Malina Howard, U.S. Team Claim Basketball Gold at FIBA Tournament

Another tournament, another title for Malina Howard.

Howard and her teammates captured the gold with an impressive 69-46 victory over Spain in the finals of the FIBA U19 World Championships in Puerto Montt, Chile, Sunday night. It was the fourth consecutive gold medal for the United States team, which won eight of its nine games in the competition.

For Howard, the 6-5 Twinsburg senior standout, the triumph capped off quite a year. Last summer she keyed the U.S. U18 team to a title in Colorado Springs and then led the Tigers to a Division I state championship with an unbeaten season.

She played just seven minutes in Sunday night's title contest, scoring two points and grabbing three rebounds. Her biggest game was the tournament opener when she went six-for-six from the floor to score 12 points in a victory over Japan.

Winning the gold medal was even sweeter for Howard this time around after she initially failed to make the cut for the team before being called back to play for head coach Jennifer Rizzotti.

"I knew I could have played better at the trials and I could have given myself a better chance," said Howard. "I worked on my game and I thought it was a great honor when I was asked to be back with the team."

Howard was planning to play for the Sports City U powerhouse AAU team this summer when she learned she was back with her teammates on the U19 squad.

"This is amazing, it's such an honor and a big accomplishment," said Howard after the finals. "It's something a lot of people dream of and there are only 12 of us and our coaches that did it. We worked so hard for it and we were really able to come together."

Another year of international competition should only make Howard even stronger when the high school season starts later this year.

"Coach (Rizzotti) taught me a lot about the mental aspect of the game and how to push through when you're tired," said Howard. "I worked a lot on being more mentally tough."

The U.S. team's lone loss in the tournament came against Canada, but the team bounced back with a 70-64 victory over France in the quarterfinals and an 82-66 win over Brazil in the semifinals. In the title game against Spain, the Americans took a 37-22 lead at the half and cruised to the victory.

Howard, an All-Ohio and All-American selection last season, is one of the nation's top prep players. She is being recruited by many major programs, including Tennessee and Maryland.