KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Bishop Miege High School product and Louisville commit Payton Verhulst is among nine athletes and seven USA Basketball gold medalists age 19 and under who were named to the 2021 USA Basketball Women’s U19 World Cup Team following three days of trials, May 14-16 in Denver.
Five finalists will return to the USA's training camp to compete for the remaining three roster spots.
In 2019, Verhulst claimed MVP honors after leading the USA U16 National Team to gold.
In 2021, for the second consecutive year, Verhulst has won the DiRenna Award, which is given annually to the best girls' basketball player in the Kansas City area.
Verhulst is the fifth two-time winner in the award's history.
The McDonald's All-American, averaged 18 points and 10 rebounds per game for the Stags, who won another Kansas Class 4 state championship this year.
USA women’s teams, the reigning FIBA U19 World Cup gold medalist, have won eight gold medals, one silver medal and one bronze medal while compiling an 86-13 overall record in U19 World Cup play since the event was launched in 1985.