Arizona’s Lauren Ware invited to USA U19 World Cup Team Trials

After serving as one of the primary reserves in Arizona’s run to the national championship game as a freshman, forward Lauren Ware will get another chance to see what she can do against the top young athletes in the U.S. She has been selected to attend trials for Team USA’s U19 World Cup team.

Ware made appearances in all 27 games for Arizona this season, making most of her impact on defense and on the boards. She averaged 3.9 points and 3.8 rebounds in 16.1 minutes per game. In 21 of her appearances, she had at least one block.

The 6-foot-5 Ware came to Arizona as a highly-touted prospect in both basketball and volleyball but sat out the volleyball season when it was moved to the spring. She was the highest-rated high school prospect to come to Arizona since Cate Reese.

The rising sophomore will be one of 27 players competing for 12 spots on a team led by UCLA head coach Cori Close. Close was an assistant coach for the 2019 U19 World Cup team that won a gold medal in Thailand.

This year’s event will be held in Debrecen, Hungary from August 7-15. Team USA was placed in Group A where they will face Italy, Australia, and Egypt. The U.S. has won the event eight of the 13 times it has been held, defeating Australia in overtime in 2019.