Final US National Team announced

[sarals24]

http://www.uconnhuskies.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/092314aaa.html

 

[UCONNfan1]

Roster...

Stewie on the team of course. Looks like they added Griner and dropped Lavender. Dupree made the final team...

 

[Beemer]

Sue Bird becomes the first four time National team player. Congratulations Sue!!!!

 

[UCONNfan1]

Bird, Whalen, Sims
Dee, Siemone
Maya, Angel
Nneka, Candace, Stewie
Charles, Griner

Not the all around best (missing Parker, Fowles, Delle Donne, Catch) but a great experience for the newbies (Sims, Nneka, Stewie and Griner) for sure...

I believe the names I listed first will be the starters. Pretty freaky to think potentially 4 of the 5 starters could be UCONN payers. Cue the orange crush now...

 

[alexrgct]

I like the new additions of Griner, Stewie, and the elder O sister, so much that I'm not sweating the absence of Parker, Fowles, or Tamika. Would have loved EDD and her unique build/skill set on this team.

 

[easttexastrash]

Congrats to Sims. A proud day for Baylor that she is on the team. And what a tremendous learning opportunity to learn from some of the best to ever play the game.

 

[geneticrex]

Good group....

 

[pap49cba]

USA article... LINK

 

[Wbbfan1]

The Team: http://www.wnba.com/news/meet_team_usa_2014_09_18.html?cid=wnba_12_twitter_L

 

[Buzzyboy]

I like the new additions of Griner, Stewie, and the elder O sister, so much that I'm not sweating the absence of Parker, Fowles, or Tamika. Would have loved EDD and her unique build/skill set on this team.

You rightfully acknowledged EDD's unique build/skill set but the team does have still have another player with a unique build/skill set in our Breanna Stewart. I realize having both would have made the team even more awesome.

 

[JimGunther]

Breanna's a SENIOR?

 

[PalPa]

Breanna's a SENIOR?

Yeah, she's 20 now.

 

[RadyLady]

You know I was thinking today before this announcement that it was likely Dupree who's going to make the team and lavender was going to be the one that would cut

And the reason I came up wi
th this conclusion is simply: Griner

Dupree is one of two players with whom Griner has played with on a regular basis and of course I'm talking about Diana and the Phoenix Mercury. for Griner having those two on the team with her give her some familiarity and creates a comfort zone and I'm guessing having both of them there will make it easy for her to assimilate into Geno's game. thoughts?

 

[OneTrickPony]

You know I was thinking today before this announcement that it was likely Dupree who's going to make the team and lavender was going to be the one that would cut

And the reason I came up wi
th this conclusion is simply: Griner

Dupree is one of two players with whom Griner has played with on a regular basis and of course I'm talking about Diana and the Phoenix Mercury. for Griner having those two on the team with her give her some familiarity and creates a comfort zone and I'm guessing having both of them there will make it easy for her to assimilate into Geno's game. thoughts?

I have to agree...Brittney should be in a good place with Diana, CanDu and Odyssey...like old home week.

 

[MilfordHusky]

I like the UConn connection, the Lynx connection, the Mercury connection, and the Baylor connection. A lot of familiarity.

Congrats to all, especially the newbies, Stewie, Nneka, Odyssey, and Britney. Special congrats to Sue, a 4-time team member and 10-time (and counting) FIBA gold medalist. She's going to Istanbul, then Rio, then Springfield.

 

[CamrnCrz1974]

Sue Bird becomes the first four time National team player. Congratulations Sue!!!!

First four-time World team member. But Teresa Edwards played in five Olympics, and Lisa Leslie played in four Olympics for Team USA.

 

[trisailin]

The committee is setting themselves up for even more sniping. So if you are "their favorite", you apparently don't have to show up to tryouts. You just get on the team. Why exactly did Diana show up to the tryouts? She could have rested her body.
I do understand the situation with the eye and medical limits on travel - but what the committee did makes a sham of tryouts

 

[UcMiami]

The committee is setting themselves up for even more sniping. So if you are "their favorite", you apparently don't have to show up to tryouts. You just get on the team. Why exactly did Diana show up to the tryouts? She could have rested her body.
I do understand the situation with the eye and medical limits on travel - but what the committee did makes a sham of tryouts

