A'ja Wilson prepping for World Championship | The State

Heathwood Hall’s A’ja Wilson is spending the holiday week in Colorado Springs, not as a tourist ascending Pikes Peak or visiting the inspiring Garden of the Gods but rather hard at work with the USA U19 women’s basketball team at the Olympic Training Center.

Wilson, a smooth 6-foot-4 forward, made the 12-player cut in May and is the only representative from the Southeast on the squad and one of six players with one year of high school eligibility left. She is also one of three 16-year-old players on a team that traditionally is comprised of college sophomores and freshmen.

Wilson has scored 2,170 career points in four varsity seasons with the Highlanders and averaged 27.4 points, 13.5 rebounds, 5.0 blocks, 3.2 assists and 3.0 steals last season while leading Heathwood Hall to a SCISA Class 3A runner-up finish.

The USA team will practice at OTC headquarters until July 9. The USA team will tune up for the FIBA U19 World Championships at the four-nation Lanzarote Invitational Tournament in the Canary Islands, July 12-14.

The FIBA championship event runs July 18-28 in Lithuania.