Grayon (Loganville, Ga.) outside linebacker Owen Pappoe is known as “The Freak.”

He’s 6 foot, 205 pounds and only a freshman. Offers starting coming in as an eighth grader and now as he finishes his ninth-grader year, the total stands at more than 30.

RECRUIT DIARIES: Owen Pappoe on offseason plans, The Opening, visits

Who is coming after him hardest right now?  Alabama, Clemson, Georgia and Tennessee are the schools Pappoe named in an interview with our partners at Scout.com.

He talks about those schools, his recent visit to Tennessee that his mother joined him on, if he has favorites, and more in the interview above.

RELATED: Grayson attracting elite transfers

For recruiting news, rankings and more, visit Scout.com/membership

When it was time for MLB Network analyst Eric Byrnes to give his “Now or Never” rant at the end of “MLB Now” on Tuesday night, he strayed far from Major League Baseball.

What the former big leaguer and UCLA Hall of Famer wanted to get off his chest was about California high school baseball and the team from Torrance being disqualified from the CIF Southern Section playoffs for a batting practice violation.

“That’s the biggest, most disgusting thing I’ve heard all year,” he said, as seen in the video above. “Disqualified. Out. Done.”

At issue was the method with which Torrance coaches pitched balls to batters in warmups before a first-round game. The Torrance coaches lobbed them up underhanded from in front of the batter while CIF regulations mandate they must be thrown from the side, so as to ensure it does not mimic the motion of an in-game pitch. Teams are not allowed to take batting practice before playoff games.

The drills were taped and landed with the Southern Section, which ruled the game a forfeit. Fullerton advanced.

Byrnes, who spent 11 years in the majors, was still fired up when he talked to USA TODAY High School Sports on Wednesday.

“I understand the no batting practice rule live on the field,” he said. “One team could be at a  disadvantage because they might not get the opportunity to take batting practice. This is tossing the ball. Whether you are tossing from the front or from the side, it doesn’t make a difference. You’re getting loose and preparing for the game.

“I’ve had a bunch of mixed reaction since I’ve reacted to it. Some people are saying there is more to the story. I don’t care. My attitude is this — it isn’t about the coach or whether they did the drill; it’s about the kids … More than 90% of the reaction I’ve gotten is for the kids and Torrance High School. It’s a shock to me in this day and age that we can’t use logical thinking and recognize that in no way was it any sort of advantage and punish kids. It’s a shame.”

Fullerton played the game under protest after seeing the Torrance players work with coaches in the batting cage before the game. The Southern Section issued a statement saying the only acceptable pregame warmups are side soft toss, off a tee or pepper.

Coach Ollie Turner has taken responsibility for the violation, telling the team and parents that he is to blame.

“I’m trying to gather as much info as possible,” Byrnes said. “As much as I’m trying to find a way to have it make sense, it hasn’t. These kids, 90% of them, won’t play after high school. This is taking away the opportunity from them that they rightfully won for a minuscule rules violation. Maybe there had been a warning or there was a repeat offender type thing, but to disqualify them because some video surfaces? It’s sick to think that someone would record it in the first place. Just  disgusting.”

Byrnes said he initially learned about the story when he saw it on Twitter from USA TODAY High School Sports. He then got substantial reaction on Twitter and from his family. Byrnes grew up in Northern California, but his family in Southern California includes a cousin who is friendly with a Torrance High pitcher. His cousin added more details.

Byrnes got word during a production meeting for the show and passed it on to the coordinating producer. That led to the decision to use his time to make mention of it at the end of “MLB Now.”

He acknowledged that he might not have the full story, but also said that didn’t matter. “The only story I care about are these kids. They deserved their rightful opportunity to play. They were robbed of that opportunity and that’s why I’m continued to make noise about this.”

He took it one step further, inviting the team to the MLB Network Studios in New Jersey. The invitation was accepted by the players on Twitter, although the logistics could make it difficult.

“I want to give these kids something baseball related that can be a great experience,” he said. “I want them to have something memorable for years to come that they can tell their kids about so they don’t have to remember the game they had to forfeit. It’s not fair. …

“I’d love for them to come (to the studios), but if not, we’ll try to make something happen in LA. I’d love to give them another game, even if I have to put together a barnstorming team, and I’m not kidding. I want to see this made right.”

