the USA women competed in the WUGs, the United States has compiled a 95-15 record. In 2011 the USA, led by 2012 NCAA National Player of the Year nominees Elena Delle Donne, Skylar Diggins and Nneka Ogwumike and Baylor's Simms, posted a 6-0 slate en route to the gold medal.
Also among the list of WUG alumni are 2012 Olympic gold medalists Seimone Augustus (2005), Tina Charles (2009), Sylvia Fowles (2005) and Maya Moore (2009); as well as Olympians Carol Blazejowski (1977, 1979), Ruthie Bolton (1991), Anne Donovan (1981), Pat Head Summitt (1973), Lisa Leslie (1991), Katrina McClain (1985), Suzie McConnell-Serio (1991), Ann Meyers Drysdale (1977), DeLisha Milton-Jones (1997), Cappie Pondexter (2005), Ruth Riley (1999), Katie Smith (1995), Dawn Staley (1991), Katy Steding (1991), Tina Thompson (1995), Kara Wolters (1995, 1997) and Lynette Woodward (1979).
Agee played for the USA Basketball U18 National Team at the FIBA Americas U18 Championship, which qualified the U19 squad for the U19 World Championships. The center averaged 5.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.2 blocks and 1.4 steals in five contests for the United States as it won the Gold Medal. Her best performance was an 11-point outing against the Dominican Republic in pool play. As a freshman at Penn State, Agee saw time in 26 games, accounting for 2.0 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.5 blocks per game. She had a season-best eight points and nine rebounds in a dominating win over Fairleigh Dickinson. She also had eight tallies against Illinois and NJIT.
The USA squad, which is on a quest to capture a fifth-consecutive gold medal at the U19 Worlds, will compete in the 2013 FIBA U19 World Championship, hosted by Lithuania from July 18-28 in Klaipeda and PanevÄ-?ys. The team will regroup for training on July 1 at the USOTC prior to traveling to Europe for the competition.
Originally known as the FIBA Junior World Championship, the tournament was held every four years starting in 1985. FIBA changed its calendar in 2006 and now conducts the U19 World Championship every other year. USA women's teams are 57-12 in the U19/Junior World Championships, capturing a fourth-consecutive gold with an 8-1 record, most recently in 2011.
Numerous top athletes have represented the United States at the U19s, including Alana Beard (2001); Essence Carson (2005); Tamika Catchings (1997); Crystal Langhorne (2005); Jantel Lavender (2007); Lisa Leslie (1989); Rebecca Lobo (1993); Maya Moore (2007); Nnemkadi Ogwumike (2009); Vickie Orr (1985); Courtney Paris (2005); Cappie Pondexter (2001); Katie Smith (1993); Dawn Staley (1989); Breanna Stewart (2011); Diana Taurasi (2001); Abby Waner (2005); and Candice Wiggins (2005). Additionally, eight athletes from the first seven USA U19 squads have advanced to compete in the Olympic Games, including Catchings, Leslie, Lobo, Moore, Pondexter, Smith, Staley and Taurasi.
The Lady Lions won their second-straight Big Ten regular season title with a 26-6 overall record and 14-2 mark in conference play last season. Guided by two-time Big Ten Coach of the Year Coquese Washington, Penn State will return the 2013 Big Ten Player of the Year in Lucas and Big Ten All-Defensive team choice Dara Taylor. The Lady Lions will also add an eight-player recruiting class that ranks in the Top 10 in the country.
The Lady Lions hold several camps throughout the summer. There is a Lady Lion Basketball Camp available for girls of all ages, ranging from shooting camp to elite camp. The 2013 Lady Lion Basketball Camp schedule is as follows: Experience Camp (June 9-11), Elite Camp (June 22-23), Total Package Team Camp (June 20-22) and Games Galore Team Camp (August 2-4). For more information on Lady Lion Basketball Camps, please visit GoPSUsports.com/camps and click on Girls Basketball Camp under Summer Camps.
The Lady Lions are on Twitter. Follow sports information contact Kris Petersen (@ladylionsid) and the Lady Lions and coaches (@pennstatewbb) to get the inside scoop. The Lady Lions are also on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pennstateladylions.
USA Basketball
Based in Colorado Springs, Colo., USA Basketball is a nonprofit organization and the national governing body for men's and women's basketball in the United States. As the recognized governing body for basketball in the U.S. by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), USA Basketball is responsible for the selection, training and fielding of USA teams that compete in FIBA sponsored international competitions, as well as for some national competitions.
During the 2009-12 quadrennium, 1273 men and women players and 235 coaches participated in USA Basketball, including the USA Basketball 3x3 FIBA championships, USA Basketball trials and USA teams.
Between 2009-12, USA Basketball men's and women's teams compiled an impressive 264-35 win-loss record in FIBA and FIBA Americas competitions, the Pan American Games, the World University Games, the Nike Hoop Summit and in exhibition games. USA teams are the current men's and women's champions in the Olympics; men's and women's FIBA World Championships; women's FIBA U19 World Champions; men's and women's FIBA U17 World Champions; and the men's and women's U18 and U16 FIBA Americas Championships. USA Basketball also currently ranks No. 1 in all five of FIBA's world ranking categories, including combined, men's, women's, boys and girls.
For further information about USA Basketball, go to the official Web site of USA Basketball at usabasketball.com and connect with us on facebook.com/usabasketball, twitter.com/usabasketball and www.youtube.com/therealusabasketball.