The silver wasn’t going to satisfy Morgan Cheli or anyone else on the USA Basketball Women’s U17 National Team. They didn’t go all the way to Hungary last month to finish second at the FIBA U17 World Cup.
“It was gold or bust,” the Los Altos resident said, “and I’m glad we got the job done.”
Did they ever. The Americans crushed the competition, winning their seven games by an average of 50 points. Team USA’s closest contest came in the July 17 championship game, an 84-62 victory over Spain.
“They were our toughest competition,” said Cheli, a 6-foot-1 guard entering her junior year at Mitty High. “They made us work for it.”
Up 36-26 at halftime, Team USA pushed the lead to 13 points by the end of the third quarter. Spain cut its deficit to 10 points early in the fourth, but the Americans responded with a 20-6 run to pull away for good.
“We wanted to take it to them and set the pace,” Cheli said of her team’s mindset entering the game. “That led us to creating a larger lead (in the fourth).”
Cheli played nearly 19 minutes off the bench in the final. Her stats may have been modest (two points, two rebounds, one assist and one steal), but Team USA’s head coach noted that Cheli played an integral role in the squad’s success in that game and the six before it.
“Morgan was a big contributor to winning the gold,” said Sue Phillips, who also coaches Cheli at Mitty. “She really sold out on the defensive end – she was a catalyst on defense – and she chipped in with scoring and made great passes. She’s a great playmaker and a stat stuffer.”
Cheli’s 21 steals over the nine-day tournament led Team USA and ranked third overall. Six of those steals occurred in the 112-38 rout of Japan in the quarterfinals.
“I was flying around trying to get as many deflections as I could,” Cheli said of her July 15 performance. “I was diving for every loose ball and trying to get into the passing lanes.”
The 16-year-old said her best overall game came a day later in the semifinals versus Canada. She scored 10 points (on 4-of-5 shooting) and recorded four steals, two assists and two rebounds in 19
minutes.
“I think I filled up the stat sheet and contributed in a variety of ways,” Cheli said.
Phillips added that Cheli fit in well on what she called “a unique team.” The Americans’ superior depth allowed her to keep the players fresh (limiting them to 15-20 minutes per game) in demanding circumstances.
“Playing 10 games in a short amount of time is a grind,” said Phillips, counting the three friendlies the team played in Spain prior to the tourney. “And the games are longer (40 minutes) than they’re used to (32 minutes in high school).”
Cheli pointed out that there was indeed strength in numbers.
“We used that great depth to our advantage,” she said. “We came out strong each game and consistently pressed most of the game.”
For Cheli, the highlight of what she called “an incredible experience and opportunity” occurred during the medal ceremony, just after gold confetti rained down on the World Cup champs.
“It was a surreal feeling going up there, getting my name called wearing a USA jersey with my name on the back and a getting a gold medal around my neck,” she said.
Cheli’s family was there to witness it all, which she said made the moment even more special.
“That will be a core memory for a while,” she said.
