UConn incoming freshman Moriah Jefferson defends against Class of 2013 UConn recruiting target
Saniya Chong during the U.S. U-18 trials. Jefferson joins fellow future Huskies Breanna Stewart
and Morgan Tuck on the U-18 team which will play a world championship qualifying tourney.

UConn incoming freshmen Moriah Jefferson, Breanna Stewart and Morgan Tuck were among 12 players named to the U.S. U-18 team which will compete in the FIBA U18 Americas Championships.

It is the fourth straight year that Stewart and Tuck were named to U.S. junior national teams although a knee injury kept Tuck out of playing for the U-16 squad in 2009.

Stewart, a 6-foot-4 forward, was on the U-16 team in 2009, played for the U-17s the following year and in 2011 she was a member of the U-19 and Pan Am teams.

Stewart, the winner of every national high school player of the year, averaged 26.4 points, 13.9 rebounds, 3 assists, 2.8 steals and 4.2 blocks while leading her Cicero-North Syracuse team to the New York Class AA state and federation titles as a senior.

It will be the third straight year Tuck is a member of a U.S. junior national team for the third year in a row as she played for the U-17 squad in 2010 and U-19 team in 2011. As a senior at Bolingbrook High Tuck averaged 27.7 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.7 steals per game.

It will be the first U.S. junior national team for Jefferson, who was a finalist for the U-19 team last year in played in an exhibition game against Brazil. As with the senior at Texas Home Educators Sports Association Riders Jefferson averaged 17.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 5.1 steals per game in leading the Riders to their fifth straight National Christian Home School Championship.

UConn Class of 2013 recruiting target Saniya Chong did not make the team but another player UConn is recruiting (Jannah Tucker) did make it. Tucker's situation was interesting because she tried out for the U-17 squad but did not make that team. She was one of seven players who were invited to stick around for the final couple of sessions for the U-18 team and Tucker ended up making the team.