South Carolina women's basketball: FIBA U19 World Cup update
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The FIBA Women’s U19 World Cup continues on July 19 with the first round of knockout play, and a pair of players with South Carolina ties have been standouts so far.
USA rolled through group play with a perfect 3-0 record. The Americans are averaging 99 points per game with an average margin of victory of 45.3 points.
Rising Gamecock sophomore Chloe Kitts, who joined the Gamecocks in December of 2022 as an early enrollee, is making her second appearance with USA Basketball. Kitts won a gold medal last year at the Americas Championship as a member of the U18 team.
A versatile 6-3 wing, the full range of Kitts’ abilities has been on display. She leads the USA in rebounding at 9.7 rebounds per game, fifth in the tournament, and is third on the team in scoring at 10.7 points per game. Kitts is shooting 53.6%, fifth among all players, and her efficiency rating is a team-high 18.0. She is also averaging 2.7 assists per game as an occasional point forward.
Also on the team is Joyce Edwards, a rising senior at Camden High School and the top-ranked prospect in the 2024 class. The 6-3 forward is one of just two high school players on the team (Allie Ziebell).
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Edwards led USA in scoring the last two games and her team-high 15.3 points per game is tenth in the entire tournament. She is hitting 62.1% of her shots, the best in the tournament, and her efficiency rating is 16.7, third on the team.
The U19 World Cup has forced Edwards to delay making her college visits. The Gamecocks are the favorites to land Edwards (and Kitts and Edwards have posted many pictures together, teasing Gamecocking fans). Still, she has her choice of going anywhere in the country.
The Americans have won gold in eight of the last nine U19 World Cups. The only time they didn’t win gold was when they lost in the final to Russia in 2017. Current Gamecocks Sania Feagin and Te-Hina Paopao won a U19 gold medal in 2021.
The tournament is the first FIBA competition played on a new glass court. The court is plain glass and all the markings are made by adjustable LED graphics.
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The knockout stage begins July 19, followed by a rest day on July 20, the quarterfinals on July 21, the semifinals on July 22, and the medal round on July 23. It is not a true knockout stage, as losing teams will move to a losers’ bracket and continue to play. Tip times will be announced at the end of each day’s games.
USA Schedule:
July 19 vs Argentina (2:15 PM ET)
July 21 vs Czech Republic (9:30 AM ET)
July 22 – Semifinals
July 23 – Medal round
All games are streamed for free on the FIBA YouTube page (link). They are also streamed on the NextGenHoops Facebook page, but YouTube is usually the more user-friendly way to watch.
