May 6, 2003

USA Basketball today announced the 60-member roster for the May 22-25 USA Basketball Women's National Team Trials. Duquesne's junior shooting guard Candace Futrell accepted an invitation to the camp on April 14, 2003. She is the first Duquesne player ever to be invited to a USA Basketball activity.

The invitations were issued by the USA Basketball Women's Collegiate Committee, chaired by University of Texas Senior Associate Athletics Director for Men's and Women's Athletics Chris Plonsky.

"I feel honored to be invited. I'm going to do my best to try and make the team. I will be competing with some of the best women's college players in the country, so it's not going to be easy", said Futrell. "But I'll be ready and proud to represent Duquesne and the Atlantic 10."

Futrell, a 2003 third team All-Atlantic 10 selection, led the Dukes with 19.5 ppg and was second with 46 three-point field goals. The 5-10 guard has scored in double-figures in 50 of her career contests and has put up 20 or more points in 20 of those outings. Futrell averaged 3.7 rpg and was one of Duquesne's most consistent shooters hitting .756 (62-82) from the line, .409 (151-369) from the field and .371 (46-124) from three-point range. Futrell became just the fourth junior to hit 1,000 career points this past season, despite missing eight games with an injury. She will enter her senior campaign with 1,047 points. Futrell was also tabbed a 2002 second team all-conference pick and named the A-10's Most Improved Player.

The USA Trials, which will be held at the U.S. Olympic Training Center (USOTC) in Colorado Springs, Colo., will be used to select a pair of 12-member 2003 USA Basketball Teams, including the USA World Championship For Young Women and USA Pan American Games squads. The USA Young Women's National Team, which will be comprised of athletes 21-years-old and younger (born on or after Jan. 1, 1982), will compete in the inaugural FIBA World Championship For Young Women in Sibenik, Croatia, July 25 - Aug. 3; while the 2003 Pan American Games action is set to take place Aug. 2 - 9 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Due to space limitations, Trials will not be open to the general public.

The Ohio State University's Jim Foster will serve as head coach for the 2003 USA Basketball World Championship For Young Women Team and collegiate head coaches, Kathy Delaney-Smith of Harvard University (Mass.) and Felisha Legette-Jack of Hofstra University (N.Y.) will assist Foster.

The USA Pan American Games Team will be piloted by University of Virginia head coach Debbie Ryan, with collegiate head coaches Kathi Bennett of Indiana University and Trina Patterson of the University at Albany (N.Y.) acting as assistants.

Included among the 60 invitees are 17 previous USA Basketball medalists, four others who have been named as a finalist to a USA Basketball squad and 10 more who have participated in USA Basketball Trials. Nineteen were listed as 2003 All-Americans by the Associated Press (A.P.), U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) and Kodak/Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA); one was named NJCAA All-American, one was selected the NAIA Player of the Year, six earned conference Player of the Year honors, six were named Rookie of the Year or Newcomer of the Year by their respective conferences, and a total of 45 earned post-season conference honors across the country.

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