By R.L. Bynum
For the second consecutive summer, incoming UNC freshman point guard Lanie Grant heads to Mexico with a United States team seeking a gold medal.
In June 2022, she helped the Americans win the FIBA Women’s U16 Americas Championship in Yucatan, averaging 11.2 points per game and leading the team in 3-pointers (10) and 3-point shooting percentage (42%). She’ll now be part of the United States team at the FIBA U17 Women’s World Cup, with games in Irapuato and Leon.
The No. 1-ranked Americans, seeking their third consecutive gold medal in the biennial event, play three Group C games, beginning Saturday at 10:15 p.m. ET (streamed here; the stream link is different for each game) against No. 3 Australia. They face No. 15 Puerto Rico on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. (streamed here) before wrapping up pool play on Tuesday at 10 p.m. Tuesday (streamed here) against No. 9 Croatia.
All three USA pool-play games will be in Irapuato, which is 212 miles northwest of Mexico City and 526 miles southwest of Brownsville, Texas. All 16 teams advance to the knock-out round, with pool play only determining seeding.
The 5–9 Grant, who has recovered from the right ankle injury she suffered during tryouts, reclassified after her junior season at James River High School in Midlothian, Va., so that she could begin her Carolina career next season.
Grant, one of four 17-year-olds on the team, has studied remotely to earn her high school diploma by taking two courses. A few days ago, she finished a government class while at training camp in Colorado Springs and has been working on her English class while in Mexico.
The Americans will face stiff competition, with the field including the top five ranked teams in the world in the age group. No. 2 France and No. 4 Canada lead Group D; No. 5 Spain, No. 6 Japan and No. 8 Finland are in Group A; and Group B features No. 7 Italy and No. 10 Mali.
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Grant is one of three players on the 12-player USA roster who has committed to a college. There are two Stanford-bound rising high school seniors — 5–10 point guard Hailee Swain and 6–5 center Alex Eschmeyer.
In addition to Grant, 6–1 guard Jerzy Robinson (on FIBA’s list as the No. 2 prospect at the event) and 6–2 forward McKenna Woliczko (No. 5) also played on the Americas Championship gold-medal-winning team last year. Carolina offered a scholarship to Woliczko in May 2023 and has offers out to two other team members in the Class of 2026: 6–2 guard Addison Bjorn (July 2022) and 6–2 wing Lola Lampley (June 2021).
FIBA Women’s U17 World Cup
United States schedule
In Leon and Irapuato, Mexico
(All times Eastern)
Group C pool play
Saturday: No. 1 USA 82, No. 3 Australia 55 in Irapuato
— Grant: Started; 24 minutes, 6 points, 3–11 FG, 0–4 3PFG, 4 rebounds, 1 turnover, 2 steals, +21
Sunday: No. 1 USA 121, No. 12 Puerto Rico 36 in Irapuato
— Grant: Started; 26 minutes, 18 points, 6–13 FG, 4–8 3PFG, 1 rebound, 4 assists, 1 foul, 3 turnovers, 2 steals, +60 (team-high)
Tuesday: No. 1 USA 123, No. 9 Croatia 42 in Irapuato
— Grant: Started; 22 minutes, 17 points, 7–12 FG, 3–7 3PFG, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 fouls, 1 turnover, 3 steals, +34
Round of 16
Wednesday: No. 1 USA 114, No. 16 Egypt 34
— Grant: Started; 23 minutes, 15 points, 6–9 FG, 3–5 3PFG, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 fouls, 1 turnover, 2 steals, +50 (team-high)
Quarterfinals
Friday: No. 1 USA 95, No. 7 Japan 59
— Grant: Started; 25 minutes, 8 points, 3–8 FG, 0–4 3PFG, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 foul, 2 turnovers, 1 block, +12
Semifinals
Saturday: No. 1 USA 84, No. 4 France 66
— Grant: Started; 14 minutes, 7 points, 3–6 FG, 0–1 3PFG, 1 rebound, 2 turnovers, 1 steal, -2
Championship
Sunday: No. 1 USA 84, No. 2 Canada 64
— Grant: Started; 11 minutes, 6 points, 3–9 FG, 0–5 3PFG, 1 rebound, 1 foul, 1 turnover, +2
— Grant World Cup statistics: 7 games, 20.5 minutes, 11.0 points, 45.6% FG, 28.6 3PFG%, 83.3% FT, 2.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.7 of a foul, 1.6 turnovers, 0.1 of a block, +25.3
(UNC is one below the 15-player limit)
| Year | No. | Players | Pos. | Height | |
| Freshman | 11 | Kate Harpring | PG | 5–10 | |
| Freshman | 52 | Noelle Bofia | F | 6–4 | |
| Sophomore | 3 | Gabby White — W | G | 5–10 | |
| Sophomore | 7 | Nyla Brooks | W | 6–1 | |
| Sophomore | 26 | Taissa Queiroz | G | 6–1 | |
| Junior | 34 | Blanca Thomas | C | 6–5 | |
| Junior | 1 | Jordan Zubich | G | 5–11 | |
| RS junior | 21 | Ciera Toomey | F | 6–4 | |
| RS junior | 4 | Laila Hull | W | 6–1 | |
| Senior | 5 | Sophie Burrows — X | G | 6–2 | |
| Senior | 8 | Achol Akot — Y | F | 6–1 | |
| Senior | 10 | Reniya Kelly | G | 5–7 | |
| Senior | 15 | Sydney Barker | G | 5–6 | |
| Graduate | 13 | Chloe Clardy — Z | G | 5–9 |
W — Virginia transfer; X — Syracuse transfer; Y — Oklahoma State transfer; Z — Stanford transfer
Former players who entered transfer portal
| Player | Class next season | Pos. | Hgt | Next school |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elina Aarnisalo | Junior | G | 5–10 | UCLA |
| Lanie Grant | Junior | G | 5–9 | TCU |
| Taliyah Henderson | Sophomore | W | 6–1 | Clemson |
| Liza Astakhova | Sophomore | G | 6–2 | BYU |
Photos courtesy of USA Basketball
