COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Sue Phillips, head coach at Archbishop Mitty High School and for the San Jose Cagers AAU program in California, today was announced as head coach of the 2013 USA Basketball Women’s U16 National Team, and named as assistant coaches were Mary Coyle Klinger (Rutgers Preparatory School, N.J.) and Brian Robinson (Bishop McGuinness H.S./Stealers AAU, N.C.) The coaching selections were made by the USA Basketball Women’s Developmental National Team Committee and approved by the USA Basketball Board of Directors.

“With the tremendous experience among these three coaches, the committee feels very confident that the USA Women’s U16 National Team will be in excellent hands,” said Carol Callan, USA Basketball’s Women’s National Team Director and non-voting chair of the USA Women’s Developmental Committee. “Not only have Sue, Mary and Brian been successful at the high school and AAU levels, all three have prior experience with USA Basketball.”

Phillips, Klinger and Robinson will lead the USA Basketball Women’s U16 National Team at the 2013 FIBA Americas U16 Championship, which will be played June 19-23 in Cancun, Mexico.

“During my five years of affiliation with USA Basketball, I have come to understand the amazing organization, talent and personnel that make USA Basketball an international role model for success,” Phillips said. “I am humbled by this tremendous opportunity to be the U16 national team head coach. “It is a privilege and honor to represent USA Basketball and our country in this capacity and to work with such a talented group of athletes. This will be a definite highlight in my career as a coach.”

All three coaches boast of prior USA Basketball experience. Phillips led the West Team to a 2-3 record and a bronze medal in the 2003 USA Basketball Youth Developmental Festival, and Phillips and Robinson served together on the 2009-12 USA Basketball Women’s Developmental National Team Committee. Robinson also led the Blue Team to a 2-3 record and a silver medal in the 2007 USA Basketball Youth Developmental Festival. Klinger played for USA Basketball in the 1979 U.S. Olympic Festival, capturing a gold medal with the East Team, and she was an assistant coach for the 1991 Junior Select Team that recorded a 5-1 record in Mexico and for the 1985 U.S. Olympic Festival West Team that finished in fourth place.

“I am honored and extremely excited to be a part of USA basketball once again,” Klinger said. “It is an incredible feeling to wear USA across your chest as both a player and a coach.’

“This is a tremendous honor and one that won't be taken lightly,” Robinson said. “Working in the past for USA Basketball in different roles was an enlightening and educational experience, and there is no doubt that this role will do the same if not more. It is definitely a dream to coach for USA Basketball, something that is being looked on as a privilege with a high level of responsibility. The challenge to help shape a team in the short-term to possibly affect USA Basketball positively in the long-term is exciting. It is really great knowing that you have an opportunity to contribute to the continued success of USA Basketball.”

Featuring as many as 200 athletes age 16-years-old-or-younger (born on or after Jan. 1, 1997), trials for the USA U16 National Team will be held May 23-27 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. In addition to an open application process to attend trials, the USA Women’s Developmental National Team Committee will issue invitations to approximately 35 athletes. Athletes wishing to participate should submit their application to USA Basketball by April 12. Should the number of applicants exceed 200, the Developmental National Team Committee will determine the final roster of participating athletes.

The 2013 FIBA Americas U16 Championship will include North American entries Canada and the United States; as well as 2012 U15 Centrobasket Championship top finishers Puerto Rico (gold), Mexico (silver) and Costa Rica (bronze); and from the 2012 South American U15 Championship Brazil (gold), Venezuela (silver) and Argentina (bronze). The top four finishing teams will qualify for the 2014 FIBA U17 World Championship.

USA Basketball women's teams have participated in two prior FIBA Americas U16 Championships, compiling a 10-0 event record and capturing two gold medals.

Notable among the list of USA U16 alumni are: Kaela Davis (2011), Rebecca Greenwell (2011, co-MVP), Breanna Stewart (2009) and Elizabeth Williams (2009).

Chaired by Callan, the 2013-16 USA Basketball Women’s Developmental National Team Committee includes NFHS appointees Jody Patrick (Flint Hill School, Va.) and Jill Rankin Schneider (Monterey H.S., Texas.); AAU appointees Bill Larson (North Tartan Basketball AAU, Minn.) and Sherri Pegues (GBL Cal Sparks AAU, Calif.); and athlete representative Yolanda Griffith, a 2000 and 2004 Olympic gold medalist who has played on five USA Basketball teams.

USA Basketball

Based in Colorado Springs, Colo., USA Basketball is a nonprofit organization and the national governing body for men's and women's basketball in the United States. As the recognized governing body for basketball in the U.S. by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), USA Basketball is responsible for the selection, training and fielding of USA teams that compete in FIBA sponsored international competitions, as well as for some national competitions.

USA teams are the current men's and women's champions in the Olympics, men's and women's FIBA World Championships; women’s FIBA?U19 World Champions; men's and women's FIBA U17 World Champions; and the men's and women's U18 and U16 FIBA Americas champions; as well as winners of the women’s FIBA 3X3 World Championship and 3x3 U18 World Championship.

Sue Phillips

Sue Phillips was named as head coach of the 2013 USA Basketball Women’s U16 National Team on April 3, 2013.

Previously, she led the West Team to a 2-3 record and a bronze medal in the 2003 USA Basketball Youth Developmental Festival, and she served on the 2009-12 USA Basketball Women’s Developmental National Team Committee.

Phillips recently completed her 20th season as the head coach at Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, Calif., where she has compiled an overall record of 581-103, including a West Catholic Athletic League title and a Central Coast Section (CCS) Open Division championship in 2012-13.

“I am humbled by this tremendous opportunity to be the U16 national team head coach,” Phillips said. “It is a privilege and honor to serve in this capacity for USA basketball.”

“I am thrilled with the prospect of working with both Mary and Brian,” Phillips continued. “Their knowledge of the game and ability to teach is exceptional."

Under Phillips, Archbishop Mitty has captured 18 CCS titles, nine Northern California titles, and five California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) state championships.

In 2004, American Quarterly Basketball named Phillips as one of five high school coaches in the country “you should know.” In 1999, she guided the women’s varsity team to its first state title at the Division I level. That same year, the Monarchs finished with a 31-0 record and Student Sports Magazine named Phillips National Coach-of-the-Year.

In 2000, Phillips spent the year as the lead assistant women’s basketball’s coach at the University of California at Berkeley.

Phillips currently is in her 12th year as the director and a member of the coaching staff for the San Jose Cagers girl’s AAU program, which includes grades 5-12.

Phillips teamed up with Nike as a skills academy coach in May 2012 in Los Angeles and Portland, and as a national clinician for Nike, she gave a presentation on defense in Chicago in October 2012, and she will speak this April in Portland. Additionally, Championship Productions has produced a video on Coach Phillips’ defensive presentation.

Phillips graduated from Mitty in 1986 with several scholarship offers. Choosing to play softball at Northwestern University over basketball at the University of California, Phillips was an

All-Big Ten Conference and all-region player for the Wildcats before returning to Mitty as a math teacher and coach.

For more on the entire coaching staff, visit www.usabasketball.com.