Eagle (Idaho) and Bald Knob (Ark.) completed perfect seasons and are ranked in the top two spot in this week’s USA TODAY High School Sports/National Fastpitch Coaches Association Super 25 softball rankings.

Eagle finished 29-0 and won the 5A state title with a 5-2 victory against Mountain View (Meridian, Idaho). Pitchers Bradie Fillmore and Autumn Moffat combined for a no-hitter in the final.

RELATED: Full Super 25 softball rankings

Bald Knob finished 36-0 and won its third consecutive state 3A title. Bald Knob moved up one spot this week to No. 2.

Bishop Carroll (Wichita, Kan.), the defending Super 25 champion, is up a spot to No. 3. Carroll (22-0) faces Andover in a state 5A quarterfinal on Thursday.

LaGrange (Texas), which had been No. 1 earlier in the season, drops from No. 2 to No. 4.

Cape Fear (Fayetteville, N.C.) moves up a spot to round out the top 5. The Colts are in the middle of a best-of-three series against Greenville Conley in the state 4A Eastern Regionals. Cape Fear won 2-1 in 11 innings Wednesday to take a 1-0 lead with Game 2 set for Thursday.

The California state playoffs continue with No. 6 Los Alamitos and No. 7 Grand Terrace both in action this week.  Los Alamitos faces Vista Murrieta this evening in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoffs while Grand Terrace squares off against Don Lugo (Chino, Calif.) in a CIF Southern Section Division 3 matchup.

Three new teams close out the Top 10: No. 8 American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.), up from No. 12; No. 9 West Orange (Winter Garden, Fla.), up from No. 13; and No. 10 Sherwood (Sandy Spring, Md.), up from No. 14.

Four new teams are ranked in the Super 25: No. 15 Gainesville (Fla.), No. 23 Etiwanda (Calif.), No. 24 East Carter (Grayson, Ky.) and No. 25 Campbell (Ewa Beach, Hawaii).

LSU coach Les Miles is rallying on the recruiting trail (Photo: Thomas B. Shea, USA TODAY Sports)

Six months ago, Les Miles seemed on the precipice of losing his job at LSU and reports of his imminent departure were seemingly hurting recruiting.

Well, Miles and LSU have rallied and captured the recruiting momentum. LSU has received five commitments in five days, including massive top 10 offensive tackle Austin Deculus from Cy-Fair High in Texas.

The Tigers’ recruiting class was ranked 19^th in the nation by 247Sports last week at this time. It has rocketed up to No. 3 with the additions of Deculus, junior college wide receiver Stephen Guidry, Georgia fullback Tory Carter, Louisiana defensive end Aaron Moffitt and Mississippi offensive lineman Saahdiq Charles.

“Momentum is important especially at this time of year,” said 247Sports national recruiting director Barton Simmons. “The summer stretch before the start of fall camp has to be where a recruiting class builds its foundation and makes it move.

“These are guys that are LSU type of kids in terms of toughness, physicality and size. I think this push is going to make it so all of a sudden kids are talking about LSU. Kids are going to be inclined to jump on board while they still have a spot. They can create some synergy and momentum and LSU does a great job of capitalizing.”

Deculus, who is 6-6 and 323, started the run with his commitment Friday. He chose LSU over Oklahoma, Baylor, Texas, Texas A&M, Michigan and many others. LSU had long been considered the favorite but things crystallized with a visit last month.

“I already knew where I wanted to go so why wait?” said Deculus, who plans to enroll early.

Simmons described Deculus as a “force in the run game, a big body mover and one of the most talented offensive linemen in the country.”

As for the talk about Miles last fall, Deculus said, “At first, it had me guessing, but overall it didn’t impact me because I knew it was foolish.”

Guidry, a Louisiana native who was playing for Hinds Community College in Mississippi, is considered the top junior college wide receiver available. After saying Alabama was his leader, he committed during the Tigers Bayou Picnic on Saturday, his second visit to campus in four days. He is expected to enroll in January.

Carter, from Lee County (Leesburg, Ga.), is ranked as a three-star prospect and the No. 3 fullback in the class. Carter is 6-2, 255 pounds and also played defensive end.

Moffitt, from Baton Rouge-Catholic, has a family connection to the program because his father is the longtime LSU strength and conditioning coordinator Tommy Moffitt. He chose LSU over Cal, Purdue, Duke South Carolina and others.

