Massengale, Tuck Snag Spot on National Team

Ariel Massengale and Morgan Tuck, who helped the Lady Raiders win a in March, were named to the USA Basketball Women's U19 World Championship Team on Sunday.

Massengale and Tuck will begin training with the team in mid-July and compete in the world championships in Chile from July 21-31 in Puerto Montt and Puerto Varas.

"It’s a great opportunity," Massengale said of the opportunity to represent her county again. "It’s an honor and I’m thankful to be here. This has always been a dream of mine. To come around, especially at such a young age, I feel like is a blessing. I know a lot of girls would like to be in this position. I just thank God that I made it."

Tuck, meanwhile, said she was ecstatic to make the team, but admitted she had a ways to go.

"I’m still not where I want to be, but for today I’m happy and excited about the opportunity. It feels good to not be stressed anymore," she said.

Both Massengale and Tuck were part of last summer’s U17 national team, which won the FIBA U17 World Championship in France.

In that game, Massengale led all shooters with 20 points, while Tuck scored three points.

Sue Donohoe, NCAA vice president for Division I women's basketball and chairwoman of the USA Basketball women's junior national team committee, said that experience played a clear factor in the pair landing a spot on the team.

“Certainly you like kids who have good experience, whether it’s USA Basketball experience or it’s experience playing together," Donohoe said on USA Basketball's website. "It’s the same situation with any team that we select: what skill sets do those kids bring? How do you mold those skill sets together as one unit in order to win a gold medal."