Spring Break
Lady Dog point guard headed to World University Games
FLETCHER PAGE
Issue date: 6/25/09 Section: Sports
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Houts will join 11 of her collegiate peers playing for the U.S. National Team at the World University Games in Belgrade, Serbia. The team departs today and will compete from July 1-11.
"We are excited with what we have and ready to work hard," Houts said in news release.
"I was able to learn a lot two years ago and get some much-needed experience. Hopefully the seniors on the team and the older girls can help the younger ones, and we can just all work together."
The World University Games are held every other year, with eligible athletes for the USA required to be enrolled in a college or university and have remaining NCAA athletic eligibility.
The U.S. will compete in "Group A" of the 16-team field and will play France on July 1, Great Britain on July 2 and Serbia on July 3. Second-round play will be from July 5-7, with the semifinals on July 9 and the championship culminating on July 11.
Joining Houts is a triumvirate of two-time U.S.A. basketball gold medalists in UConn forward and Gwinnett native Maya Moore, as well as Ohio State's Jantel Lavender and Stanford's Kayla Pederson.
"I think that the committee has done a tremendous job of selecting this team," Team USA coach Charli Turner-Thorne said in a news release. "We have everything that we need to bring home a gold medal. Our perimeter and our post game are exceptional. I don't think we have any kinks in our armor. Now it's just a matter of becoming a team - really working with each other and learning our offenses and our defenses in a very short amount of time. I could not be more excited about the individuals I'm going to coach and the opportunity in front of us."
A 5-foot-6 senior from Trenton, Houts competed two summers ago in the 2007 U-21 World Championships in Moscow, where she averaged 4.1 points per game, including 14 points in 16 minutes of action against Belgium in the quarterfinal round. The first trip resulted in a gold medal, a feat Houts hopes to duplicate.
"We've got a lot of work to do, and we know that," Houts said.
"We are working hard everyday in practice, and we've got good attitudes. As long as we continue to do that, I think we'll definitely be ready by the time the competition comes around."
Labeled as a do-it-all wonder-player in the SEC, Houts led the Lady Bulldogs in scoring (12.0), assists (4.7), steals (2.2), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.36) and free throw percentage (.779).
Houts, a two-time All-SEC performer and the 2007 SEC Freshman of the Year joins a list of 25 current and former Lady Bulldogs who have played for the United States in more than 40 competitions worldwide.
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