| Niesha Butler |
ATLANTA — Georgia Tech freshman Niesha Butler (New York, N.Y.) has been invited to the 1999 USA Basketball Women’s World University Games Team Trials, to be held May 19-24 in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Butler, the 1999 Atlantic Coast Conference Rookie of the Year and a freshman all-America, is the youngest player among the 44 invited to this year’s trials.
“I’m excited to have the opportunity to compete for a spot on the U.S. World University Games team,” Butler said. “This is a great chance for me to compete against the best collegiate players from across the country and to be considered among that group is an honor. Being a freshman, I know the odds are stacked against me, but I just need to go out there and compete and see what happens.”
The 12-member squad will be announced on Monday, May 24, and will train June 14-23 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs before participating in a four-team tournament in Logrono, Spain, from June 25-27. The team will be coached by Penn State head coach Rene Portland.
The 1999 World University Games will be held July 1-13 in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, with the basketball competition slated for July 5-11.
Butler was second in the ACC in scoring this season, 19.3 points, along with 5.0 rebounds and 4.4 assists.
