The Sanford Sports 16U ‘Black’ girls AAU basketball team has been invited to compete in the 2024 USA Basketball Club Championships from July 27-29 in Rock Hill, South Carolina. They’re one of only 24 squads nationwide to receive an official invitation to the event.
This is the first time an AAU team from either South Dakota or North Dakota has been invited to the Club Championships. USA Basketball has a committee that evaluates programs nationwide, and that committee told Sanford Sports 16U ‘Black’ girls AAU coach Barry Jacobsen his team had a real chance at earning an invitation early in the summer. A great performance during a tournament in May sealed it.
“It's pretty special,” Jacobsen said. “If you look at the teams that are invited down there, and you see some of the names, (they’re) national powerhouse type names in this (so) to be able to be included in that is pretty special.”
In addition to being the first AAU team from either of the Dakotas to be invited to this event, the Club Championships will also be a prime opportunity for the local athletes on the team to stand out in front of Division I coaches.
The USA Basketball Club Championships is the only event Division I coaches can attend during the late July evaluation period, so there will be a large spotlight on the tournament.
The Sanford Sports 16U ‘Black’ girls AAU basketball team is made up of nine players from the Midwest with four South Dakotans among the group, including Wagner’s Ashlyn Koupal -- who is currently listed No. 20 in ESPN’s Class of 2026 national rankings -- and Sioux Falls O’Gorman’s Sadie Mehrman and Sydney Terveen.
“There's not very many teams that will get this opportunity, and to be able to have the opportunity to go make some noise on the biggest stage in AAU is cool,” Mehrman said. “We know that we're good enough to be at this tournament, and we know what we're capable of so (now we) kind of just get the opportunity to show other people.”
Although the squad features Koupal, who already holds offers from Maryland, Louisville and many other Division I programs, the team also features other, lesser-known players who hail from small Midwest towns. This event will grant them the opportunity to turn heads against some of the best players in the country.
Jacobsen said having the experience of competing in the USA Basketball Club Championships will be beneficial in two different ways: the players will gain confidence that they can compete with anyone, and they'll also see how much work they still need to do if they hope to reach the next level.
The Basketball Club Championships will kick off with some pool play before shifting to bracket play in the second two days.
“Hopefully we get a good draw and can go down and play well,” Jacobsen said. “Win or lose, we just want to be competitive.”
In addition to the basketball tournament that will take place, USA Basketball will also have several classroom sessions for the girls and their parents.
Jonathan Fernandez covers high school and college sports for the Argus Leader. Contact him at jfernandez1@argusleader.com. Follow him on Twitter at@JFERN31
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