Newcomer Kailyn Gilbert Selected to United States U18 Team

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Kailyn Gilbert, an incoming freshman for Arizona Women's Basketball, has been selected to represent the United States as a member of USA's U-18 National Team. Gilbert is part of head coach Adia Barnes' top recruiting class in program history that ranks in the top 10 nationally for the 2022 class. A four-star prospect from IMG Academy, the Florida native was ranked as the No. 31 overall prospect in the class by ESPN.

Gilbert and the rest of Team USA will compete at the 2022 FIBA U18 Women's Americas Championship in Buenos Aires, Argentina later this month. Their international competition will begin against Colombia on Monday, May 13. 

On National Signing Day, head coach Adia Barnes raved about Gilbert. "We always talk about finding that player that has that Arizona 'dog' mentality and she has that. She's going to be a better college player than she is a high school player. She can play the point or the off-guard position, she can shoot the ball, she's smart and she's a great passer. I can't wait to coach her because she's a gym rat and fits everything we do here."

The U18 National Team is coached by Joni Taylor of Texas A&M with Old Dominion's DeLisha Milton-Jones and Indiana's Teri Moen as assistant coaches.

This is not the first Team USA experience for the program this offseason after head coach Adia Barnes served as a court coach for the US Women's National Team for training camp during the spring. It was the second straight year Arizona's head coach has gained elite international coaching experience following her stint as an assistant coach for Team USA in the 2021 AmeriCup, which saw the United States win gold.