However, he kept his decision a surprise from his parents initially before telling them just before he made his commitment public.

Charles, from Madison-Ridgeland Academy (Madison, Miss.), adds to an offensive line group that includes Deculus and texas four-star prospect Edward Ingram. Charles, who grew up in the New Orleans area, was offered by LSU last month and then made a campus visit with his mother, an LSU graduate. He is the No. 15 guard prospect in the nation, according to 247.

LSU has 12 commits in the class at this point. The big question is whether the Tigers can reel back in Jacoby Stevens, ranked as the No. 1 athlete in the class who likely will play safety in college. Stevens committed to LSU but decommitted last fall. He released a top 7 in early April with Georgia at the top of the list followed by LSU.

“There was fallout (from the Miles situation),” Simmons said. “Any time you lose a five-star level kid that you would have gotten otherwise gotten, it’s hard to say there’s been no impact.

“They did have to fight upstream for a little while, but they’re still going to continue to recruit under Les Miles. They might have to do it with some different players than they might have otherwise, but they will have a class that will be one of the best in the country. It’s sort of like no harm, no foul and keep on trucking, but there was an impact. LSU will do really well even without Stevens and even at that position. They have some safeties that are really elite.”

Prestonwood (Plano, Texas) baseball coach Todd Cash thought nothing of filming an opposing team’s pitcher warming up last month. The action, however, had major consequences.

Apparently unbeknownst to him, Cash had violated a Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS) rule by filming without the consent of the teams, which turned out to be the two squads his team would face in the semifinals and finals of the TAPPS Class 5A state tournament.

Cash was suspended for Tuesday’s semifinal, and the for the final after Prestonwood advanced.

RELATED: MLB analyst Eric Byrnes rips ruling to disqualify Calif. team

“It was a rules violation,” Cash told the Dallas Morning News. “The thing that was important to me was it was not an integrity issue. The intent was not there the way it all happened. That’s what I cared about more than anything. But a rule’s a rule, and the rule was broken. That’s what they decided on for it so I have no complaints at all.

The first departure from Baylor’s football recruiting class came shortly after coach Art Briles was fired Thursday when four-star tight end Kedrick James announced his decommitment on Twitter.

James, a four-star prospect from La Vega in Waco, Texas, is ranked as the No. 4 tight end in the Class of 2017 by Top247 and the No. 8 tight end by the 247Sports Composite.

Even before James’ decommitment, Baylor had a small class of commits thus far and the group was ranked No. 42 in the nation by 247Sports. Five remain and a number could be wavering.

Of the five, the two most prominent are dual-threat quarterback Kellen Mond from IMG Academy in Brandenton, Fla., who is a Texas native, and wide receiver Hezikiah Jones from Stafford, Texas. Mond is ranked as the No. 4 dual-threat QB in the class by the 247Sports Composite and Jones is ranked as the No. 14 wide receiver.

Mond tweeted a sad face in response to the Briles news and also has retweeted a number of tweets from fans urging him to attend their schools. According to reports, he has visited Auburn twice this spring and Auburn coaches had been down to Florida to see him as well. Auburn and Ohio State are seen as players for Mond with Texas A&M as a possibility. Ohio State also is heavily pursuing Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) quarterback Tate Martell.

Jones visited Notre Dame this spring and has continued to collect offers. Jones’ high school teammate, three-star safety Jalen Pitre, also is committed to Baylor.

Jadeen Peevy, a three-star defensive tackle from Bellaire, Texas, committed to Baylor in early April. He tweeted thanks to Briles, but when contacted by USA TODAY High School Sports, he declined to comment on his status.

Peevy’s teammate at Stafford, safety Donovan Stiner, also is a Baylor commit.

The Florida 15-year-old girl who had sex with multiple boys, a group that reportedly included members of the South Fort Myers football team, was a victim of human trafficking and held captive for two years, her family says.

In an effort to tell her side of the story, a family spokeswoman spoke with NBC station WBBH to share the girl’s tragic history.

Sixteen students were disciplined in the incident, the Lee County school district told Gannett partner the Fort Myers News-Press. The Lee County Sheriff’s Office is checking into the cellphone video taken of the incident and the Florida Department of Children and Families is also involved in the case, spokeswoman Natalie Harrell confirmed.

