A Bethel Park High School freshman will represent Ireland on the international basketball stage this summer after earning a spot on the national under-16 women's team.
Naiya Turner, 15, learned Tuesday she had made the final 12-player roster for Ireland's U16 women's team, which will compete in the European Youth Basketball Championship in Ioannina, Greece, Aug. 5-12. She will travel to Ireland in late June for training camp ahead of the tournament.
Turner, a 5-foot-10 combo guard, was born in Dublin and became eligible to represent Ireland this year — the first year she could apply. Her path to the roster began in October 2025, when her father, Jermaine Turner, brought her to an initial tryout. She returned to Ireland for a week at Easter for a second tryout before learning this week she had made the squad.
The family became aware of the opportunity through the Basketball Irish website. Turner's older sister had already returned to Ireland for college, and the family recognized a chance for Naiya to pursue the sport at an elite international level.
Basketball runs deep in the Turner family. Jermaine Turner, a 6-foot-5 forward, played professionally in Europe. Naiya's mother, who stands 5-foot-7, also played the game.
Ireland will compete in the FIBA U16 Women's European Championship in Ioannina in August.
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