UConnwomen'sbasketball commit Allie Ziebell honored to be part of Team USA for FIBA U19 World Cup

Jul. 9—"I was very nervous," Ziebell said with a laugh. "I was counting down the players and when they got down to the last few names it seemed like it was either going to be me or it wasn't. Then when it was time for my name there was one spot left.

"I was speechless. I just sat there and didn't know what to do. I was so excited."

The U19 team, coached by Texas A&M's Joni Taylor, will take part in the FIBA U19 World Cup July 15-23 in Madrid, Spain. The Americans will leave for Spain Friday — it will be Ziebell's first time outside the United States — and will play games against Australia, Canada, and Spain in an exhibition tournament before facing Mali in their World Cup Group B pool-play opener July 15.

Team USA will complete Group B play with games against Germany July 16 and Chinese Taipei on July 18. The Round of 16 for all teams in the event is July 19 with the quarterfinals July 21, the semifinals July 22, and the gold and bronze medal games July 23. The Americans have taken home gold in back-to-back and in eight of the last nine U19 World Cups.

"We're expecting great competition," Ziebell said. "We know that every team we play is going to give their best because we are representing the United States. It's a target on your back."

Ziebell is among the latest UConn players/recruits to play in the U19 World Cup and a total of 13 have won gold. Current juniors Azzi Fudd and Amari DeBerry were on the 2021 gold-medal team while redshirt junior Paige Bueckers was the Most Valuable Player in leading the USA to gold in 2019. Breanna Stewart and Morgan Tuck were two-time U19 gold medalists (2011, 2013) with Stewart the MVP of the 2013 tournament.

UConn freshman center Jana El Alfy will represent Egypt in the tournament. Egypt starts Group D pool play against the Czech Republic on July 15 then takes on China July 16 and Canada July 18 before the Round of 16 on July 19.

For Ziebell, her journey to Spain began 14 months ago when she failed to make the 2022 U-17 national team in her first USA Basketball trials.

"It makes you grow and you learn from the experience," Ziebell said. "You don't know how it's going to be your first time coming here. The second time around you're used to it and you can adjust to it.

"I did my regular workouts to prepare for it. I knew I had to shoot well but I had to make sure that I was conditioned because playing in elevation is hard. So I made sure that I was in shape."

Ziebell was coming off a strong junior season at Neenah High as she averaged 25.5 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 4.5 assists in leading the Rockets to a 27-2 record and the state sectional finals. She was named Wisconsin's Gatorade Player of the Year.

Colorado Springs' elevation is 5,994 feet, 714 feet higher than the Mile High City of Denver. It took no time for Ziebell to realize that her hard work conditioning had paid off as she made her way through the three days of trials. She and Joyce Edwards were the only Class of 2024 players to make the team.

Ziebell wears No. 1 at Neenah High but has not yet received her uniform number for the World Cup. Having USA across her chest is satisfying enough.

"It's a huge honor," Ziebell said. "There's nothing that feels like this. It's amazing to be a part of, just being surrounded by great people and great players.

"I need to be more vocal and run the floor better. Being more vocal is important for me and also to be a great teammate. I want to run the floor and push tempo."

Team USA reconvened in Colorado Springs on Monday. In the six weeks since being selected, Ziebell continued to condition with one-mile runs and lifted weights. A typical day for her also included getting 600 to 700 shots up.

And if she needed some encouragement or advice, her future coaches in Storrs were only a phone call away.

"The UConn staff has helped me," Ziebell said. "They tell me to stay ready and stay confident. I mean, if you have a question they'll give you some advice for sure to help and make sure that you're growing."

Ziebell is being coached by a college-level staff for the first time.

Taylor will be entering her second season at Texas A&M this winter after spending seven years as the coach at Georgia. Her assistants with the U19 team are two-time Olympic gold medalist and Old Dominion coach DeLisha Milton-Jones and Indiana coach Teri Moren.

"I absolutely love it," Ziebell said. "Even practices are just so much more intense. You're running constantly and the coaches expect nothing but your best effort all the time. You have to execute and learn on the fly. I love it.

"(Taylor's) been great. Her energy fuels the rest of the team. She motivates you. But she's also always there if you have a question and to help you learn."

Ziebell and Taylor got to know each other during the recruiting process. Ziebell knows what to expect from Taylor and Taylor has high expectations for Ziebell entering the World Cup.

"She stretches the floor," Taylor said. "She's someone that, number one, is just an elite scorer. But she's a really, really good 3-point shooter. When she's on the floor she automatically opens things up for herself and for others because if the defense doesn't pay attention to her she'll light them up from three. I'm hoping she comes out and knock down some threes for us."

When she returns from Spain, Ziebell — who turns 18 in September — will have about six weeks of summer vacation before starting her senior year at Neenah High.

The time has flown.

"I still remember my first day of freshman year," Ziebell said with a laugh. "This seemed so far away. But we're ready to have a great season. I'm super-excited about my high school team."

Ziebell, who committed to the Huskies in December and is ranked the No. 5 recruit in the Class of 2024 by ESPN, has not finalized a date for her official visit to UConn but expects it to be during First Night weekend in October.

Joining high school seniors Ziebell and Edwards on the U19 team are college sophomores Londynn Jones (UCLA), Chloe Kitts (South Carolina), Talana Lepolo (Stanford), Cotie McMahon (Ohio State), Kiki Rice (UCLA), and Grace VanSlooten (Oregon), and college freshmen Madison Booker (Texas), Breya Cunningham (Arizona), Jadyn Donovan (Duke), and Hannah Hidalgo (Notre Dame). Cunningham was added to the roster on June 29 to replace LSU freshman Aaliyah Del Rosario, who was no longer able to participate.