Oregon guard Taylor Lilley has been invited to participate in the tryouts for the 2007 USA Basketball U19 National Team.
“Taylor’s selection to try out for this team is a most deserving one,” Oregon coach Bev Smith said in a media release. “She will be among the elite players of her age group, and she truly belongs in such company.”
“Not only is Taylor an outstanding basketball player at both ends of the floor, but she is also one of the purest shooters in the country, a skill that has become somewhat of a lost art in the game of basketball today.”
Lilley made a large impact on the team despite missing time to a broken left hand and a stress fracture in her right leg during Pacific-10 Conference play. She earned Pac-10 All-Freshman honorable mention by averaging 8.3 points, fourth on the team.
Lilley led the Pac-10 and set the school record for three-point accuracy at almost 51 percent.
The guard from Newhall, Calif. will take part in the trials from May 17-20 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. Roughly 30 of the top college players in the nation will participate with the USA Basketball Women’s Collegiate Committee selecting the finalists for the U19 National Team.
The final 12-person team will participate in the 2007 FIBA U19 World Championship in Bratislava, Slovak Republic from July 26 to August 5.
The team is coached by Doug Bruno of DePaul University and is assisted by Cynthia Cooper-Dyke, head coach of Prairie View A&M, and Carol Owens, head coach at Northern Illinois.