Left Queen Egbo
July 9, 2019ExcerptsA year ago,
Queen Egbo had just completed her senior year of high school and earned a spot on the USA Basketball U18 Women's National Team when opportunities arose elsewhere that she couldn't turn down. So, instead of heading to Mexico for the 2018 FIBA Americas U18 Championship, Egbo joined her new college teammates for an international exhibition trip to Italy.
"I just felt like being with my team and bonding with them was, at the time, more of a priority, because I really wanted to get to know them," Egbo said. "That was a once in a four-year trip."
This summer, Egbo has another chance to travel with USA Basketball. She was selected to the USA team that will play in the FIBA U19 World Cup in Bangkok, Thailand, from July 20-28. She reported to training camp in Colorado Springs CO on July 5. On July 11, she heads to Tokyo for a week of practices and scrimmages before the U19 World Cup.
"Coming back this year and being a part of the team is something that I would definitely like to say I've done," Egbo said. "Not many athletes get to say they've played on a USA team."
Egbo didn't have significant injuries to contend with during her first season at Baylor. She averaged 5.5 points and 4.3 rebounds in 10.4 minutes while appearing in 34 of 38 games as Baylor won this year's national championship.
"It was really exciting," Egbo said of being on a team that won a national title. "It was definitely a good memory with our team."
One thing Egbo noticed during the U19 trials was the number of high school players trying to make a U19 team. Of the 12 players to make the USA U19 World Cup team, 7 are either in high school or just graduated. So, players such as Egbo will be thrust into a leadership role, while also remembering where they were as their college careers began.
Egbo said she chatted with several of the high school players during the trials about her experience, not only with USA Basketball, but about the rigors of college.
"It was honestly good, because they are still in high school and just seeing the talent coming now is a fun experience," Egbo said. "I got to know a few of the girls. Knowing the high schoolers and talking about things. I just told them what it's like going to college, being a freshman in college and how tough it is. Just getting to know your team will be better and establishing a good support system will be good, but there's really no way you can adapt to college without being in college."
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Steve Drumwright, USA Basketball website