Kayleigh Heckel, Addison Borj, Jazzy Davidson and more impress at USA U19 trials

The 2025 USA Basketball Women’s U19 National Team trials started on Wednesday and some invited athletes are already making standout performances. Included in the roster are UConn commit Kayleigh Heckel, five-star winger Addison Borj, USC recruit Jazzy Davidson, and UCLA commit Sienna Betts, among others.

On Thursday, several clips and snaps from the trials were shared by the USA basketball team on Instagram. In the clips, Heckel, Borj, and Davidson were excellent in the offense, making runs before either expertly passing the ball or directly making a clean shot into the basket.

"🇺🇸 #USABWU19 trials now on the move in COS 🏔️," the post was captioned.

The U19 national team trials are taking place at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. 27 athletes, comprising high school graduating classes of 2026, 2027 and 2028, incoming college freshmen and sophomores, were selected for the trials.

Only 12 athletes will make the final team that will travel to Brno, Czech Republic, for the 2025 FIBA U19 Women’s World Cup from July 12-20.

Kayleigh Heckel is UConn's second transfer in the offseason

On May 20, women's national champions UConn announced the addition of USC transfer Kayleigh Heckel.

Heckel is the Huskies' second transfer in the offseason after the Wisconsin Badgers forward Serah Williams.

Heckel, a native of Port Chester, New York, was the No. 13-ranked recruit in her class. She averaged 6.1 points, 1.9 assists and 1.3 steals in 16.9 minutes as a freshman for USC last season.

“Kayleigh has a passion for the game,” Huskies coach Geno Auriemma said in a release. “She plays at a quick pace and can impact both ends of the court. She’s a great teammate and someone who wants to grow on and off the court. We’re excited to have her at Connecticut.”

This is the second straight year UConn would boost the backcourt from the transfer window. The Huskies landed Kaitlyn Chen from Princeton last offseason. Chen was the No. 30 selection in the 2025 WNBA draft and signed a contract with the Golden State Valkyries.

With Chen gone, Heckel is expected to take on a big role in the backcourt, which comprises Final Four Most Outstanding Player Azzi Fudd, KK Arnold and Ashlynn Shade.

With the four outstanding players manning the defence, UConn is expected to stand a strong chance of defending the conference and national championship titles next season.