PAYTON VERHULST NAMED TO 2021 USA U 19 WORLD CUP ROSTER -- MONDAY CARIDINAL COUPLE

 VERHULST ONE OF NINE NAMED TO ROSTER

Good news for Louisville women's basketball fans and a certain young woman out in Kansas City -- future Cardinals recruit and Bishop Miege H.S. guard Payton Verhulst is one of nine players named to the 2021 USA U 19 World Cup Team. 

Payton, a 6'1" guard, joins 6'7" Lauren Betts (Stanford), 6'1'' Sonia Citron (Notre Dame), 6'0" Caitlin Clark (Iowa), 6'4" Sania Feagin (South Carolina),5'11" Azzi Fudd (UConn) , 5'5" Diamond Johnson (NCSt), 5'9" Te-Hina Paopao (Oregon) and 5'10" Jewel Spear (Wake Forest),as one of the nine players named to the squad. 

Five student-athletes are finalists that will return to training camp to compete for three spots. Those are Amari DeBerry, Angel Reese, Lauren Ware, Maddy Westbeld and Jersey Wolfenberger. The final 12 player roster will be named shortly before departure to Debrechen, Hungary -- where the FIBA U 19 World Cup will be played. 

The squad will start play in Europe August 7th and it ends Aug 19th.

Verhulst is one of four ACC women's basketball student athletes to make the squad. We all remember the impact Jewel Spear had at Wake Forest her freshman year and Diamond Johnson started her career as a freshman at Rutgers before transferring to NC State. Sonia Citron will join the Notre Dame roster this fall. 

The PAC 12 landed two student-athletes on the "final nine", and the SEC, Big 10 and Big East one player each. 

Payton was an integral member of the 2019 USA U 16 squad that went 6-0, averaging 4.5 points a contest. At Bishop Miege H.S. her senior year, she was part of a squad that went 23-1 and won the Kansas Class 4A State Championship. She averaged 20 points a game for Bishop Miege, along with 3.8 rebounds, 3.8 steals and 3.5 blocks a contest. 

"It was a very spirited camp and fun for the committee to watch" said Jen Rizzotti, chair of the selection committee. "I feel like the players did a phenomenal job playing for each other, which made the selection really difficult." 

This from associate coach Sam Purcell:

Let’s Go, @payton_verhulst!

From coming to Elite Camp your Freshman Year in High School in specs to now making the USA Basketball Team in Back to Back Years; Card Nation, you are going to love this kid.

She is the ULTIMATE TEAM PLAYER!

Congrats P. We are so proud of you!

Three of the nine named to the squad have played their freshman year of college basketball already:  (Caitlin Clark, Diamond Johnson and Jewel Spear). Westbeld, Reese and Ware  are three on the "hopeful" list who have a year of college hoops under the belt already, as well. 

Our HUGE Congratulations to Payton on the honor and wish her the best of success in the upcoming months!  

Have a marvelous Monday,

paulie