Savannah Tobias, a 15-year-old freshman at Mingus Union High School, has been selected to represent the United States in women’s basketball at the 2024 United World Games, which will take place in Klagenfurt am Wörthersee, Austria.
Tobias has been playing basketball since fifth grade, following in the footsteps of her parents, both of whom played basketball. She was selected from among several hundred candidates to be on the 16U team of eight girls that will represent the U.S. The selection process involved representatives watching her play at different tournaments and requesting videos. They also checked her school grades, as they were seeking a candidate who excelled in both sports and schoolwork.
“I’ve always wanted to play big and get a lot of exposure,” Tobias said. “Having this opportunity at such a young age, especially since I’m a freshman, is a lot, because not many girls have this opportunity.”
Tobias will be in Europe for two and a half weeks, and has been getting to know her teammates beforehand over social media.
“It’s more than just basketball,” Jenna Tobias, Savannah’s mother, said. Savannah and the rest of the team will get to meet locals, learn about their cultures and see what life is like in other countries.
“I’m excited to meet new people and see how competitive other people are,” Savannah Tobias said.
The games will take place over the course of four days, with teams playing multiple games each day.
Tobias said that she feels really good about going to play in the UWG. “There are a lot of people that tend to bring me down,” Tobias said. “It’s good to know that I can bring myself back up knowing that I played on the U.S.A. team.”
Tobias has been named MVP at various tournaments around 30 times, was state champion with her AAU team and is nationally-ranked as number three for her age group in the class of 2027 and number two for her age group in Arizona. Tobias also received a college offer from Yavapai College while she was in eighth grade.
Jenna Tobias mentioned that Savannah’s stepdad is also a huge part of her basketball career, traveling with her and never missing a game.
“To be able to represent little small-town Cottonwood is an honor,” Jenna said. “But for her [Savannah] to be able to represent the U.S.A. is the greatest honor.”
Savannah hopes to make it big in the WNBA, but if not, she plans to become a lawyer.
Tobias’ family is working on different types of fundraisers to raise money for Savannah’s travel expenses. Showtime Sports will be hosting a fundraising tournament for Savannah in the future.
Founded in 2005 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the United World Games is an Olympicstyle youth sports tournament of 800 teams from 40 countries competing in 16 sports over four days every June.
