Starzynski Back to Old Ways

As we checked in with the US team assistant coach Bill Fennelly for updates we were informed that Danielle Starzynski has been benched for the next 2 games. When asked why Starzynski was being benched Fennelly stated that it was due to behavior problems she has been having. He claims, "Danielle has not been cooperating with our program and our rules and has gotten into altercations with refs during the games which she knows is unacceptable. It is a big loss for us but we hope by benching her for these games she will learn from her mistakes and get back on track." Starzynski has let her attitude and behavior get in the way of her play in the past so this doesn't exactly come as a surprise to us. We just hope that she can control her temper and continue to play the great basketball that she has been playing and help lead this US team to a national championship. "Danielle is known to be a very emotional player and she has so much passion for the game that she sometimes loses her head and gets caught up in it. She has to learn to ignore the refs and all the distractions around her and just play her game because she is a key component to this team and we really need her out there," Starzynski's teammate Samantha Prahalis told us yesterday. In the previous games Starzynski had been doing exceptionally well, still shining on the court and upping her point average to 36ppg. We look forward to seeing how she bounces back from this experience. Stay tuned for more.

U.S. team rolling past competition

As the trip rolls on it appears to be a somewhat easy one for the girls in D.C.. They now stand with a record of 5-0 with an average of 12 point wins against their opponents. The practices and workouts have been anything but easy but they sure seem to be paying off in the games as they blow out their international opponents. This team has been truly incredible to watch and the talent of every one of the girls is unbelievable. Every game has been entertaining and these girls put on quite of a show for the fans. The stars in these five games have been Diggins and Starzynski, averaging 23 and 31 pts respectively. When asked if Starzynski's play was at all surprising in these games Owens responded, "Starzynski is an amazing player and i've known that for quite some time so no i'm not really suprised by her play. She has really stepped up this year and become a leading role on the team. She is playing phenominally and she has grown a whole lot from all the controversy and past struggles she has endured. I am honored and pleased to have her with us on this team and i knew that she would do great things for us. I'm sure that she will continue to come through for us, as will Diggins and the rest of the team every night we go out there." There was a lot of controversy and negative comments regarding Starynski getting a spot on this team due to past experiences and the fact that she missed come of training camp because of personal reasons. I think Starzynski may very well be putting all of that controversy to rest with her great play she has displayed on this team. I spoke to Starzynski about her play and this is what she had to say, "I'm just really honored to be here this is a great experience for me and i'm excited to have this opportunity to gain a spot and show people what i can do. I knew if i got a spot and made it out here i would have to play to my best ability and really step my game up and stay focused and i feel like that's what i've been doing. We have a really great team i have great girls around me and that definitely helps me knowing they're here to back me up. We just go out there and play our game every night and we've been working really hard so we knew it would pay off. I know there's people that don't want me here or don't think i should be here but i think i'm showing them that i'm here for a reason so hopefully they can see that. For now i'm just gonna keep playing my game and hope it leads me to a medal." We hope these girls lead us to a medal as well, keep reading to find out how their journey towards that is going.

The U-19 team looking for a fresh start with fresh faces...

As you all know this blog is going to be dedicated to the women's basketball U-19 national team and their journeys to this years world championship in Argentina. I will be traveling with the team and blogging all along. The team was picked earlier in the month and the roster is as follows...Kelsey Bone, Sarah Booth, Alyssia Brewer, Ashley Corral, Skylar Diggins, Kelly Faris, Kynetta Kizer, Nneka Ogwumike, Samantha Prahalis, Nikki Speed, Danielle Starzynski, and Shekkina Sricklen. Some of these names such as Starzynski and Faris may come as a suprise to you because they are very underrated players but they are two very great players that are deserving enough to be on this national team. Right now the team is at training camp and trials in Washington D.C. So far in training camp the standouts have been Diggins, Speed, and Starzynski. As they go through very harsh, long days of training i can't help but to expect great from this team this year. They really look like an extraordinary team that is meshing well together and i expect them to bring another medal back to the states. When i asked coach Bill Fennelly how he planned on winning another championship this year with the girls he replied, "This year we have a great group of girls coming in. There were many more great players that we had to let go and the decision was very difficult but i'm confident that i picked the right 12 and that we will succeed and win another championship for the U-19 team. The girls are playing great basketball, they're in great shape and i'm looking forward to the upcoming games to see how all this hard work will pay off. I think we will have great results." I also look forward to tagging along on this journey with the girls and seeing just how great they will do. Stay tuned for more updates as i will continue to blog as the trip rolls on.