Former Cleveland High School basketball standout Britny Latham recently played a key role for Team USA in the first-ever Under-21 World Deaf Basketball Championships in Lublin, Poland.
Latham averaged 15.4 points and was named to the all-tournament team, as the United States won its six games by an average of almost 60 points. She missed one of the games due to an injury but rebounded to can five 3s and score 20 points in a 67-44 victory over Lithuania in the gold-medal game.
Team USA coach Debbie Ayres, who graduated from the University of Tennessee and assisted the women’s program in 1990-91, was excited about the addition to Latham before the tournament.
“When I first heard about Britny, I was excited because I heard she could hit five 3s a game,” Ayres said, “and that’s exactly what she did in the championship game. They were all at crucial times, too.”
Latham had to go through a couple of major adjustments. International competition rules prohibit the players from playing with hearing aids. As a result, she had to learn how to use sign language on the court.