Megan Estrem, founder and CEO of Be the Light — an advocacy group for victims of sex slavery — said the girl’s mother brought her to Estrem after her having saved her from her captor. She was placed in multiple treatment programs in an effort to help.

“She was only 13 when she was trafficked,” said Estrem. “She did get some help, but it wasn’t specific for what she needed.”

The girl had only been at the school for two weeks, her mother told the TV station. She went to the bathroom to meet a boy she had a crush on and had sex with him. Word spread and other boys showed up.

“She did not sleep with 25 boys in the bathroom. There was only a handful that she did sleep with. In this case, it was more of a spectator sport,” said Estrem. “She has been in an environment where she has been told to behave a certain way, and there were severe consequences if she didn’t.”

The girl has been removed from the school by her mother, who is trying to protect her from the firestorm that has erupted in the aftermath of the incident.

“What happens is not to go straight to shaming and sharing this, but find out there all facts, what happened, why did she do this, who else was involved and what was their role. She needs to be prayed for and encouraged, not degraded and discouraged,” said Estrem.

The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association has limited contact during high school football practice this season to 60 minutes a week, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

The new rule continues a shrinking amount of contact in practices over the last few years, going from three days a week during the season to 90 minutes a week.

A rule that would have prevented teams from allowing players to use shoulder pads in offseason workouts did not garner the two-thirds majority required to pass by the PIAA board of directors.

The current rule — allowing to use shoulder pads and helmets — will remain in place.

As the world of 7v7 football continues to explode, the adidas 7v7 Championship Series is the latest big-time player with plans to attract 500 teams and more than 11,000 players this year in state and regional championship events.

Organizers have plans for a national scholastic championship in 2017.

The difference in their effort, organizers said, is that these are high school teams with their high school coaches rather than elite all-star teams. According to a press release, there are roughly 250 all-star 7v7 teams in the country and 28,000 scholastic 7v7 teams (including junior varsity and varsity).

Organizers are billing this as the “largest 7v7 tournament in America.”

“The all-star 7v7 world features athletes from each region playing together without their coach. We wanted to showcase the scholastic style of 7v7 because we support the high school football coaches desire to stay together and get better as a team,” said Richard McGuinness, one of the principals in Airo Sports Management, which is running the events. “They are the backbone and lifeblood of prep football and they deserve our support.”

The 2016 series includes events in Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Jersey, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana and California. The events cost $30 per player.

The series begins Saturday with sold-out events at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks and Redondo Union High. A middle school division will play Sunday at Cal Lutheran.

McGuiness, founder of the U.S. Army All-American Game, said the goal is to create a national structure for prep-based 7v7.

Dave Menard, Airo founder, has been running 7v7 events in Florida for years and said he was inspired by the Texas 7v7 championship, which features hundreds of teams and is one of the biggest football events in the country.

“Almost every high school football team in the country plays some form of 7v7 football during this time but with no national system,” McGuinness said.

Georgia coach Kirby Smart

The rivalry and drama around satellite camps extends beyond the Big Ten and Ohio State-Michigan.

Florida and Georgia will be holding satellite camps at the same venue in Atlanta on the same day. According to Rivals.com, Georgia’s camp at KIPP Atlanta High on June 15 will go from 2 to 5 p.m. and Florida’s camp will run from 6 to 9 p.m.

Both events will be run by I Dare-U Training in Atlanta. I Dar-U founder Glenn Ford told Rivals.com that he expects about 100 players to do both events and said Florida coaches can watch the Georgia event and Georgia coaches can work the Florida event.

Unlike many other camps around the nation, coaching staffs from no other schools are working these camps — only Georgia staff at the Georgia camp and only Florida staff at the Florida camp.

“This is actually very predictable and everyone could see this coming,” Rivals National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell said. “There’s no way Florida comes into Atlanta and runs their own camp and Georgia doesn’t respond.

“But again, this is where satellite camps are headed, run by training groups and with one staff at a time, so where’s the exposure for kids to smaller schools? This is what the NCAA feared, an arms race between SEC schools and camps run simply out of rivalry. I expect this will happen in other states with other schools as well.”

Kameron Martin was among the first members of Baylor’s 2016 recruiting class when he committed in the summer of 2014. He also was among the most vocal members, urging other players to follow him. And he celebrated his school choice with a rather large tattoo on his arm.

