Revisiting USA’s star-studded 2019 U-19 FIBA roster that includes Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers earlier than they took over WNBA initially appeared on The Sporting Information. Add The Sporting Information as a Most popular Supply by clicking right here.
Group USA’s efficiency within the 2019 U-19 World Cup was enchanting. Seven years on, the shows authored up by among the staff’s highest-profile gamers really feel like a precursor of their future success.
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That 2019 roster was suffering from luminaries, together with Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, Rhyne Howard and Aliyah Boston. It was a staff that rolled via the group stage, besting its foes by a mean of 30 factors.
Issues received slightly tighter in the course of the knockout levels. The People fended off Belgium’s late-game rally within the semis earlier than downing Australia in time beyond regulation to take dwelling gold. Bueckers earned MVP honors in the course of the tourney, a premonition for her glint showcases in faculty and the professionals.
Who else joined her on the rostrum that 12 months? And what has come of their basketball careers within the years since their triumph in Thailand? Here is what that you must know.
MORE: When is Caitlin Clark’s subsequent recreation with Group USA?
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2019 USA U-19 FIBA roster
Participant | Place | Faculty | Group |
Ashley Joens | G | Iowa State | Athinaikos (Greece) |
Paige Bueckers | G | UConn | Wings |
Caitlin Clark | G | Iowa | Fever |
Celeste Taylor | G | Texas/Duke/Ohio State | N/A |
Cameron Brink | F | Stanford | Sparks |
Hailey Van Lith | G | Louisville/LSU | Solar |
Queen Egbo | F | Baylor | N/A |
Naz Hillmon | F | Michigan | Dream |
Diamond Miller | G | Maryland | Solar |
Rhyne Howard | G | Kentucky | Dream |
Aliyah Boston | F | South Carolina | Fever |
Fran Belibi | F | Stanford | N/A |
The 2019 USA U-19 roster has loved marked success on the skilled stage, with six gamers incomes lottery distinction in the course of the WNBA Draft. Clark and Bueckers are the standouts. However Howard and Boston have emerged as among the sport’s greatest two-way gamers, whereas Cameron Brink and Naz Hillmon have proven flashes of excellences throughout their still-budding careers.
All advised, 4 gamers heard their names referred to as first of their respective WNBA Draft: Howard, Boston, Clark and Bueckers. That glint quartet has racked up the {hardware} to this point, combining to assert 4 Rookie of the 12 months awards, 13 All-Star appearances, three All-WNBA berths and an incalculable variety of highlights. Their reign of terror appears all however sure to proceed within the years to return; all are 26 years previous or youthful.
Not everybody has been capable of finding success within the skilled recreation. Ashley Joens established herself as one in every of faculty basketball’s greatest skills at Iowa State, prompting the Wings to pick her within the second spherical of the 2023 Draft. She has solely performed 19 WNBA video games to this point, most lately turning out for Athens-based facet Athinaikos. Diamond Miller has bounced round a bit since being chosen No. 2 within the 2023 Draft, whereas Queen Egbo and Celeste Taylor are at the moment out of the league. Excessive-flyer Fran Belbi opted to retire after ending her profession at Stanford, opting to pursue a grasp’s diploma at Harvard as an alternative.
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Nonetheless, the success fee for these draped in USA colours in the course of the 2019 U-19 competitors was remarkably excessive. With Clark, Bueckers, Boston and Howard all anticipated so as to add to their assortment of honors, that staff’s affect ought to proceed to linger.
MORE: Up to date recreation logs for Caitlin Clark at 2026 FIBA Ladies’s World Cup
2019 USA U-19 stats
Here is a have a look at the numbers posted by the staff en path to a gold medal:
Participant | FG% | 3PT% | FT% | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG |
Paige Bueckers | 43.4% | 35.3% | 60.0% | 11.6 | 4.1 | 5.4 | 1.9 | 0.6 |
Nazahrah Hillmon-Baker | 48.9% | 0.0% | 46.2% | 7.4 | 7.6 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 0.0 |
Hailey Van Lith | 41.1% | 29.4% | 56.5% | 9.1 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 1.9 | 0.0 |
Rhyne Howard | 38.5% | 44.7% | 78.9% | 13.1 | 5.1 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 0.4 |
Aliyah Boston | 44.3% | 0.0% | 55.6% | 8.4 | 6.1 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 1.6 |
Celeste Taylor | 36.6% | 10.0% | 66.7% | 5.0 | 2.6 | 1.4 | 2.0 | 0.3 |
Fran Belibi | 68.8% | 0.0% | 47.6% | 7.7 | 7.3 | 0.3 | 2.0 | 0.9 |
Caitlin Clark | 33.3% | 25.0% | 80.0% | 5.3 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 1.1 | 0.1 |
Queen Egbo | 58.3% | 0.0% | 72.2% | 7.9 | 5.4 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 0.9 |
Ashley Joens | 18.5% | 12.5% | 25.0% | 1.9 | 1.9 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 0.1 |
Diamond Miller | 33.3% | 0.0% | 100% | 2.0 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.3 |
Cameron Brink | 30.8% | 0.0% | 33.3% | 2.0 | 3.4 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.8 |
MORE: Meet Zhang Ziyu, China’s 7-foot-2 middle at FIBA Ladies’s World Cup
