May 20, 2007
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
A trio of Maryland women's basketball players were named finalists for two USA teams following the USA National Team Trials held over the weekend in Colorado Springs, Colo. Juniors Crystal Langhorne and Laura Harper were selected finalists for the 2007 Under-21 World Championship squad, while sophomore Marissa Coleman has been named to the USA Pan American team finalists roster. Both teams will compete in international competitions this summer.
Selections of the finalists for both teams were made from 45 athletes by the USA Basketball Women's Collegiate Committee and were announced Sunday, May 20, following three days of try-outs.
Crystal Langhorne (Willingboro, N.J./Willingboro) and Laura Harper (Elkins Park, Pa./Cheltenham) are among the 14 finalists on the U-21 team looking to make the final cut of 12 on the roster. The U-21 team reconvenes in Colorado Springs, Colo., on June 12 to begin training for the U-21 World Championship in Moscow, Russia, June 29-July 8. The final 12-player roster will be announced on June 16, before the team departs for Europe.
Marissa Coleman (Cheltenham, Md./St. John's College [D.C.]) will look to solidify her spot on the USA Pan American games team when the squad reconvenes in Washington, D.C., on July 6. The final 12-player roster will be announced prior to the team's departure to Rio de Janiero, Brazil. The competition takes place July 20-24.
Coleman, Harper and Langhorne have all been involved with the USA Basketball program since they were in high school. Langhorne and Harper participated in the 2003 USA Youth Basketball Festival, while Coleman participated in 2004. Coleman was a member of two USA junior national teams, helping the US team to gold medals at the 2004 USA Junior World Qualifying Tournament and the 2005 U19 FIBA World Championship. Harper was a teammate of Coleman's at the 2004-qualifying tournament, while Langhorne played with Coleman at the FIBA U19 tournament. Langhorne was also the Most Valuable Player at the FIBA U19 World Championship.
For more information and individual player quotes, log on to www.usabasketball.com. For more information on the Terps and to purchase tickets for the 2007-08 season, visit www.umterps.com. For season ticket information, click here.
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