Zakiyah Johnson and Leah Macy join U.S. U18 team

Leah Macy (USA Basketball Photography)

Two of the nation’s top 2025 recruits are Kentucky natives Zakiyah Johnson of Sacred Heart and Leah Macy of Bethlehem.

Johnson has played on three consecutive state championship teams and has college offers from nearly every major team in the country. Macy was on two regional championship teams and had 40 scholarship offers before recently signing with Notre Dame.

Both are top-10 players in the nation, and they certainly proved why last week at the U.S. Basketball Women’s U18 National Team training camp in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

USA Basketball announced late Saturday that two of the 12 players chosen from a field of 26 trial participants to compete in the FIBA ​​U18 Women’s America Cup, to be held June 17-23 in Bucaramanga, Colombia, will be named Macy. announced that it was Johnson. The team is scheduled to reconvene for training camp on June 8 in Colorado Springs.

Other team members selected include Sienna Betts, Jasmine Davidson, Joyce Edwards, Madison Francis, Kaylee Heckel, Jordan Lee, Alivia McGill, Arianna Roberson, Kennedy Smith, and Sarah Strong. Ta.

Edwards won gold at last summer’s FIBA ​​U19 Women’s World Cup. Strong has won two gold medals at the FIBA ​​3×3 U18 Women’s World Cup in 2022 and 2023. Edwards, Lee, Roberson, Smith and Strong represented the United States at the 2024 Nike Hoop Summit.

Terry Moren (Indiana University) is an American head coach. Her assistants are Jose Fernandez (University of South Florida) and Neale Ivey (University of Notre Dame).

The United States was drawn in Group B with Brazil, Mexico, and Puerto Rico. The United States will play Brazil on June 17 (4:10 p.m. ET), followed by Puerto Rico on June 18 (4:10 p.m. ET) and June 19 (1:40 p.m. ET). We will play a match against Mexico.

The U.S. women’s team owns 11 of the 13 U18 gold medals and has won 10 straight since 2000. The top four teams will qualify for the 2025 FIBA ​​U19 Women’s World Cup.

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