Arizona women’s basketball freshman Kailyn Gilbert selected for USA Basketball U18 team

Arizona women’s basketball has its best class in program history joining the team this year. From top-10 rankings to all-star selections, members of the class have been honored by every high school basketball organization in the U.S. and Canada. Add one more honor to that list.

Incoming freshman guard Kailyn Gilbert has been selected for the USA Basketball U18 squad that will play in the 2022 FIBA U18 Women’s Americas Championship in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The tournament will be held from June 13-19 at the Obras Sanitarias Stadium.

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.

It is the second straight summer that an Arizona player will compete for USA Basketball. Junior Lauren Ware played for the U.S. in 2021. Barnes has been an assistant coach in the USA Basketball system for the past two years.

In addition to the U.S., the FIBA U18 Women’s Americas Championship will include Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, El Salvador, Mexico, and Puerto Rico.