Erica McCall (No. 41) applies defensive pressure along with recent UConn commit Courtney
Ekmark at the U.S. U-17 national team trials. (Photo courtesy of USA Basketball)

A quick glance at the bios of the 24 players at the U.S. junior national team training sessions at ESPN's Wide World of Sports complex will show no lack of impressive athletic genes.

However, Erica McCall was the only one who can boast of having a current WNBA player in her family tree.

McCall's older sister is DeWanna Bonner of the Phoenix Mercury who was the 12th leading scorer in the WNBA heading into Friday's games. Despite being born eight years to the day after her sister McCall credits Bonner for being a positive role model and helped pave the way for her.

"Some people don't like to follow their sister's footsteps but I love it," McCall said. "I enjoy everything when I watch her play in the WNBA, it is helping me.

"I am happy that is my sister out there. Not a lot of people get to say their sister plays in the WNBA so I very happy and proud of her."

McCall has more of a power game than Bonner, an athletic and wiry forward who had 22 points in Thursday's loss to Atlanta.

"I love the way she can play every position," McCall said, "I am just trying to be like her and be a more versatile player. I watch her as she grows and I try to grow as well."

McCall doesn't have the range on her jumper as her sister but at the U-17 training camp nobody posted up harder and with more regularity that the UConn Class of 2013 recruiting target.

"I just think there is nobody who works harder than Erica McCall," U.S. U-17 head coach Jill Rankin Schneider said. "She has tremendous work habits and athleticism and to me she is so versatile. She can go inside and outside, her perimeter game has improved over last year maybe the 10-12 foot jump shot facing the basket has really improved."

McCall said she was four the first time she recalls seeing her sister play basketball. Before long McCall was hooked.

"I enjoyed watching her and that is how I got to enjoy basketball, my dad got me into basketball."
McCall's dad is Greg McCall who is the head women's basketball coach at Cal State Bakersfield

With her dad being a Division I head coach and her sister a former star at Auburn, McCall has no lack of qualified people in her inner circle to talk to if the process of selecting a college gets to be too much.

"Their advice in picking schools is it is your choice and don't let anybody influence you, it is all my choice," McCall said.

Here is a video I put together with interviews and action of McCall and other players on UConn's radar during the three days I was in Florida for the U-17 and U-18 training camp.

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