Madison LaFollette junior Nyajacuni Riak has been named the the Team USA Under-17 basketball team, USA Basketball announced Sunday.
USA Basketball announced the roster following four days of trials in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The team will travel to Brno, Czechia, for the 2026 FIBA U17 Women’s World Cup July 11-19.
The 12-member team, selected from 46 trials participants, was selected by the USA Basketball Women’s Developmental National Team Committee and will reconvene for training camp in Colorado Springs in early July.
Ryak’s teammates include Jazman Bailey, Caroline Bradley, Tatianna Griffin, Maliya Hunter, Olivia Jones, Eve Long, Micah Ojo, Morghan Reckley, Arianna Robinson, Nation Williams and Ivanna Wilson Manyacka.
Riak narrowly missed being included in the U16 team last year. Ten players from that team, which won gold at the 2025 FIBA U16 Women’s AmeriCup, made the squad again this year.
The 2026 USA Women’s U17 National Team will be led by head coach Steve Gomez (Lubbock Christian University, TX). He will be assisted by Brittanny Johnson (Evanston Township High School, IL) and Krystle Johnson (Hoover High School, AL).
The U.S. have won six of the seven iterations of the FIBA U17 Women’s World Cup, including three consecutive. The Americans carry an all-time record of 50-1 in the competition.
The 2026 FIBA U17 Women’s World Cup features 16 teams. The USA, who drew into Group A, will take on Ivory Coast on July 11 in their opening game before facing Australia on July 12 and Latvia on July 14. Each of the 16 teams will advance from group play to the single-elimination tournament, with the round of 16 on July 15, quarterfinals on July 17, semifinals on July 18 and the Final on July 19.
