May 26, 2003

COLORADO SPRINGS, COL. - Rising seniors Alana Beard and Iciss Tillis were each selected to represent the United States by the USA Basketball Women's Collegiate Committee following four days of trials, featuring 58 of the nation's top athletes, at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Col.

Beard was named to the 2003 USA Basketball World Championship For Young Women Team, while Tillis will play for the 2003 USA Basketball Women's Pan America Games Team. The Duke duo are no stranger to USA Basketball experience as Beard played on the 2000 and 2001 Junior World Championship teams. The Shreveport, La., native led the squads to a gold medal in 2000 and a bronze in 2001. Tillis, a Tulsa, Okla, product, played on the 1998 USA World Youth Games team, while leading the team to the bronze medal.

Beard and the USA Young Women National Team will train July 7-24 in Colorado Springs, New York and Boston, before competing in the inaugural FIBA World Championship For Young Women in Sibenik, Croatia, July 25 - Aug. 3.

Named to the 12-member USA World Championship For Young Team, which is comprised of athletes 21-years-old and younger (born on or after Jan. 1, 1982), were: Seimone Augustus (LSU / Baton Rouge, La.); Alana Beard (Duke / Shreveport, La.); Ebony Hoffman (Southern California / Harbor City, Calif.); Kristen Mann (UC Santa Barbara / Santa Ana, Calif.); Caity Matter (Ohio State / Bluffton, Ohio); Nicole Ohlde (Kansas State / Clay Center, Kan.); Shawntinice Polk (Arizona / Hanford, Calif.); Cappie Pondexter (Rutgers / Chicago, Ill.); Christi Thomas (Georgia / Buford, Ga.); Kendra Wecker (Kansas State / Marysville, Kan.); Lindsay Whalen (Minnesota / Hutchinson, Minn.) and Tanisha Wright (Penn State / West Mifflin, Pa.).

Beard, a two-time Kodak All-America and Associated Press All-America, led the ACC with 22.0 points per game, while averaging 6.9 rebounds, 2.8 steals, 3.0 assists and 1.3 blocks on the season. Beard led the Blue Devils to an ACC record 35 victories, a second consecutive Final Four appearance and ACC Regular Season and ACC Tournament titles.

Selected for the 2003 USA Women's Pan American Games basketball team were: Jenni Benningfield (Vanderbilt University / Nashville, Tenn.); Rebekkah Brunson (Georgetown University / Washington, D.C.); Jamie Carey (University of Texas / Austin, Texas); Roneeka Hodges (Transferring from Louisiana State / Baton Rouge, La.); Laurie Koehn (Kansas State / Manhattan, Kan.); Janel McCarville (University of Minnesota / Minneapolis, MN); Loree Moore (University of Tennessee / Knoxville, Tenn.); Nicole Powell (Stanford University / Stanford, Calif.); Ann Strother (University of Connecticut / Hartford, Conn.); Lindsay Taylor (UC Santa Barbara / Santa Barbara, Calif.); Iciss Tillis (Duke University / Durham, N.C.); and Barbara Turner (University of Connecticut / Hartford, Conn.).

The US Pan American squad will begin training in Boston, Mass., on July 17, where they will join the USA, Australia and Brazil young women national teams for a series of friendly games. The 'friendlies' get started on July 15 with the USA Young Women facing Brazil at 1:00 p.m. (all times EDT) at Northeastern University's Matthews Arena. The following afternoon will see the USA Young Women and Australia competing at 1:00 p.m. at Matthews Arena, and on July 17 Australia and Brazil are scheduled to compete at 1:00 p.m. at Matthews Arena, followed by a USA Young Women National Team practice session. The two USA squads are slated to scrimmage on July 18 at 1:00 p.m. at the Reebok Campus (Canton, Mass.). July 19 - 20 will see a pair of double-headers beginning at 1:00 p.m. each day at Matthews Arena. On July 19 the USA Young Women will play Brazil in the first game, followed by the USA Pan Am squad versus Australia at approximately 3:00 p.m.; while the July 20 double-header will feature the USA Pan Am Games Team competing against Brazil, followed by the USA Young Women against Australia. Traveling to Sancti Spiritus, Cuba, on July 21, the US will see its final test prior to the tip-off of the Pan Am Games, with a trio of exhibition contests against Cuba's Pan Am team. The USA and Cuba will face each other three times between July 22-25. Following the USA's Cuban trip, the squad will return to the United States, where it will train July 26-29 at the University of South Florida before beginning Pan Am Games play on Aug. 2 in Santo Domingo.

