Ohlde, Koehn To Try Out For 2002 USA World Championship
May 07, 2002 | Women's Basketball
May 7, 2002
MANHATTAN, Kan. - Kansas State's Nicole Ohlde and Laurie Koehn will join 34 of the nation's top 20-and-unders who have been invited to try out for the 2002 USA Basketball World Championship For Young Women Qualifying Team, USA Basketball announced today in Colorado Springs, Colo.
The invitation by USA Basketball is the first for Ohlde, while Koehn will be joining fellow selection Cappie Pondexter of Rutgers who played with Koehn on the 2000 USA Junior World Championship Qualifying Team.
Ohlde was an Associated Press and Kodak/WBCA honorable mention All-American in 2001-02 after she averaged 17.9 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.0 blocks per game. Koehn was honored as a third team All-Big 12 Conference selection and as ESPN.com's Rookie of the Year. She averaged 17.6 points and led the country in three-pointers with 3.5 treys per game.
The invitations were issued by the USA Basketball Women's Collegiate Committee. On May 20, following the three-day trials held May 17-19 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., the Committee will announce finalists for the U.S. squad.
Team training begins on July 7 in Colorado Springs and runs through July 11. Following the July 7-11 training camp, during which time the final 12-member 2002 USA 20-and-under squad will be named, the U.S. is scheduled to continue its training July 12-20 in Brazil prior to the start of the 2002 COPABA Qualifying Tournament.
The eventual 12-member U.S. team will compete in the Confederation of Pan American Basketball Associations (COPABA) World Championship For Young Women Qualifying Tournament. Hosted by Brazil in Ribeirao Preto on July 17-21 and featuring eight teams from North, South and Central America as well as the Caribbean, the top three nations will qualify for the inaugural International Basketball Federation (FIBA) World Championship For Young Women, which is scheduled to be played in Dubrovnik, Croatia in July 2003.
Of the 36 invitees, there are 34 NCAA Division I players, including 20 rising juniors and 14 rising sophomores, one NJCAA athlete and one who has recently completed her prep career; 19 previous USA Basketball participants; six 2002 All-Americans; six 2002 conference Freshman of the Year honorees; one 2002 conference Player of the Year and a total of 25 who were listed among their 2002 all-conference or all-freshmen teams.
Texas Tech University head coach Marsha Sharp will direct the 2002 USA Basketball World Championship For Young Women Qualifying Team. Her assistants are collegiate head coaches Nikita Lowry of New Mexico State University and Lisa Stone of Drake University (Iowa).