This is not the first time that an injured player has joined the national team late in the game - same thing happened at the last WC when the team had a total of 1 practice with all the players present before the competition started. That time it was Sylvia who was injured, but it was also scheduled earlier and the WNBA finals players didn't arrive until the last week as well. It is the nature of the scheduling and the women needing to play 12 months a year to earn their money. The alternative is what we see with International players in the WNBA who every other year are forced to choose between playing the WNBA season and not being on their national team or taking the season off so they can compete for a place on that team. I believe Taylor and Phillips are the first two AUS team players selected who were allowed to play a full WNBA season in a WC or Olympic year - may be wrong on that but it is rare.
I think Griner is a unique talent who was present for the spring training camp. Because she is unique she was added to the team, but there were two other national team pool players in the finals that probably could have made it to Paris but were not invited - Vandersloot and Bonner. Their getting to the finals in the WNBA meant that they lost any chance of making the team.

 

[meyers7]

The committee is setting themselves up for even more sniping. So if you are "their favorite", you apparently don't have to show up to tryouts. You just get on the team. Why exactly did Diana show up to the tryouts? She could have rested her body.
I do understand the situation with the eye and medical limits on travel - but what the committee did makes a sham of tryouts

While true, I'd still rather Griner on the team than Lavender.

 

[ChicagoGG]

Could someone please remind me...Geno spoke of this being BG's first time, but I recall her being overseas with Team USA a few years ago in Italy, and he was the coach. I remember them both speaking of a visit to his home town in Montella. Which games were those? Thanks!

 

[UcMiami]

Could someone please remind me...Geno spoke of this being BG's first time, but I recall her being overseas with Team USA a few years ago in Italy, and he was the coach. I remember them both speaking of a visit to his home town in Montella. Which games were those? Thanks!

It was the 2011 USA National Team European tour - she was the only college player on that team and she average 12.8 points and 7 rebounds - USA went 3-2. USA web site has player profiles for anyone who has played on a team and profiles for all the coaches.

 

[easttexastrash]

The committee is setting themselves up for even more sniping. So if you are "their favorite", you apparently don't have to show up to tryouts. You just get on the team. Why exactly did Diana show up to the tryouts? She could have rested her body.
I do understand the situation with the eye and medical limits on travel - but what the committee did makes a sham of tryouts

I suspect that if DT had had a medical situation that prevented her from traveling for two weeks after the WNBA finals that she would have also had a spot waiting for her. Special players with special skills and talents will be added to the team, unless they purposely avoided the trials. The committee has the responsibility to put the best team on the floor. If EDD or Fowles had been available, they also would have been added.

 

[UcMiami]

I suspect that if DT had had a medical situation that prevented her from traveling for two weeks after the WNBA finals that she would have also had a spot waiting for her. Special players with special skills and talents will be added to the team, unless they purposely avoided the trials. The committee has the responsibility to put the best team on the floor. If EDD or Fowles had been available, they also would have been added.

Agree - the one 'unusual' factor in this (and it would have been true for EDD as well) is that Griner is a rookie with the national team - adding DT or Fowles or Maya would be adding a long term veteran. I do wonder if Fowles had been available and played well in France, whether Griner would have been added this late in the process - not saying she wouldn't have been, but with the alternatives being Dolson or Lavender it is a area of real need; with a healthy Fowles the center position would have been solid. Griner would still bring something unique, just not quite so 'desperately' needed.

 

[easttexastrash]

Agree - the one 'unusual' factor in this (and it would have been true for EDD as well) is that Griner is a rookie with the national team - adding DT or Fowles or Maya would be adding a long term veteran. I do wonder if Fowles had been available and played well in France, whether Griner would have been added this late in the process - not saying she wouldn't have been, but with the alternatives being Dolson or Lavender it is a area of real need; with a healthy Fowles the center position would have been solid. Griner would still bring something unique, just not quite so 'desperately' needed.

I suspect that after the performance in the first two games of the WNBA finals that Fowles would have been chosen over "she who can't be named," but I agree that with Fowles on the team that the US would have had more than an adequate inside presence.

 

[calpedaler]

I suspect that after the performance in the first two games of the WNBA finals that Fowles would have been chosen over "she who can't be named," but I agree that with Fowles on the team that the US would have had more than an adequate inside presence.

Isn't is she who can't be named over and over and over and over and over and over......?