Monday, August 6, 2001
USA
Basketball Women's World University GamesTeam To Tip-Off Training
In Colorado Springs August 6-11
USA's
Pre-World University Games Training to Include Round-Robin Tournament
in China
Roster
Schedule
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The 2001 USA Basketball Women's World
University Games Team, a squad comprised of top college players including
Vanderbilt's Chantelle Anderson and Ashley McElhiney, will begin training
on Aug. 6 in Colorado Springs, Colo. for the 2001 World University
Games that will be played Aug. 22 - Sept. 1 in Beijing, China. The
six-day training camp will run through Aug. 11 and will be held at
the U.S. Olympic Training Center's Sports Center I. Additionally,
the U.S. squad is slated to compete in a four-team round-robin tournament
in China Aug. 14-16 versus World University Games teams from Australia,
Canada and China.
Vanderbilt senior forward,
Zuzi Klimesova, will also compete in the World University Games with
her native Czech Republic Team.
"I know that we're going to have to work very hard because our
training period is very short," said USA Basketball Women's World
University Games and University of Virginia head coach Debbie Ryan.
"We're going to want to get in our basic offense and defense
and just get our players up to the level that they're going to need
to be. I know that everyone's been training really hard. I've stayed
in touch with their coaches and I think they're going to come into
camp in really good shape.
"I just can't wait to get started and to get over to China,"
added Ryan. "It'll be a lot of fun. The fact that we get to go
over early will make it better for us to be able to adjust to China
and the time and help us handle everything."
Featuring three players with prior USA Basketball team experience,
the list of 11 finalists for the USA Women's World University Games
Team includes: Chantelle Anderson (Vanderbilt / Vancouver, Wash.);
Cori Enghusen (Stanford / Bothell, Wash.); Chrissy Floyd (Clemson
/ Laurens, S.C.); Caton Hill (Oklahoma / Ada, Okla.); Kara Lawson
(Tennessee / Alexandria, Va.); Ashley McElhiney (Vanderbilt / Gleason,
Tenn.); Carisse Moody (North Carolina State / Rocky Mount, N.C.);
Jenny Roulier (Colorado / Englewood, Colo.); Ayana Walker (Louisiana
Tech / Houston, Texas); Shaquala Williams (Oregon / Portland, Ore.);
and Shereka Wright (Purdue / Copperas Cove, Texas).
Ryan will be assisted by University of Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder
and East Carolina University (N.C.) head coach Dee Stokes.
Training camp opens Monday, Aug. 6 with a session from 5:00-7:00 p.m.
(all times MDT). The U.S. will train twice a day on Aug. 7, 8 and
10, from 9:00-11:00 a.m. and 5:00-7:00 p.m., and will conduct a single
practice session on Aug. 9 from 11:00-1:00 p.m. The USA's Colorado
Springs training concludes on Aug. 11 with an 8:00-10:00 a.m. practice.
All of the Americans' training sessions will be held at Sports Center
I and will be open to credentialed media only.
The USA team's preparation continues with a four-team round-robin
tournament in Zhangjiagang, China, from Aug. 14-16. The American squad
will face Australia on Tuesday, Aug. 14 at 7:00 p.m.; Canada on Wednesday,
Aug. 15 at 7:00 p.m.; and will conclude pre-World University Games
action against China on Thursday, Aug. 16 at 8:45 p.m.. All games
times are local.
The 2001 World University Games is expected to feature 19 teams that
have been divided into four preliminary round pools. The United States
is in Pool B with Canada, Japan and South Africa. The U.S. squad opens
competition on Aug. 22 facing South Africa at 11:00 a.m., then meets
Canada on Aug. 23 at 8:30 a.m., and concludes preliminary play against
Japan on Aug. 25 at 7:00 p.m. Tournament quarterfinals play gets underway
Aug. 27, with semifinals being conducted Aug. 30 and the medal games
being held Aug. 31. All times are local Beijing time which is 12 hours
ahead of EDT.
The World University Games, held every two years and organized by
the International University Sports Federation (FISU), is a multi-sport
competition open to men and women between the ages of 17 and 28 (born
between Jan. 1, 1973 and Dec. 31, 1983) and who are, or have been
within the past year, a student at a college or university. The USA
Women have enjoyed outstanding success in the World University Games
and have earned 11 medals in 12 appearances, including four golds,
six silvers and one bronze medal, and have compiled an overall record
of 68-14 (82.9 winning percentage) since beginning World University
Games play in 1973. In the last competition, which was held in 1999
in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, the U.S. finished with a 4-2 record and
the silver medal. The USA Women last earned the World University Games
gold in Sicily in 1997.
The USA Basketball
Women's Collegiate Committee is chaired by University of Texas Senior
Associate Athletics Director for Men's and Women's Athletics Chris
Plonsky. In addition to Plonsky, the Committee is comprised of NAIA
designee Stephanie Findley (head coach, Oklahoma Christian University);
NCAA appointees Tom Collen (head coach, Colorado State University),
Gail Goestenkors (head coach, Duke University, N.C.), Donna Noonan
(Vice President, Women's Basketball Championship, NCAA) and Willette
White (head coach, Northeastern University, Mass.); Representing the
NJCAA is Mary Ellen Leicht (Assistant Executive Director, NJCAA);
Muffet McGraw (head coach, Notre Dame University) was appointed by
the WBCA and Teresa Edwards (2000, 1996, 1992, 1988 and 1984 Olympian,
1994, 1990 and 1986 World Championship Teams / Smyrna, Ga.) and Vickie
Orr-Wiley (1992 Olympic bronze medalist, 1990 World Championship gold
medalist / Birmingham, Ala.) are the athlete representatives.
