May 3, 2001
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - Western Kentucky University junior guard Natalie Powers (Owensboro, Ky./Apollo HS) has been selected as one of 36 players who will participate in the 2001 USA Basketball Women's National Team Trials, to be held May 18-21 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center (USOTC) in Colorado Springs, Colo. The four-day trials will be used to narrow the field down to 12 players who will represent the United States in the World University Games Aug. 22-Sept. 1 in Beijing, China.
Powers will be the second Lady Topper in as many years to try out for a USA Basketball team -- former WKU standout ShaRae Mansfield, now with the WNBA's Houston Comets, took part in last year's USA Basketball Summer Development Camp, which also served as the trials for the U.S. Jones Cup Team.
"I'm excited to be able to go up against some of the best players in the nation," Powers said. "I'm just going to concentrate on playing my game and work as hard as I can to try and make the team."
Powers had perhaps the finest season ever by a Lady Topper, setting five single-season and two single-game records during the 2000-01 campaign. An all-Sun Belt Conference selection, Powers ranked sixth in the nation in scoring (22.3 ppg) and ninth in three-point field goal percentage (.442), posting 20 or more points in 22 of 33 games. She also established single-season school records for total points (736), free throws made (218) and free throws attempted (266), setting new Sun Belt marks in the latter two categories. The Apollo High School product will be considered a prime candidate for All-America honors next season.
"This is a tremendous opportunity for Natalie," Western Kentucky head coach Steve Small said. "It's especially gratifying to see Natalie get rewarded for all of the hard work she has put in during her career. She is an example of what dedication and determination can produce, and she's a shining example of what Lady Topper basketball is all about."
The 2001 U.S. World University Games Team will be coached by veteran University of Virginia mentor Debbie Ryan, with Iowa skipper Lisa Bluder and East Carolina coach Dee Stokes serving as assistants. The final WUG roster will be named during the Aug. 6-14 training camp, which will be held at the USOTC.
The USA women have enjoyed outstanding success in the World University Games, earning 11 medals in 12 appearances, including four golds, six silvers and one bronze, and have compiled an overall record of 68-14 (82.9%) since WUG play began in 1973. In the last competition, which was held in 1999 in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, the U.S. picked up the silver medal with a 4-2 record. The USA women last won the WUG gold in Sicily in 1997.
Should Powers make the U.S. World University Games Team roster, she would be the second Lady Topper to represent her country in international competition. Danielle McCulley (1997-98), currently playing for the WNBA's Indiana Fever, was a member of the 1999 U.S. Pan American Games squad which claimed the silver medal in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
-- WKU --NOTE: The complete USA Basketball release, along with the entire list of invitees to the 2001 USA Basketball Women's National Team Trials, may be found on the Internet at www.usabasketball.com.
