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Sports

Upper Marlboro Product Will Try Out for USA Team

Elizabeth Seton grad had a standout freshman season for the women's basketball squad at Georgia Tech.

Tyaunna Marshall of Upper Marlboro was listed among the top 100 players in the country by ESPN Hoopgurlz coming out of Elizabeth Seton High School in Bladensburg.

But she may have exceeded expectations as a freshman last season at Georgia Tech, where she averaged 13.6 points per game. Marshall got better as the season progressed, as she was a third-team All-ACC player during the season, was a second-team pick during the ACC tournament and was named to the all-ACC freshman first team. She was also named a freshman All-American.

And her stock continues to rise. Last week it was announced that Marshall has been invited to try out for the USA Basketball's 2011 USA women's U-19 world championship team. 

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"I have never played on a national team," Marshall told Patch on Tuesday. "This is a new experience for me. I think I have a pretty high chance (of making the team) because I know I have to work. I know how to play defense. I know how to rebound."

Marshall started 30 of 35 games as a freshman at Georgia Tech. She averaged 4.2 rebounds per game and had 67 assists.

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"I think I had a better year than I expected or than anyone expected," she said. "I knew in college everyone will be as good as you are. I never expected to be a starter and be an impact player."

The U.S. trials will be held May 22-25 at the U.S. Olympic Center in Colorado Springs.

Said Marshall: "A lot of people who are trying out for the team have played at a high level. This is a new chapter for me."

"We are very excited for Ty to have the opportunity to play and compete with some of the best players in the country," Georiga Tech head coach MaChelle Joseph said in a statement. "Being invited to be a part of USA Basketball is a tremendous honor for her."

Marshall is described on the Georgia Tech website as "a very athletic wing with size, speed and quickness." She scored more than 1,500 points in four years at Seton and averaged 18.8 points and 11 rebounds per game as a senior. She led the team to the 2010 Washington Catholic Athletic Conference title and a win in the City Title game.

Candy Cage, the athletic director at Seton, was an assistant coach while Marshall played for the school. "Obviously, Ty has worked very hard and had an excellent rookie season at Georgia Tech. She deserves the chance to try out for the U-19 national team and Elizabeth Seton is very proud to say she was a Roadrunner," Cage, the former head women's coach at Loyola of Baltimore, wrote in an e-mail to Patch. Cage is a former assistant coach at Georgia Tech.

Born in 1992, Marshall is the daughter of Thomas and Kimberly Marshall. She has two older siblings, Michelle Sturgis and Tyrelle Henderson, and one who is younger, Taylor. She plans to major in management and minor in computer design, according to Georgia Tech.

Marshall attended James Madison Middle School in Upper Marlboro in eighth grade and is a product of the Upper Marlboro Boys and Girls Club. She is also a former resident of Bowie and attended Heather Hills Elementary in Bowie. Her mother and father both played high school basketball and her brother, Tyrelle, played hoops at Bowie High.

The U.S. team will open training camp June 1-5 at the ESPN Wild World of Sports Complex in Florida. The team will also train July 11-15 in Colorado. The U-19 worlds will be held July 21-31 in the South American country of Chile. The U.S. has won the past three U-19 titles. 

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