ATLANTA, September 23, 2009� Dream guard Angel McCoughtry has accepted an invitation to attend the 2009 USA Basketball Women's National Team's fall training camp as the U.S. begins preparations for the 2010 FIBA World Championship.
McCoughtry is one of 14 athletes who will join the previously announced eight members of the 2009-12 USA Basketball Women's National Team at the squad's fall training camp, scheduled for Sept. 30 - Oct. 5 at American University in Washington, D.C., in hopes of being added to the 2009-12 USA Basketball Women's National Team roster. Invitations to attend the USA training camp were made by the five member USA Basketball Women's National Team Player Selection Committee. The eventual 12-member team that will compete in the 2010 FIBA World Championship is expected to be selected from the 2009-12 USA National Team.
Two-time Olympic gold medalists Sue Bird (Seattle Storm), Tamika Catchings (Indiana Fever) and Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury); as well as '08 gold medalists Seimone Augustus (Minnesota Lynx), Sylvia Fowles (Chicago Sky), Kara Lawson (Sacramento Monarchs), Candace Parker (Los Angeles Sparks) and Cappie Pondexter (Phoenix Mercury) were named to the 2009-12 USA Basketball Women's National Team on Aug. 17. Appel, Augustus, Lawson and Whalen are injured, however, they are expected to attend the training camp. Players involved in the WNBA Finals will not attend training camp.
The USA's training camp will be highlighted by the 2009 USA Basketball Women's National Team Fall Showcase at 12:00 p.m. (EDT) on Sunday, Oct. 4. The USA Fall Showcase will include team drills, an intrasquad scrimmage, a question and answer session with Auriemma and a post-practice autograph session with selected players.
Following the six-day domestic training camp, selected players will travel to Ekaterinburg, Russia, where the USA will compete in the 2009 UMMC Ekaterinburg International Invitational. In addition to the Russian professional team UMMC Ekaterinburg, also competing in the tournament will be Euroleague professional teams MKB Euroleasing Sopron from Hungary and USK Praha from the Czech Republic.
Added to the USA training camp roster were: Jayne Appel (Stanford / Pleasant Hill, Calif.); Alana Beard (Washington Mystics); Swin Cash (Seattle Storm); Tina Charles (Connecticut / Jamaica, N.Y.); Shameka Christon (New York Liberty); Candice Dupree (Chicago Sky); Lindsey Harding (Washington Mystics); Ebony Hoffman (Indiana Fever); Asjha Jones (Connecticut Sun); Crystal Langhorne (Washington Mystics); Angel McCoughtry (Atlanta Dream); Maya Moore (Connecticut / Lawrenceville, Ga.); Lindsay Whalen (Connecticut Sun); and Candice Wiggins (Minnesota Lynx).