Cori Close and Team USA will begin Group Phase play against Australia on Friday at 10:15 p.m. (PT).
Close, USA U19 World Cup Team Ready to Battle in Bangkok
July 18, 2019 | Women's Basketball
LOS ANGELES – The USA U19 World Cup Team will begin its quest for a gold medal on Friday night, as the team begins Group Phase action at the FIBA U19 Women's Basketball World Cup.
The Michael Price Family UCLA Women's Head Basketball Coach Cori Close will serve as an assistant for Team USA alongside head coach Jeff Walz (Louisville) and assistant coach Natasha Adair (Delaware).
"USA Basketball is the best in the world," said Close. "To be around that in the day-to-day is not only a great honor, but it's a great learning experience for me as a leader."
A total of 16 teams will begin competition, as USA is set to face Australia on Friday night at 10:15 p.m. PT. Group Phase action will take place on July 20-23 (begins July 19 in Pacific Time), with each team playing against all other teams in their group. All teams will advance to the Final Phase, with Group A crossing with Group B; and Group C crossing over with Group D in the Round of 16 on July 24.
"This is going to be a different level," said Close. "There's going to be a lot of competition. Australia is our first game in pool play, and I think they're one of the best in the world. We're going to get a chance to see where we stack up right off the bat."
The Final Phase of the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2019 will also take place in Bangkok, with the new world champions crowned on July 28.
After completing training camp in Colorado, Team USA traveled to Tokyo, Japan, where it practiced and had closed scrimmages against the Japan U19 National Team. The squad then had three more days of training in Bangkok against Argentina and Germany.
No team has won the competition more times than Team USA, who have seven titles to their name. The winners of the last edition, Russia, will not have a chance to defend their title, having not qualified for the event in last year's FIBA U18 European Championship 2018.
Click on the teams below to see the full rosters:
Keep up to date on the official website, follow #FIBAU19 on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter and watch games live on YouTube.com/FIBA.
FIBA U19 World Cup for Women
Originally known as the FIBA Junior World Championship, the tournament was held every four years starting in 1985. FIBA changed its calendar in 2005 and now conducts the U19 World Cup every other year.
USA women's teams are 79-13 in U19/Junior World Cups, capturing a sixth-consecutive gold in 2015 with a 7-0 record. In 2017, USA Basketball fell four points short against Russia in the gold medal game in an attempt to capture a seventh-straight gold medal.
Notable players to represent the U.S. include: Angela Aycock (1993), Alana Beard (2001), Essence Carson (2005), Tamika Catchings (1997), Crystal Dangerfield (2015, 2017), Ruthy Hebard (2017), Crystal Langhorne (2005), Erlana Larkins (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), Azura Stevens (2015), Breanna Stewart (2011 and MVP of the 2013 U19 World Cup), Diana Taurasi (2001), Morgan Tuck (2011 and 2013) and A'ja Wilson (2013 and MVP of the 2015 U19 World Cup).
About USA Basketball
Based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and chaired by retired Gen. Martin Dempsey, USA Basketball is a nonprofit organization and the national governing body for 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 national teams that compete in FIBA-sponsored five-on-five and 3x3 international competitions, as well as for some national competitions and for the development of youth basketball. Connect with USA Basketball at USAB.com and on Facebook (USABasketball and USABYouth), Twitter (@usabasketball, @USABYouth, @USAB3x3, @USABJNT), Instagram (@USABasketball) and YouTube (therealusabasketball).
The Michael Price Family UCLA Women's Head Basketball Coach Cori Close will serve as an assistant for Team USA alongside head coach Jeff Walz (Louisville) and assistant coach Natasha Adair (Delaware).
"USA Basketball is the best in the world," said Close. "To be around that in the day-to-day is not only a great honor, but it's a great learning experience for me as a leader."
A total of 16 teams will begin competition, as USA is set to face Australia on Friday night at 10:15 p.m. PT. Group Phase action will take place on July 20-23 (begins July 19 in Pacific Time), with each team playing against all other teams in their group. All teams will advance to the Final Phase, with Group A crossing with Group B; and Group C crossing over with Group D in the Round of 16 on July 24.
"This is going to be a different level," said Close. "There's going to be a lot of competition. Australia is our first game in pool play, and I think they're one of the best in the world. We're going to get a chance to see where we stack up right off the bat."
The Final Phase of the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2019 will also take place in Bangkok, with the new world champions crowned on July 28.
After completing training camp in Colorado, Team USA traveled to Tokyo, Japan, where it practiced and had closed scrimmages against the Japan U19 National Team. The squad then had three more days of training in Bangkok against Argentina and Germany.
No team has won the competition more times than Team USA, who have seven titles to their name. The winners of the last edition, Russia, will not have a chance to defend their title, having not qualified for the event in last year's FIBA U18 European Championship 2018.
Click on the teams below to see the full rosters:
- Group A: Canada, Latvia, Mozambique, Thailand
- Group B: Argentina, Belgium, China, Mali
- Group C: Australia, Hungary, Korea, USA
- Group D: Colombia, Germany, Japan, Spain
Keep up to date on the official website, follow #FIBAU19 on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter and watch games live on YouTube.com/FIBA.
FIBA U19 World Cup for Women
Originally known as the FIBA Junior World Championship, the tournament was held every four years starting in 1985. FIBA changed its calendar in 2005 and now conducts the U19 World Cup every other year.
USA women's teams are 79-13 in U19/Junior World Cups, capturing a sixth-consecutive gold in 2015 with a 7-0 record. In 2017, USA Basketball fell four points short against Russia in the gold medal game in an attempt to capture a seventh-straight gold medal.
Notable players to represent the U.S. include: Angela Aycock (1993), Alana Beard (2001), Essence Carson (2005), Tamika Catchings (1997), Crystal Dangerfield (2015, 2017), Ruthy Hebard (2017), Crystal Langhorne (2005), Erlana Larkins (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), Azura Stevens (2015), Breanna Stewart (2011 and MVP of the 2013 U19 World Cup), Diana Taurasi (2001), Morgan Tuck (2011 and 2013) and A'ja Wilson (2013 and MVP of the 2015 U19 World Cup).
About USA Basketball
Based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and chaired by retired Gen. Martin Dempsey, USA Basketball is a nonprofit organization and the national governing body for 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 national teams that compete in FIBA-sponsored five-on-five and 3x3 international competitions, as well as for some national competitions and for the development of youth basketball. Connect with USA Basketball at USAB.com and on Facebook (USABasketball and USABYouth), Twitter (@usabasketball, @USABYouth, @USAB3x3, @USABJNT), Instagram (@USABasketball) and YouTube (therealusabasketball).
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