USA Basketball Women’s National Team Training Begins Today In Miami

Twenty-two athletes are set to take to the court over the next three days at the University of Miami’s Watsco Center practice gym in a training camp to select the 12-member USA Women’s National Team that will compete in the 2019 FIBA AmeriCup for Women.

The training camp will run Sept. 17-19 ahead of the 2019 FIBA AmeriCup, which will be held Sept. 22-29 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The 12-member USA AmeriCup Team is expected to be announced prior to the team’s departure on Sept. 19.

Included on the list of athletes expected to participate or attend are four of the eight athletes who committed to the 2019-20 USA National Team’s expanded training program, including Sue Bird (Seattle Storm), Skylar Diggins-Smith (Dallas Wings), Miami native  Sylvia Fowles (Minnesota Lynx) and Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury).

In addition to those four, athletes who have confirmed their participation in the USA training camp are: Jordin Canada (Seattle Storm), Kaila Charles (Maryland), Tina Charles (New York Liberty), Napheesa Collier (Minnesota Lynx), Diamond DeShields (Chicago Sky), Stefanie Dolson (Chicago Sky), Mykea Gray (Miami), Ruthy Hebard (Oregon), Jewell Loyd (Seattle Storm), Olivia Nelson-Ododa (Connecticut), Arike Ogunbowale (Dallas Wings), Michaela Onyenwere (UCLA), Katie Lou Samuelson (Chicago Sky), Khadijah Sessions (Kouvot, Finland), Brittney Sykes (Atlanta Dream), Christyn Williams (Connecticut) and Elizabeth Williams (Atlanta Dream).

Further, Beatrice Mompremier (Miami) was added to the USA AmeriCup Team training camp roster and will participate in the three-day camp.

“It’s bittersweet in that somebody in the WNBA Playoffs had to lose, but we gained in getting some quality players in here, some Olympians, some World Cup champions,” said Dawn Staley, USA National Team and University of South Carolina head coach. “I’m super-excited because we get to start another two weeks of training and preparation for the Olympic Games.”

The U.S. will practice for approximately two hours a day, starting at 10 a.m. (all times EDT) at Miami’s Watsco Center practice gym before traveling to Puerto Rico for the AmeriCup, which was previously known as the FIBA Americas Championship.

Bird, who had knee surgery in May, Diggins-Smith, who gave birth to her first child in April, and Taurasi, who missed most of the season due to a back injury, will not play. However, they will participate in meetings and some on-court preparations.

Elena Delle Donne (Washington Mystics), Chelsea Gray (Los Angeles Sparks), Nneka Ogwumike (Los Angeles Sparks) and A’ja Wilson (Las Vegas Aces), who are among the eight athletes who committed to the USA National Team’s expanded training program, are unavailable after helping their respective teams advance to the WNBA semifinals.

Source: WNBA