May 16, 2006

Grand Valley State's head women's basketball coach Dawn Plitzuweit has been selected as a trials court coach for the USA Basketball's 2006 FIBA Americas U20 Championship For Women Team Trials. Plitzuweit will join Loyola University (La.) head coach DoBee Plaisance and Georgia Perimeter College head coach James Waldon.

The coaching staff selections were made by the USA Basketball Women's Collegiate Committee, which is chaired by Sue Donohoe, the NCAA's vice president of Division I women's basketball. Trials for the USA U20 Championship Team are scheduled for May 18-21 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

The FIBA Americas U20 Championship For Women, Aug. 9-13, will feature teams from North, South and Central Americas and the Caribbean. The top three finishing teams qualify for the 2007 FIBA U21 Women's World Championship that will be held July 27-Aug. 5 in Guatemala City, Guatemala.

Plitzuweit follows an outstanding 2006 season, in which she was named the Molten/Women's Division II Bulletin Coach of the Year, with her first USA Basketball selection.

"It's really an incredible honor, and I'm certainly very excited to help in any way I can," Plitzuweit said. "I'm looking forward to working with world-class athletes and finding a way to assist them and the coaches however possible."

After four seasons (2002-03 to present) with the Lakers, Plitzuweit is 96-30 (.756 winning percentage). While collecting a school-record 22-game winning streak, Plitzuweit guided Grand Valley State to the school's first NCAA Division II national title in 2006, finishing the season 33-3. The Lakers also captured the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament championship and the Great Lakes Region Tournament title.

Including positions with four programs, Plitzuweit is 17-3 (.850 winning percentage) in the postseason and 9-2 (.818 winning percentage) in the NCAA Tournament.

Plitzuweit, the 2005 Russell Athletic/WBCA National Coach of the Year, finished the 2004-05 season at 28-6, reaching the school's first Division II Elite Eight and capturing the school's first Great Lakes Regional Tournament title.

In her first year with the program (2002-03), Plitzuweit led her squad to its first NCAA Tournament appearance in four years. The 24-7 Lakers also reached the GLIAC Tournament title game.

Prior to Grand Valley State, Plitzuweit was an assistant at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. In four seasons (1998-99 through 2001-02), compiling a record of 86-35 (.710 winning percentage), the Phoenix captured four regular season Horizon League championships and three conference tournament titles.

Plitzuweit also was an assistant at the University of Wisconsin (1997-98) and at Michigan Tech University (1995-96 and 1996-97).

As a four-year starter at Michigan Tech University (1991-92 through 1994-95), Plitzuweit rolled up a record of 100-21 (.826 winning percentage) and helped her team to four NCAA Tournament appearances and three GLIAC titles. The GLIAC Player of the Year in 1994 and 1995, she ended her career as the all-time leader in rebounds (866), assists (439) and steals (331) and ranked second in points (1,398) and games played (121).

In addition to being the 1995 NCAA Woman of the Year in Michigan, she was a three-year All-GLIAC first team and All-GLIAC defensive team selection (1993, 1994 and 1995), a Division II Bulletin All-America second team selection (1995) and a two-time Kodak All-America honorable mention selection (1994 and 1995). The featured speaker at her college graduation, she was also a two-time WBCA All-Academic selection (1993 and 1994).

2006 FIBA Americas U20 Championship
Originally known as the FIBA Americas World Championship For Young Women Qualifying Tournament, the event was first held four years ago in 2002 as the U.S. squad earned the gold medal to qualify for the 2003 FIBA World Championship For Young Women. FIBA recently made the name change to reflect the age of eligible athletes (20 years old and younger). The USA not only captured gold at the inaugural event in 2002, held in Ribeirao Preto, Brazil, it swept all four games and outscored the competition a whopping 102.8 points per game to 52.5 ppg. Brazil finished with the silver and Argentina claimed the bronze as all three teams qualified for the 2003 U21 Worlds.

2006 USA Basketball FIBA Americas U20 Championship for Women Coaching Staff
Head Coach: Joanne P. McCallie, Michigan State University
Assistant Coach: Joanne Boyle, University of California
Assistant Coach: Sam Dixon, Furman University (S.C.)
Trials Court Coach: DoBee Plaisance, Loyola University (La.)
Trials Court Coach: Dawn Plitzuweit, Grand Valley State University
Trials Court Coach: James Waldon, Georgia Perimeter College