IRAPUATO, Mexico — For the first time as a USA Basketball head coach, Karen and Kevin Keyes Family Head Women’s Basketball Coach Niele Ivey is a gold medalist.
On Monday, Ivey led the United States to a 90-72 victory over Canada to win the 2026 FIBA U18 Women’s AmeriCup. It is the 12th-consecutive tournament win for the United States and the 13th overall. The U.S. dominated throughout the duration of the AmeriCup, finishing 5-0 with an average margin of victory of 68.3 points over the first four games.
While this was Ivey’s first time serving as a head coach for USA Basketball, she was an assistant coach for gold medal-winning clubs in the 2024 U18 AmeriCup and 2025 U19 World Cup.
Ivey joins Carol Owens, current associate head coach, as the two Irish coaches to win a gold medal as a USA Basketball head coach. Owens won gold at the 2008 Americas and 2009 World Cup with the U18 and U19 teams, respectively.
Monday’s contest also featured Irish signee Isabella Sangha, who competed for Canada and earned a silver medal. Sangha moved to South Florida for high school, but the 6-3 forward is originally from Toronto. Over four games played in Irapuato, Sangha averaged 3.8 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.
