Olympic Team Announced

[Orangutan]

Is that official?

No. I would be shocked if they don't take the team that qualified. However they have not officially named the 3x3 team.

 

[chj001]

Guards Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi have been named to the U.S. women's basketball Olympic team for the fifth time, while there are six first-time Olympians on the squad.

5 times is in a 20 years span. This is amazing ~~

Faulty math . . . 5 times should be a 16 year gap, but with last year's postponement, it's 17.
2004 (Athens)---2008 (Beijing)---2012 (London)---2016 (Rio)---2021 (Tokyo)

 

[Millenial23]

The obvious "snub" is Nneka and the obvious surprise is Atkins.

Nneka joins Candace as the latest casualty of the great power forward glut.

Atkins fills a role as a true wing player on a team with a lot of point/combo guards (Bird, Taurasi, SDS, Gray).

What is the difference between a wing and a combo guard? Real question.

 

[Orangutan]

What is the difference between a wing and a combo guard? Real question.

To me a combo guard is a 1/2. A wing is a 2/3.

Atkins slots nicely as a 3. Otherwise your options there are Loyd who is more of a 2 and hybrids like Stewart (who can play 3-5) and Collier (a 3/4).

Edit: I stand corrected. See subsequent posts that reveal Atkins is smaller than I had thought.

 

[CocoHusky]

Dont forget Dolson and Lou on the 3 x 3 team, so 7 UConn players are going to Tokyo.

Is that official?

USA 3x3 Women’s National Team

www.usab.com

 

[Dillon77]

What is the difference between a wing and a combo guard? Real question.

Real (attempt) at an answer:

• A combo guard generally refers to a guard that can comfortably be both a point/lead guard (1) and a shooting/off guard (2). Orangutan duly noted that Diana T., S D-S, Gray all can comfortably fill both these roles.
• For old(er) guys like me, the wing (3) was a small forward. Now that teams are going to more three-guard sets, it could be the taller guard, who can hit the boards, drive, help out inside. I think Jewell Loyd is actually the wing/off-guard (3-2) combo on this team. (Atkins is 5'8").

What messes this up a bit these days is you have a few players that can slide into multiple roles. Looking at my alma mater, Marina Mabrey and Jackie Young are wings that can take over lead roles for a bit, as well as fill the shooting guard role.

My guess is you'll see a lot of sets with two bigs and three of these guards on the floor.

 

[Dillon77]

USA 3x3 Women’s National Team

www.usab.com

Like @Orangutan, I can't imagine the four people on this qualifying team (that you posted) not going to Tokyo at this point. However, they're still labeled as the "qualifying team" (as opposed to the team, like the 5x5 is now). My gut is they'll let the 5x5 get some air time, then announce the 3x3.

 

[AmeriConn]

Congrats! Love them all, but especially happy for Tina Charles. What a great season she’s having.

 

[Orangutan]

• The wing (3) was for old guys like me was a small forward. Now that teams are going to more three-guard sets, it could be the taller guard, who can hit the boards, drive, help out inside. I think Jewell Loyd is actually the wing/off-guard (3-2) combo on this team. (Atkins is 5'8").

My guess is you'll see a lot of sets with two bigs and three of these guards on the floor.

I would have sworn that Atkins was at least 5'10. At 5'8 she is more suited to the 2 for sure.

Still a different skill set than the other guards. Gives you a "3 and D" option as opposed to the others who are accustomed to having the ball in their hands a lot.

 

[cferraro04]

Who is their go to 3 point specialist? (DT yes...but,) Too bad Tiffany Hayes wasn't considered. Nneka would have helped. Are there any WNBA USA residents playing for other countries?

 

[EricLA]

Well deserved congrats to everyone. And congrats to the rest of the team!

Side note - if the 3x3 team holds, UCONN will have 7 women's basketball representatives in the Olympics - adding in Dolson and Samuelson.

EDD and Nneka being injured opened up 2 spots. I am sure a health EDD wold have replaced Atikins. I wonder who they would have chosen had Nneka been healthy... Would have been interesting for sure. Also will be curious about the future - if/when EDD becomes healthy again, do they then remove Atkins? What about Nneka?

Atkins seems like an easy choice. But choosing between Phee and Nneka - much harder. Certainly a glut at the PF position. It will also be interesting to see what happens with Sabrina - she's back from her injury but was not in the pool this time around...

 

[JavaMan]

No EDD... guess she's still recovering from injury/surgery...

