2012 US Olympic Roster -- It's All Settled (And Maybe 2016)

[tnvolfan65]

bird, whalen
dt, seimone, cappie
catch, angel
parker, ???
fowles, charles, griner

the only reason you leave cappie at home is because of the fashion week thing. then you've got seimone and angel, imo, who have solidified their spots on the team as the backup wings.

griner proved her worth on this most recent outing. she was on the bubble to me before this.

now it comes down to the backup 4 spot for me. you've got moore, brunson, dupree and cash to choose from. here's where i feel like it really just depends what the selection committee is looking for.

moore and cash are both combo forwards who spend most of their time on the wing. if the committee wants to take a swing forward, you can either go with experience (cash) or build for the future (moore). personally, i'd go with moore, and the committee has a history of taking young players to gain experience.

or you can take a more traditional power forward in either brunson or dupree. i'm a huge fan of dupree's game. she's smooth as silk and would be my pick of the remaining four. she thrived on the world team from last year, leading the team in rebounds and shooting 75 percent from the floor. i don't think she is historically known for being a great rebounder though, and that is brunson's greatest strength. she compliments parker's game as a bruiser.

i could see them taking any of them, and i wouldn't have a problem with their pick.

 

[easttexastrash]

I see some players listed as power forward that I am not sure have a strong enough mid-range game to play that position. I think that Brunson is the perfect candidate for power forward due to her sweet 15-foot jumper.

The US is sooooo strong at the small forward position. To me, that is the most competitive position on the team.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Yep, the small forward position is ridiculously loaded. Players who were multiple-time college AAs, NPOY winners or candidates, WNBA All-Stars, and top players in the world.

If the PG slot were as loaded, it would include Sue Bird, Bob Cousy, John Stockton, and Magic Johnson.

 

[UConnCat]

bird, whalen
dt, seimone, cappie
catch, angel
parker, ???
fowles, charles, griner

the only reason you leave cappie at home is because of the fashion week thing. then you've got seimone and angel, imo, who have solidified their spots on the team as the backup wings.

griner proved her worth on this most recent outing. she was on the bubble to me before this.

now it comes down to the backup 4 spot for me. you've got moore, brunson, dupree and cash to choose from. here's where i feel like it really just depends what the selection committee is looking for.

moore and cash are both combo forwards who spend most of their time on the wing. if the committee wants to take a swing forward, you can either go with experience (cash) or build for the future (moore). personally, i'd go with moore, and the committee has a history of taking young players to gain experience.

or you can take a more traditional power forward in either brunson or dupree. i'm a huge fan of dupree's game. she's smooth as silk and would be my pick of the remaining four. she thrived on the world team from last year, leading the team in rebounds and shooting 75 percent from the floor. i don't think she is historically known for being a great rebounder though, and that is brunson's greatest strength. she compliments parker's game as a bruiser.

i could see them taking any of them, and i wouldn't have a problem with their pick.

I don't agree that Griner is a lock but Moore isn't. Barring an injury, Maya will be on the Olympic team and that is as it should be. Moore will be a big part of the foundation of USA basketball going forward. I think Griner will be part of that foundation as well but we'll see whether the committee decides her time will begin with the Olympics in 2012 or the World Championships in 2014. Scotter and I discussed this in another thread and we both think Griner will be on the team but I don't think it's a sure thing, particularly if all of the post players (Parker and Fowles) are healthy.

Assuming all of the top players are healthy, the toughest decisions for the committee will likely be 1) what to do about Griner; and 2) whether to go with 5 guards (meaning Cappie and Whalen). Those decisions will affect the bubble players who I think are Cash, Dupree and Brunson. An important factor will likely be what mix of players matches up best with the teams that will likely be the toughest competition in London. That's why Geno was in Europe in July watching the European championships. BTW, although Dupree played well early on in last year's world championships she didn't play as well in the medal round. I believe Geno and USA basketball were a little concerned about her play at the end of the tournament.

 

[easttexastrash]

This comment by Geno may add some insight on BG's chances of being on the team.

“There are things she does that when she’s more experienced in a year or so, she’ll be a unique international player. You may not be able to stop her from scoring 30 every night.”

 

[speedoo]

This comment by Geno may add some insight on BG's chances of being on the team.

“There are things she does that when she’s more experienced in a year or so, she’ll be a unique international player. You may not be able to stop her from scoring 30 every night.”

Yeah. Knowing Geno, he clearly wants her on 2012 Olympic team. For him, winning an Olympic Gold Medal for the USA is the supreme goal, and I really do mean supreme. BG's work with the Olympic Team next year would be an experience that would accelerate her development like nothing else would and could very possibly make her the most dominant player in the world even at her young age.