Te-Hina Paopao accepts invite to USA Women’s U19 World Cup trials

Te-Hina Paopao was not able to finish the regular season or take part in the postseason from an injury, but she started the season averaging 10 points, four assists, and three rebounds. She was the only Duck to start the first 19 games of the season before missing the final five.

USA Basketball selected 27 of which Paopao is one of 16 college freshman to be selected. The group also includes some talented high school players who were old enough to make the cut. Jennifer Rizzotti, Chair of the Selection Committee is looking forward to the competition, “We do, however, feel confident that we’ve invited a very talented, diverse and exciting group of players.”

Oregon Head Coach Kelly Graves has compared Paopao to Oregon Great Sabrina Ionescu in the way that she can affect a game saying she is a strong rebounder and an elite 3-point shooter. In her 19 games her freshman season she hit 43 percent of her shots from the floor and was close to 40 percent hitting 39.5 percent from 3-point range. She also proved to be a defensive force on the floor pulling down 61 rebounds and grabbing 35 steals in the shortened 2020 season.

The season ended for Oregon in the Sweet 16 in a loss to Louisville. Oregon finished the season at 15-9 and 10-7 in Pac-12 play.

Oregon enters the 2021 season without three players who have left via the transfer portal including Taylor Chavez, Jaz Shelley, and Taylor Mikesell. Shelley and Mikesell will play in the Big Ten, heading to Nebraska and Ohio State, respectively; Chavez will play for Arizona.

The trials will help select the 12-member team will take place May 14th-16th at Metro State University in Denver, Colorado. The 2021 FIBA U19 World Cup is set for Aug. 7-15 in Hungary.