Now in light of the firing of coach Art Briles, Martin does not plan to enroll for the summer session next week and has asked for his release, according to ESPN.com and other reports. Martin was a four-star recruit from Memorial (Port Arthur, Texas) who was ranked as the No. 7 all-purpose back in the class by the 247Sports Composite.

Other members of Baylor’s ESPN-ranked No. 17 recruiting class were scheduled to enroll next week. It is unclear whether others will ask for releases or whether the school will grant those releases.

Texas, TCU and Missouri are among the schools he is expected to consider, according to the ESPN report.

Among the Class of 2017, four-star tight end Kedrick James decommitted in the immediate aftermath of Briles’ firing.

Jadeen Peevy, a three-star defensive tackle from Bellaire, Texas who committed to Baylor in early April, followed a day later.

Grant Delpit (Photo: 247Sports)

Another top prospect from Texas is heading to IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.).

Lamar’s Grant Delpit, ranked as the No. 11 safety in the Class of 2017 by the 247Sports Composite rankings, made the announcement on Twitter. He went to St. Thomas (Houston) before transferring to Lamar.

“First off I would like to thank Lamar High School, and STH for the past three years. Also I would like to thank TXHSFB for an unforgettable experience and making me into the player I am today.. After much consideration I have decided to enroll in IMG Academy for the ’16-17 season! #TexasToSouthFlorida”

Delpit, 6-1 an 180 pounds, has 27 offers, including Alabama, LSU, Notre Dame, Michigan, Oklahoma and schools across Texas among others.

RELATED: NFL VP Troy Vincent, whose son attends IMG, says it’s parents’ choice

He joins another recent transfer from the Houston area to IMG — wide receiver Jhamon Ausbon, who is ranked No. 9 at his position by the 247Sports Composite. Ausborn played at St. Thomas last season.

The departure of Texas players, including star quarterback Kellen Mond, to IMG drew the ire of Glen West, the head of the Texas High School Coaches Association. He used his letter to coaches in the association’s monthly magazine in February to criticize IMG Academy, saying that the academy could “destroy our profession.” At the time, he urged Texas schools not to schedule games against IMG.

He later clarified that he meant academies like IMG and not specifically IMG.

As far as offseason training goes, this is impressive.

Peter Klug, an offensive lineman/defensive end from Blue Valley North High (Overland Park, Kan.) pushes 1,000 pounds on the sled in the Instagram post below, including Riley Pint and Karter Odermann. He pushed the sled 15 yards, as noted by Stack.

(You might recognize Pint’s name because he is a pitcher from St. Thomas Aquinas in Kansas who might be the top high school player taken in June’s MLB draft.)

As for Klug, he has scholarship offers from Wyoming, Northern Illinois, Tulane, Air Force, Northern Iowa, South Dakota, among others.

(h/t: Stack.com)

If nothing else, Madison Meekins — daughter of University of Houston tight ends and fullbacks coach Corby Meekins — has a great sense of humor.

As shared by Houston head coach Tom Herman on Twitter, Madison dropped the best yearbook senior quote of the year.

It’s likely something she heard more than once from prospective football recruits.

“I was very surprised at all the attention,” Madison told USA TODAY High School Sports on Sunday. “Basically, after my dad started coaching football at the University of Houston, I would get people wanting me to give my dad their highlight video, so he might recruit them.

“When I had to submit a quote for the yearbook, I thought it would be funny and true.”

Madison graduated from Tomball High and is headin to Blinn College for two years before going to nursing school.

Clearly, dad was proud.

And Herman was impressed.

Five-star John Petty Jr., ranked as the No. 17 player in the Class of 2017 by the 247Sports Composite, added to his highlight reel during Nike EYBL action in Suwanee, Ga.

Petty, from J.O. Johnson High in Alabama, plays for Team Penny on the EYBL circuit.

Johnson, a big Kentucky fan, has seven offers, including one from the Wildcats. John Calipari had an in-home visit with Petty last month.

https://twitter.com/HoopJourneyHJ/status/736695741293461505/video/1

Robert Beal (Photo: 247Sports)

IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) added another elite player this weekend with the transfer of defensive end Robert Beal.

Beal, ranked No. 5 in the ESPN 300 for the Class of 2017, announced on Twitter that he was leaving Norcross, Ga.

Beal was a Notre Dame commit but has reopened his recruitment and is looking at group of school that includes Florida State, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, LSU and others.

