Going for the gold again and again

Elizabeth Williams made a habit of breaking new ground as a star basketball player at Princess Anne High School.

A month after graduating, Williams is at it again, preparing to play for a third gold medal in international competition.

Williams is part of a USA Basketball team which begins competing this week in the FIBA U19 World Championship in Chile. Williams won a gold medal as a U16 and U17 player.

The U19 team opens the World Championships Thursday against Japan.

"I don't think many people can say they have three gold medals," Williams, 18, said last week from training camp in Colorado Springs. "This opportunity is great and I'm trying to take advantage of it."

At Princess Anne, Williams soared to heights rarely achieved by South Hampton Roads girls basketball players. Regarded as one of the top two players nationally in the Class of 2011, she signed with Duke and was a McDonald's and Parade All-American and a two-time Gatorade Virginia Player of the Year.

Williams led Princess Anne to two Group AAA state championships in her final three seasons.

Williams, a 6-foot-3 center, has taken few breaks from basketball since high school graduation last month. She worked camps or worked out on her own before heading to Colorado Springs on July 10. At USA Basketball camp, the U19 team practices twice a day, including a rigorous scrimmage against a team of men's college players.

Williams' U19 teammates include a Who's Who of the country's top young women's players. Stefanie Dolson and Bria Hartley are rising sophomores at Connecticut, while three others have committed or signed to play for the Huskies. Cierra Burdick is headed to Tennessee.

"This level is completely different than high school," Williams said.

"You're playing against basically college players, so the practices are harder, the games are harder. The defensive intensity is much higher and practices are really competitive."

After a week of training camp, the U19 team left Saturday for Chile and the 16-team tournament. The U.S. is among the favorites.

"It's always fun and a lot of work," Williams said. "But the feeling of winning a gold medal at the end is really the best."

Jami Frankenberry, (757) 446-2376, jami.frankenberry@pilotonline.com