Trio of Gamecocks with USA Basketball This Week
April 24, 2018
SEATTLE ââ’¬” USA Basketball Women’s National Team training camp opens today with three Gamecock ties participating in the three-day camp in Seattle that culminates in an exhibition game against China on Thu., April 26, at KeyArena. South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley is also the U.S. National Team head coach for this quadrennium (2017-20) as the Americans prepare for international competitions that can qualify them for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Gamecock alumnae Allisha Gray and Tiffany Mitchell are two of the 19-player roster for this week’s camp.
“I’m excited to have this group of players joining us in camp,” Staley said. “I look forward to working with them and gaining some more chemistry with both players and staff, now that we have a staff in place. We can get a lot more done and really focus on in-game situations, especially with the exhibition against China at the end of camp.”
The Seattle training camp is the third under Staley in the USA’s preparations for the 2018 FIBA World Cup, which will be held Sept. 22-30 in Tenerife, Spain. Members of the national team first gathered Sept. 30-Oct. 2, 2017, in Santa Barbara, Calif., and concluded a Feb. 9-11, 2018, camp at the University of South Carolina.
Listed among the April training camp roster are seven Olympic and FIBA World Cup gold medalists. The U.S. National Team pool includes 15 other players who were not able to attend this week’s camp, including 2018 South Carolina alumna A’ja Wilson.
Assisting Staley and the USA National Team through the 2018 FIBA World Cup are a trio of head coaches ââ’¬” Dan Hughes (Seattle Storm), Cheryl Reeve (Minnesota Lynx) and Jennifer Rizzotti (George Washington).
As was the case of the past three quadrenniums, the 2018-20 USA National Team roster will be fluid. It is expected that the official, 12-member 2018 USA World Cup and 2020 U.S. Olympic teams, should the USA qualify to compete in Tokyo, will be comprised of players from the 2018-20 USA National Team.