RELATED: USA TODAY Sports’ Composite Player Rankings for 2017

His announcement comes on the heels of IMG’s additions of four-star safety Grant Delpit and wide receiver Jhamon Ausbon, both from the Houston area.

At the Nike EYBL stop is Hampton, Va., two weeks ago, we told you about Collin Sexton.

Sexton is unranked by ESPN and deep in the top 100 by a number of other services but was leading the EYBL in scoring. He did nothing but enhance his credentials with a 44-point performance — and the game-winning jumper — in Southern Stampede’s victory against the Georgia Stars this weekend.

Fellow Georgia native Davion Mitchell plays for the Stars and the two went toe-to-toe, as captured by Hoop Diamonds.

Zach Brown (Photo: Jon Lopez, Nike)

The journey of four-star center Zach Brown took another twist when he was arrested this weekend in Miami on multiple counts of robbery, according to multiple reports.

According to the Metro Dade police, Brown  was charged with armed robbery, multiple counts of robbery by sudden snatching and five counts of credit card fraud of more than $100. As of Sunday night, he was being held on $25,000 bond.

The 7-1 Brown, 18, is ranked as the No. 25 player in the Class of 2017 by ESPN and considered among the top five center.

Brown had recently returned to South Florida after a brief stint at Putnam Science in Connecticut. According to the Hartford Courant, Brown was asked to leave the school after an on-court altercation with opposing players.

He had moved to Connecticut to be closer to UConn, where he had committed. He decommitted earlier this month. He still has offers from Ohio State, Miami, Kansas, North Carolina, Florida and others.

As chronicled by USA TODAY High School Sports, Brown grew up in poverty and was living in the Liberty City section of Miami before he was adopted by Michael Lipman in 2013. The court had taken Brown and his brother away from their biological mother and their aunt, who was given custody, eventually said she was no longer willing to raise them.

“They come from the most horrific situation you could imagine,” Lipman said of Zach and his brother. “The judge said he had never seen a worse case.”

St. Mary’s Aquira DeCosta, center, falls as she looks for a rebound against Mater Dei last season (Photo: Marcio Jose Sanchez, Associated Press)

Eighteen finalists were named Monday for the USA Basketball Women’s U17 World Championship Team after the trials began with 139 athletes on May 26.

Four players from Texas are among the finalists:

• Janelle Bailey (Providence Day School/Matthews, N.C.);
• Rellah Boothe (IMG Academy/Ocala, Fla.);
• Aliyah Boston (Worcester Academy/Worcester, Mass.);
• Jenna Brown (The Lovett School/Marietta, Ga.);
• Samantha Brunelle (William Monroe/Ruckersville, Va.);
• Charli Collier (Barbers Hill/Baytown, Texas);
• Aquira DeCosta (St. Mary’s/Stockton, Calif.);
• Maya Dodson (St. Francis/Alpharetta, Ga.);
• Destanni Henderson (Fort Myers, Fla.);
• Nazahrah Hillmon (Gilmour Academy/Cleveland);
• Taylor Mikesell (Jackson/Massillon, Ohio);
• Alexis Morris (Legacy Christian Academy/Beaumont, Texas);
• Olivia Nelson-Ododa (Winder-Barrow/Winder, Ga.);
• Sedona Prince (Liberty Hill, Texas);
• Abby Prohaska (Lakota West/Liberty Township, Ohio);
• Christyn Williams (Little Rock Central/Little Rock, Ark.);
• Madison Williams (Trinity Valley School/Fort Worth);
• Zoe Young (Valley/Urbandale, Iowa).

USA Basketball also announced that Kasiyahna Kushkituah (St. Francis/Austell, Ga.), who began as a U17 hopeful, will join the 30 players trying out for the Women’s U18 National Team.

“I think this was the most competitive trials we have ever had. As they emerged through the weekend, these 18 played really, really well,” said Carol Callan, USA Basketball Women’s National Team Director and chair of the USA Basketball Women’s Developmental National Team Committee. “They provide a lot of the pieces to the puzzle of putting a roster together. It’s not only at each position, but within each position, versatility, different style of play and stature. There are rebounders, there are shooters, there are defenders and there are really good players at each position.

The finalists will stay at the United States Olympic Training Center for training camp through June. The 12-play roster will be named June 2.

The FIBA U17 Worlds are June 22-July 2 in Zaragoza, Spain.