2022 FIBA U18 Women's Americas Championships basketball preview

Team USA U18 women's basketball team looks to continue the program's dominance in the FIBA U18 Americas Championships this week.

Team USA is among eight teams in the event that is being held between June 13-19 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Columbia, El Salvador, Mexico and Puerto Rico will join the Americans. The top-four finishers will qualify for the 2023 FIBA U19 Women's World Cup.

Team USA took gold in the last FIBA U18 event held in Mexico City in 2018. The U.S. has won nine straight FIBA U18 events and has 10 golds and two silvers since 1988. Brazil is the only other team to take gold (twice) in the FIBA U18 event, while Canada has finished runners-up in each of the last three.

Group A has Canada, Argentina, Brazil and Mexico.

Group B has the USA, El Salvador, Colombia and Puerto Rico.

Team USA

Team USA is 59-2 overall in the FIBA tournament. This year's squad is led by new Texas A&M coach Joni Taylor. She served her first international USA Basketball role as an assistant coach for the 2021 USA Basketball Women's U19 World Cup team. She helped the USA to a 7-0 record and a gold medal at the 2021 FIBA U19 World Cup in Debrecen, Hungary.

Old Dominion coach Delisha Milton-Jones and Indiana coach Teri Moren are Taylor's assistants.

Here is a look at the roster.

Isunah Brady: The 6-foot-3 UConn commitment is ranked as the No. 5 prospect in the country. The 2022 All-American averaged 18.5 points and 12.4 rebounds per game for her career at Cathedral Catholic in San Diego.

Aalyah Del Rosario: The 6-6 New Jersey rising senior averaged 13.0 ppg, 11.0 rpg, 4.0 assists,and 1.0 steals for the Webb School in Tennessee.

Kailyn Gilbert: The 5-8 Arizona commitment is ranked as the 31st prospect in the country.

Londynn Jones: The 5-6 UCLA commitment is making her second stint with Team USA. She averaged 11.5 ppg and 3.2 rpg with the U16 squad in 2019 while helping the Americans to gold.

Chloe Kitts: The 6-3 rising senior averaged 18.7 ppg and 8.2 rpg last year. The No. 17 player in the ESPNW Hoopgurlz rankings will play her final high school season at Faith Christian Academy in Orlando, Fla.

Cotie McMahon: The 5-11 Ohio State commitment is ranked as the No. 22 prospect in the nation.

S'Mya Nichols: The 6-0 rising senior is ranked as the 21st best prospect in the class of 2023.

Indya Navar: The 5-10 Stanford commitment was a 2022 McDonald's All-American and named North Carolina's Ms. Basketball.

Courtney Ogdon: The 6-1 rising senior has committed to play for Stanford and is ranked as the No. 12 player in the 2023 class by ESPNW.

Justine Pissott: The 6-4 Tennessee commitment was a 2022 McDonald's All-American and 2022 WBCA All-American selection. She averaged 17.1 ppg last season.

Kiki Rice: The 5-11 UCLA commitment has the most experience with USA basketball as well as being the most decorated player on the roster. Rice played on the 2021 3-on-3 U18 USA team and the 2019 U16 squad, where she averaged 7.2 ppg, 4.7 rpg and 3.7 apg. Rice won a number of awards this past high school season as she led Sidwell Friends School (Washington, D.C.) to a 30-0 record. She produced 15.8 ppg, 7.0 rpg and 5.1 apg.

Grace Vanslooten: The 6-3 Oregon commitment is ranked as the No. 13 player in this year's class.

The USA is ranked No. 1 in the FIBA World U18 rankings. Meanwhile, Canada is No. 8, followed by No. 20 Argentina, No. 23 Puerto Rico, No. 25 Columbia, No. 28 Brazil, No. 32 Mexico and No. 64 El Salvador.