The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Women's Basketball's Littleton to represent Team USA at FIBA 3x3 U18 World Cup
06.20.2017 | Women's Basketball
The event will be played June 28-July 2 in Chengdu, China.
AUSTIN, Texas – Freshman Texas guard Destiny Littleton will represent the United States at the 2017 FIBA 3x3 U18 World Cup, which will be played June 28-July 2 in Chengdu, China.
Littleton, along with teammates Janelle Bailey, Aquira DeCosta and Christyn Williams will comprise Team USA. The FIBA 3x3 U18 World Championship has been held on an annual basis since 2011, except in the years of the Summer Youth Olympic Games (2010, 2014). FIBA recently changed the name to the 3x3 U18 World Cup. Athletes eligible for this team must be U.S. citizens who are 18 years old or younger (born on or after Jan. 1, 1999).
In addition to host China, teams qualified for the 2017 FIBA 3x3 U18 World Cup include: Andorra, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, China, Chinese Taipei, Czech Republic, Egypt, Estonia, France, Germany, Guam, Hungary, Indonesia, Israel, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, Syria, Tunisia, USA and Venezuela.
USA women's 3x3 U18 teams have compiled a 41-5 overall record and captured gold at the 2014 Youth Olympic Games and the 2012 and 2013 FIBA 3x3 U18 World Championships; silver at the 2015 and 2016 3x3 U18s; and a pair of bronze medals at the 2010 Youth Olympic Games and 2011 3x3 U18 Worlds.
In accordance with FIBA 3x3 rules, each game consists of one, 10-minute period. The team leading after completion of regular playing time, or the first team to score 21 points is declared the winner. If the game ends in a tie, the first team to score two points in overtime earns the victory. Shots made outside the arc are awarded two points, shots made inside the arc are awarded one point and each made free throw is worth one point. Additionally, a 12-second shot clock is utilized.
Littleton was a member of the 2015 USA Basketball U16 National Team that captured the bronze medal with a 4-1 record at the 2015 FIBA Americas U16 Championship in Pueblo, Mexico. In early April, Littleton was a member of the victorious Bounce Back team that won the 2017 USA Basketball 3x3 U18 National Tournament in Colorado Springs, Colo., earning MVP honors.
Littleton, the 2016-17 California Gatorade Player of the Year, is a 5-foot-9 guard from The Bishop's School in La Jolla, Calif., where she played for head coach Marlon Wells, her guardian. She finished her prep career as the leading scorer in California state high school history with 4,300 points. She became the first girls player in the history of the Golden State to eclipse the 4,000-point milestone. For her career, she averaged 33.3 points per game.
Littleton ranks 25th on the national high school's girls basketball all-time leading scorers list, according to MaxPreps. She finished No. 9 on the all-time career scoring list compiled by the National Federation of High School Associations, which includes only those players who competed for only four years of varsity high school basketball.
Littleton, who was named 2017 California Ms. Basketball by Cal-Hi Sports, was a 2017 McDonald's All-American and also was selected to participate in the 2017 Jordan Brand Classic. Littleton is the No. 33 overall player in the class of 2017, according to espnW Hoop Gurlz, and is the nation's ninth-ranked guard. Prospects Nation lists Littleton as the nation's No. 19 overall player in the class of 2017 and the second-rated guard.
As a senior in 2016-17, Littleton averaged 42.7 points per game, 10.9 rebounds per game, 5.0 assists per game and 3.4 steals per game. She made an impressive 90.1 percent (344-of-382) of her free-throws this past season and also knocked down 150 three-pointers on the year. According to MaxPreps, Littleton finished first in the nation this season in scoring, field goals and free-throw percentage, and second in three-point shooting.
Littleton was the 2017 California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) San Diego Section Player of the Year and a MaxPreps Third-Team All-American. She also was an honorable mention All-America selection by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association.