Tillis was selected Kodak All-America this season after averaging 14.5 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.2 steals, 2.1 assists and 1.0 blocks as a junior. One of the most versatile players in the nation, Tillis ranked second in the ACC with 10 double-doubles. Both Tillis and Beard are two of the 13 finalists for the Wade Trophy as the National Player of the Year.

Quoting Both Beard and Tillis:

Alana Beard, Duke University

Q: Talk about your Trials experience.
A: I felt pretty good coming in here. I have two years of experience with USA teams, but anytime you come into this place (U.S. Olympic Training Center), you just have this feeling. I love to be here. I came in very relaxed and wanted to come out have, fun and meet new people. That's what the experience is all about, competing against the best in the nation. It was a lot of fun.

Q: Compare this team with the 2001 USA Junior World Championship Team. Not the specific team members per se, but how have the last two years of experience changed everyone's game?
A: This team is unique. We don't have any high school players on this team, we have 12 players with at least one year of college experience, we also have several players on the team who have had international playing experience. I think it's going to help us in the long run. I remember when we played in the Czech Republic and we lost, we had a lot of young players. And not everyone knew what it takes to win an international gold medal, but now we all do and I think that's going to benefit us a lot.

Q: Do you want to face the Czech Republic again?
A: I want to play them again. They beat us (in the semifinals) and anytime someone beats you, you want to get them, it's almost like getting a revenge. It's like getting your shot blocked. When you get your shot blocked you're going to take it hard and really want to score on them the next time. So I can't wait to play the Czech Republic.

Iciss Tillis, Duke University (N.C.)

Q: Talk about your Trials and your expectations?
A: Coming in I've done this before, but I haven't played in a long time since like my freshman year in high school. But I remembered exactly what it was like and how I felt and I was really nervous back then, but this time I was a lot more calm. I'll be a senior next year so I was a lot more relaxed with everything and I kind of knew what to do and I wasn't really looking to score every time I touched it and I tried to show the committee I could play some defense and pass the ball. I didn't play my best, I haven't been playing much in the off season, but I felt like toward the end as the trials went on each day I got better and better. You're playing against nothing but great players so all the post player had great moves, all the post player could shoot the three so it was so it was fun in that aspect to really see women's basketball at that level.

Q: This morning were you nervous before they announced who had made the teams?
A: Yes. You always get nervous when that time comes. Last night I was like it's no big deal, but then when you're sitting in the circle it kind of hits you and you're like no matter what I want to make a team.

Q: When you heard name how did you feel?
A: I didn't say yes or anything, I thought 'okay that's good.' It's kind of exciting. I haven't played in so long and I've been wanting to play for so long, but I've always been too old. Ever since my freshman year in high school I've been too old, are you kidding me? I haven't been able to make that age cutoff yet, I always miss it by a couple of weeks. Alana (Beard) and those girls play every summer and I'm so jealous because they're all my friends and I know how much fun we all have together and I'm always stuck at home, working out by myself. But this time I finally get a chance to play and meet some new people. A lot of these girls I don't really know.

Q: What are your goals this summer?
A: Of course to win the gold medal, and I just want to get better and work on things. I think playing against the great post players that are on the team and practicing against these girls every single day is really going to help me when the season starts next year. If I can bang and battle with these girls that are the best in the in the country ,I feel like when it comes time to play in the conference I'll be fine. So I'm really excited to really grow this summer. Playing against the best of the best you can't help but raise your level of intensity.

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