Incoming Arizona freshman Kailyn Gilbert and USA U18 team to begin play

While most of the Arizona women’s basketball team got their first practices underway this week, incoming freshman Kailyn Gilbert is in Buenos Aires, Argentina getting the opportunity of a lifetime. Gilbert and the USA Basketball women’s U18 team will begin play in the FIBA U18 Women’s Americas Championship on Mon., June 13.

Team USA gets underway at Obras Sanitarias Stadium at 11:30 a.m. MST on June 13. They will start group play against Colombia in Group B. The U.S. follows that with a game against Puerto Rico on Tues., June 14 before finishing up group play against El Salvador on Wed., June 15. Tournament play begins on June 17.

Gilbert was the first member of the 2022 class to commit to head coach Adia Barnes. She comes to the Wildcats after playing her senior season for IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., and playing travel ball with FGB.

The No. 31 recruit in the class of 2022, Gilbert was the foundational member of a class that was ranked No. 8 by ESPN in November 2021. That was before the commitment of No. 21 overall player Paris Clark. Gilbert and her three classmates are all ranked in the top 100 by ESPN HoopGurlz.

Gilbert joins four other players who are headed to the Pac-12 this fall on the U18 team.

The FIBA U18 Women’s Americas Championship can be viewed in its entirety on FIBA’s YouTube channel.