Only my opinion, but it seems like she is ALWAYS recovering from something. Me thinks she has long had a problem with commitment. Nor making a joke here about her UConn tenure, that is only one example. Also, not discounting her Lyme disease issue. She had, and still has, potent talent on the floor. I would have loved to see her play as a full-time player. I better stop here.

 

[Kaizen]

Who is their go to 3 point specialist? (DT yes...but,) Too bad Tiffany Hayes wasn't considered. Nneka would have helped. Are there any WNBA USA residents playing for other countries?

 

[ochoopsfan]

Is that official?

Should be announced this week. Hard to see USA BB making a change, unless someone is injured between now and Tokyo.

 

[bluedevil]

Only my opinion, but it seems like she is ALWAYS recovering from something. Me thinks she has long had a problem with commitment. Nor making a joke here about her UConn tenure, that is only one example. Also, not discounting her Lyme disease issue. She had, and still has, potent talent on the floor. I would have loved to see her play as a full-time player. I better stop here.

EDD?...Early Departure Disease?

 

[ochoopsfan]

USA 3x3 Women’s National Team

www.usab.com

Strange that they show the individual shot, of the 4 players who competed in Austria, yet the group shot has Phee in it vs Lou.

 

[Gate81]

Nneka screwed again. Insanity. Too many guards and her omission inconsistent with their preferences of involvement plus skill, and at least one other person selected is currently injured so inconsistent application of that aspect.

 

[Orangutan]

Only my opinion, but it seems like she is ALWAYS recovering from something. Me thinks she has long had a problem with commitment. Nor making a joke here about her UConn tenure, that is only one example. Also, not discounting her Lyme disease issue. She had, and still has, potent talent on the floor. I would have loved to see her play as a full-time player. I better stop here.

Mostly she has a long time problem with her back and with Lyme.

She's played full-time enough to twice win WNBA MVP so I don't understand the "would have loved" phrasing.

 

[Orangutan]

Well deserved congrats to everyone. And congrats to the rest of the team!

Side note - if the 3x3 team holds, UCONN will have 7 women's basketball representatives in the Olympics - adding in Dolson and Samuelson.

EDD and Nneka being injured opened up 2 spots. I am sure a health EDD wold have replaced Atikins. I wonder who they would have chosen had Nneka been healthy... Would have been interesting for sure. Also will be curious about the future - if/when EDD becomes healthy again, do they then remove Atkins? What about Nneka?

Atkins seems like an easy choice. But choosing between Phee and Nneka - much harder. Certainly a glut at the PF position. It will also be interesting to see what happens with Sabrina - she's back from her injury but was not in the pool this time around...

I don't think Nneka's injury was bad enough to preclude selection. Based on her social media post, Chiney certainly didn't think so.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

Ionescu will be there for sure next time. Amazing talent.

 

[hoophuskee]

She's played full-time enough to twice win WNBA MVP so I don't understand the "would have loved" phrasing.

I think he meant just overall less injuries/ less missed time. Though she did play in 85% of her possible reg season games from 15-19.

Just now though - last two years back to nothing so far. She's such a great talent. Not blaming her one bit.

 

[EricLA]

I don't think Nneka's injury was bad enough to preclude selection. Based on her social media post, Chiney certainly didn't think so.

Well that certainly absolves Geno from all the accusations of favoritism during the last Olympics 5 years ago. Some fans, especially Tenn fans, went ballistic. (this is not directed at you)...

We all knew that it was NOT the head coach who chose the team, but rather the committee - which the HC sits on. Yet this time around, it was Nneka who was left off in favor of Pheesa (it appears). Yet they can't blame putting a 5th UCONN player on the roster on Geno.

Still congrats to everyone. Side note - not sure how Nneka was "screwed" as voiced by one poster. Were any of the terrific players in the pool who did not make the team "screwed"? I just don't get the "Nneka got screwed" sentiment. How exactly was she screwed? Is Pheesa a bad choice for the team? Is Phee not deserving? Did she not earn her way onto the team with her outstanding play and team mentality?

 

[JavaMan]

Ionescu will be there for sure next time. Amazing talent.

This is the biggest surprise to me. WOW! But I suppose that it would have been either Sue or De being dropped for Sabrina. Maybe Sabrina and Nneka are alternates. Are there alternates?

 

[DeeHusky]

Unpopular opinion: Diana & Sue should let someone else have those spots

 

[baggerbob]

It freed up space for EDD to make her first Olympic team and for Catch to have an Olympic swan song.

Catch was the person to fill in for CP