May 09, 2006
Texas A&M?™s Morenike Atunrase has been invited to the 2006 USA U20 National Team Trials being held next week at the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., the USA Basketball Women?™s Collegiate Committee announced Tuesday.
Atunrase, from Shreveport, La., earned All-Big 12 First Team honors as she led the Aggies in points, blocks, and steals. Atunrase broke her own record as she blocked a school single season record 58 shots. She now ranks third at A&M in career blocks with 115.
Atunrase will be one of 37 of the nation?™s top 20-and-unders (born on or after Jan. 1, 1986) which will be under consideration for spots on the eventual 12-member 2006 USA U20 National Team that will look to defend the United States?™ title at the 2006 FIBA Americas U20 Championship.
?For what she?™s accomplished the last two years, I think she has the ability to be developed into a two, three player for USA Basketball,? A&M coach Gary Blair said. ?She has the ability to do it all. I think her talent will standout when she has the ability to play with the type of talent that will be at the tryouts. I think she has a great chance.?
She is one four athletes from the Big 12 Conference selected to the trials. The other Big 12 representatives are Oklahoma?™s Courtney Paris and Ashley Paris, and Texas Tech signee Jordan Murphree.
Trials for the USA U20 Championship Team are scheduled for May 18-21 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. Finalists for the eventual 12-member team will be announced on May 21 and will reconvene in late July for training camp at a site to be determined prior to departing for the FIBA Americas U20 Championship.
Scheduled for Aug. 9-13 at a site TBD, the tournament will feature eight teams from North, South and Central Americas and the Caribbean. The top three finishing teams qualify for the 2007 FIBA U21 Women's World Championship that will be held July 27-Aug. 5 in Guatemala City, Guatemala.
This past season, the Aggies made their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1996 and finished third in the Big 12.