Taking on the World: A Last-Minute Call Results in an Unforgettable Trip to Italy With Team USA

 

As I studied for finals one day, two months after the conclusion of the 2016–2017 college basketball season, playing games in Italy in my country's uniform was the furthest thing from my mind.

 

Then the phone rang. It was USA Basketball with a most unexpected opportunity: Tryouts for the 19-and-under women's national team were about to begin, and a spot had suddenly opened. Apparently my freshman year at Princeton University had caught the eye of the national team's coaches. Was I interested in playing?

 

Was I! Instead of focusing on my upcoming final, I was figuring out how I could get to Colorado Springs right away. There, I found myself surrounded by 32 of basketball's best high school seniors and college freshmen at the U.S. Olympic Training Center. This, out of the blue, was my shot at making Team USA.

 

The competition over three days was fierce: We were all going for only 12 spots, and I knew that I would have to push myself harder than ever before. What made the experience even more challenging was having to take one last final—a proctored exam—in the middle of it all.

 

As the team roster was announced, time seemed to slow down. Everyone in the room had demonstrated enormous talent and hard work, and I couldn't tell who was going to make it. When I heard my name called, the feeling was surreal: I would get to represent my country.

 

Just like that, my summer plans were quickly upended. I returned weeks later to the Olympic Training Center with not a minute to waste: Later in the month, we would be playing in the FIBA U-19 World Cup tournament in Italy. Right away, we were running sprints to adjust to the high altitude and improve our conditioning. If our team could be quick and able to run the floor, we would have a big advantage. We also started learning plays and actions right away, trying to memorize them as soon as possible.

 

One of the challenges in playing for a national team is that the players have very little time to become a cohesive team. In college, players have months to prepare for the season, and sometimes even that can feel insufficient. Here, we had only 24 days to discover each other's strengths and weaknesses and to become a strong enough unit to win the gold. We used the opportunities we had to try to jell: I shared a dorm room with two other players; the team came together for meals. One of the more fun team-building activities was the night we all cooked a traditional Italian meal together.

 

After eight intense days of training, we flew to Italy to complete our tournament preparations. Three exhibition games helped us further connect as a team, and we began to feel a spark that had been absent in our Colorado scrimmages. We also took a much-appreciated day off to tour the beauty of Venice.

 

In Italy, I came to appreciate that I was not only a player on a team but a representative of our great country. We lived alongside young women from around the world, with whom we conversed about our daily lives, our schools, and our countries.

 

Once the World Cup tournament started, things heated up fast. Team USA had won this tournament for six years straight, so we had a huge target on our backs. We were matched in group play against Mali, China, and the host Italians. Every game was a battle, but we advanced to the elimination round as the group champion. We then defeated Puerto Rico, France, and Japan to advance to the gold-medal game against Russia. Our team fought the whole game, but sadly, we came up short, 86-82.

 

I never thought I would be playing for the United States in a World Cup championship game. It was thrilling to be on that court, playing my heart out for my country. Once I found myself on the path to competition, I never wanted anything more than to come home with a gold medal for the USA, and I know my teammates felt the same way.

 

But I have feelings besides disappointment: I am grateful I had the opportunity to compete for Team USA, proud to have won a silver medal for my country, and motivated to work harder than ever in the hopes of someday having another chance to bring back the gold.