COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.- Texas A&M seniors-to-be Courtney Walker and Courtney Williams were two of 54 collegiate basketball players to accept invitations to attend the 2015 USA Basketball Women's Pan American Games and World University Games Team Trials, which will take place May 14-17 at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The USA Basketball Women's Junior National Team Committee issued the invitations.
Trials will be used to determine the rosters for the 2015 U.S. Pan American Women's Basketball Team and the 2015 USA Women's World University Games Team. The 12 members of each squad, or finalists for each team, will be announced on the morning of May 17.
Players eligible for the 2015 U.S. Pan American Games and USA World University Games teams must be U.S. citizens who currently are enrolled as full-time college students with remaining eligibility for the 2015-16 school year. Â
"We have more than enough talent to field two teams from among this group," said Jim Foster (University of Tennessee-Chattanooga), chair of the USA Basketball Junior National Team Committee. "It will be a very competitive trials as there are a number of very good players with vast USA Basketball experience and a very attractive group of first-time invitees."
Walker averaged 14.3 points in 2014-15, and received All-America honors from both the Associated Press and Women's Basketball Coaches' Association. Walker was an All-SEC First Team selection, earning that distinction in back-to-back years.
Williams averaged 14.8 points and ranked second during SEC play in scoring. Williams was a Second Team All-SEC selection and joined A&M's 1,000-point club during 2014-15.
The University of Iowa's Lisa Bluder will lead the 2015 U.S. Pan American Women's Basketball Team, along with assistant coaches Michelle Clark-Heard of Western Kentucky University and Scott Rueck of Oregon State University.
Northwestern University head coach Joe McKeown will be head coach of the 2015 USA Women's World University Games Team, with assistant coaches Holly Warlick from the University of Tennessee and Tanya Warren from the University of Northern Iowa.
Trials begin with a 7:30-9:15 p.m. session on May 14, followed by sessions at 11 a.m.-1 p.m. and 6:30-8:30 p.m. on May 15 and 16.