KSHB 41 reporter Tod Palmer covers sports business and eastern Jackson County. Have a story idea to share with Tod? Send him an e-mail.
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The FIBA U17 Women's Basketball World Cup is kind of like the Olympics for the USA Basketball Junior National Team.
Park Hill South junior Addison Bjorn, a 6-foot-2 guard from Parkville, helped the U.S. squad win gold, but she’s just getting started.
"I really told (USJNT head) coach (Meg Barber), 'Whatever you need,' and that’s kind of how she played me," said Bjorn, who helped the U.S. squad win all seven games at the global tourney last week in Mexico. "Sometimes I took the ball up, sometimes I was on the wing. They had specific matchups, so really just whatever coach needed."
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Bjorn and the US U-17 squad rolled through group play, winning four games by more than 65 points on average.
During the knockout stage, Bjorn and the USJNT beat Japan, France and Canada in succession to win gold.
She also won a gold medal with U.S. Junior National Team at the 2023 FIBA Americas U16 Championship last summer.
But there’s another gold medal that’s on her mind as well.
"It’s pretty surreal when you’re repping your own country on your chest," Bjorn said. "It really hits when the national anthem plays. It’s crazy and the Olympics is definitely a dream of mine."
In addition to winning her first global gold medal, Bjorn — who wears No. 4 with the USJNT — got to make a special connection with a member of the U.S. Olympic Women’s Basketball Team.
"Probably one of my coolest memories on this whole trip, we got to write a letter to our number," Bjorn said. "So, No. 4 on the Olympic team is Jewell Loyd, so I got to write her a personal letter. I know some of the coaches that are actually with the girls at the Olympics and they said their heart was touched by our letters."
Playing in the Olympics is one of Bjorn’s future goals along with winning a national championship in college.
"I feel like it’s always crossed my mind," Bjorn said of the Olympics, "but whenever I played with Team USA last year it was pretty real. I was like, 'I can do this' and don’t sell myself short of anything and dream big.”
Bjorn averaged 9.1 points in seven games for the USJNT en route to the World Cup title.
She also averaged 6.7 rebounds, which was third on the team, and added 2.7 assists, which ranked second, and 1.9 steals, which was tied for second on the team.
Bjorn had a bout with foodborne illness playing with the U16 team last summer, which caused her to miss a couple games.
She averaged 5.8 points and 3.5 rebounds at the FIBA Americas event, but upped her game at the U17 World Cup.
"It definitely helped having the experience and I felt a lot more comfortable just to play free and do what I do," Bjorn said. "... My versatility — last year I could do a lot, but this year I feel like it’s just grown in all aspects."
The U.S. women open Olympic play Monday against Japan then close group play with games against Belgium (Aug. 1) and Germany (Aug. 4).
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