Now y'all knew I wasn't going to give y'all updates on the USA Men's team without giving equal time and attention to the Team USA women.The FIBA World Championships for Women kicks off later this month at several venues in the Czech Republic September 23-October 3.
Team USA head coach Geno Auriemma and his staff, DePaul University head coach Doug Bruno, Los Angeles Sparks head coach Jennifer Gillom and Atlanta Dream head coach/general manager Marynell Meadors are already prepping for an all out effort to take that medal away from the current FIBA world champion Australians.
The Team USA women are number one in the FIBA world rankings and want to atone for the 75-68 upset loss to Russia in the semifinals of the 2006 FIBA worlds in Brazil that ended their 50 game international winning streak and a chance at a FIBA title threepeat.
Team USA assembles for training September 4-7 in Washington, D.C. and will have 10 AM EDT daily practices at two locations in the Washington area for those of who to wish to observe our lady ballers. On September 4-5 Team USA will train at The Flint School in Oakton, VA and on September 6-7 Team USA will practice at American University’s Bender Arena in Washington D.C.
Here's the list of the 20 previously announced members of the 2009-12 USA Basketball Women’s National Team.Seimone Augustus (Minnesota Lynx), Alana Beard (Washington Mystics), Sue Bird (Seattle Storm), Swin Cash (Seattle Storm), Tamika Catchings (Indiana Fever), Tina Charles (Connecticut Sun), Shameka Christon (Chicago Sky), Candice Dupree (Phoenix Mercury), Sylvia Fowles (Chicago Sky), Lindsey Harding (Washington Mystics), Asjha Jones (Connecticut Sun), Kara Lawson (Connecticut Sun), Angel McCoughtry (Atlanta Dream), Renee Montgomery (Connecticut Sun), Maya Moore (University of Connecticut), Candace Parker (Los Angeles Sparks), Cappie Pondexter (New York Liberty), Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury), Lindsay Whalen (Minnesota Lynx) and Candice Wiggins (Minnesota Lynx).
Recent adds to the 24 woman roster are Jayne Appel (San Antonio Silver Stars), Rebekkah Brunson (Minnesota Lynx), Ebony Hoffman (Indiana Fever) and Kia Vaughn (New York Liberty).
One complication Coach Auriemma has that USA men's coach Mike Krzyzewski didn't in terms of assembling his team and making the cuts to the final 12 person roster for the FIBA worlds is that the WNBA playoffs are being contested and in the conference finals rounds as I compile this.However he did get to coach and see Team USA play a collection of WNBA all stars on July 10 and beat them 99-72. UConn senior guard Maya Moore, the only collegiate player on this roster, played a major role in the demolition with 12 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals.
The Seattle Storm and Phoenix Mercury will be bumping heads in the Western Conference final. The Atlanta Dream and Angel McCoughtry are still waiting to find out whether their opponent will be the Indiana Fever or the New York Liberty. They square off in the deciding game of their playoff series later tonight in Madison Square Garden.
That means all the players on the Team USA roster who play for the Phoenix Mercury, Seattle Storm, Atlanta Dream and either the Indiana Fever or New York Liberty won't be available until their WNBA seasons conclude on or before September 21, two days before the start of the FIBA Worlds tournament on September 23. That's a nice segue into breaking the bad news about another player who won't be available for Team USA at all.
Candace Parker won't play during the FIBA worlds because she's recovering from shoulder surgery. That's okay, that will open up a spot for another player, give Candace time to completely heal that shoulder and be ready to kick butt in the London Olympics in 2012.
Like the men, the Team USA women will play a series of exhibition games in the States and in Europe prior to the start of the FIBA worlds.
They will take on defending FIBA world champion Australia in Hartford, CT September 10, followed by a September 12 matchup with FIBA number 5 ranked Spain.
They will travel to Europe to train and play another game with the Opals on September 17 in the 2010 Spain International Invitational in Salamanca, Spain. The host nation will take on Senegal in the second game of the day. Winners will play each other on September 18 while the losers play in the third place game. Team USA will play a final warm-up scrimmage before the start of the 2010 FIBA World Championship when it faces off against the host Czech Republic in Brno on September 20 before it dives into Group B pool play.
Here's hoping for a speedy end to the WNBA playoffs and better success for the Team USA lady ballers than the bronze medal finish they had in Brazil.
