WASHINGTON, D.C. (Sept. 10, 2018) – Featuring a stellar blend of veterans, who have won a combined 13 Olympic and 10 World Cup gold medals, and some of the top, young talent in the nation, 16 finalists have been selected for the 2018 USA Basketball Women’s World Cup Team. The athletes were selected by the USA Basketball Women’s National Team Player Selection Committee, which is chaired by USA Women’s National Team director Carol Callan.

Two-time defending World Cup gold medalists, the USA will compete in the 2018 FIBA World Cup, Sept. 22-30 in Tenerife, Spain.

Headlined by four-time Olympic gold medalists Sue Bird (Seattle Storm) and Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury), who have claimed five World Cup gold medals between them, and two-time Olympic and two-time World Cup gold medalist Tina Charles (New York Liberty); the list of finalists also includes 2016 Olympic gold medalists Elena Delle Donne (Washington Mystics), Brittney Griner (Phoenix Mercury) and Breanna Stewart (Seattle Storm); as well as 2014 World Cup gold medalist Nneka Ogwumike (Los Angeles Sparks).

Hoping to earn a spot on their first USA World Cup Team are Layshia Clarendon (Connecticut Sun), Napheesa Collier (University of Connecticut), Jewell Loyd (Seattle Storm), Kelsey Mitchell (Indiana Fever), Tiffany Mitchell (Indiana Fever), Kelsey Plum (Las Vegas Aces), Morgan Tuck (Connecticut Sun), Elizabeth Williams (Atlanta Dream) and A’ja Wilson (Las Vegas Aces).

“We had a great group of pool players that gave themselves a chance to be a part of the 16, but unfortunately the committee has to get that number down,” said USA and University of South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley. “The committee has to form a team that can compete at the highest level, and the unit that they selected should help us accomplish that. I’m just looking forward to leaving the country and playing some different competition, and continuing to create a bond and build the chemistry that is needed to win the World Cup.

“I’m always grateful for every player who made the commitment to come out. Obviously, to be a part of USA Basketball is pretty special. And, to sacrifice your time after your WNBA season, being away from your family for a week, another week, that is pretty special in itself, because not everybody was here, for one reason or another. But the ones who came, chose to come and sacrifice some quality time with their families and that’s why USA Basketball is always a place in which we appreciate those players who are willing to give up their time to help us win.”

Prior to arriving in the Canary Islands, for the World Cup, the USA will play in a four-team, international tournament in Antibes, France, Sept. 15-17, against Canada, France and Senegal.

Griner and Taurasi will join the USA squad in time for the French tournament. Bird, Delle Donne, Loyd and Stewart advanced their teams to the WNBA Finals, and are expected to join the finalists at a later date.

The final 12-member 2018 USA World Cup Team will be selected by the USA Women’s National Team Player Selection Committee prior to the start of the World Cup.

The USA began training on Sept. 3 in Columbia, South Carolina, with 18 athletes, and Williams joined the team in New York after the Dream was eliminated from the playoffs. After an intrasquad game on Sept. 5 in Columbia, the team earned two exhibition victories over Canada (74-68) on Sept. 8 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and Japan (102-87) on Sept. 10 in Washington, D.C.

Assisting Staley through the World Cup are Dan Hughes (Seattle Storm), who will join the team upon the conclusion of the WNBA Finals, Cheryl Reeve (Minnesota Lynx) and Jennifer Rizzotti (George Washington).

In addition to Callan, the USA Basketball Women’s National Team Player Selection Committee includes three-time Olympic and two-time World Cup gold medalist Katie Smith as the athlete representative; representing the WNBA is Connecticut Sun head coach Curt Miller and Los Angeles Sparks general manager Penny Toler; and University of Connecticut head coach Geno Auriemma, who coached USA teams to gold medals at the past two Olympics and FIBA World Cups, serves as a special advisor.

USA Basketball Women’s National Team

Members of the USA Basketball Women’s National Team will compete in the 2018 FIBA World Cup and, if the USA qualifies, the 2020 Summer Olympic Games (July 24-Aug. 9 in Tokyo), as well as additional USA training camps and exhibition games.

The U.S. and Staley first will look to capture the title at the 2018 FIBA Women’s World Cup of Basketball, with an automatic berth to the 2020 Olympic Games being awarded to the gold medalist. Should the U.S. not finish with the gold medal in 2018, it would have two additional opportunities to qualify for the Olympics: the 2019 FIBA AmeriCup (dates and site TBD) and the 2020 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament (dates and site TBD).

FIBA World Cup of Basketball

Winners of back-to-back World Cup titles and four of the past five FIBA World Cups, the USA owns a record nine gold medals, one silver medal and two bronze medals in FIBA World Cup play, while compiling an all-time 103-21 record at the event. In 2014, the most recent World Cup, the U.S. took the gold medal, while Spain captured silver and Australia won bronze.

The USA will compete in preliminary round Group D and will play Senegal on Sept. 22, China on Sept. 23 and Latvia on Sept. 25.

Group A includes Canada, France, Greece and South Korea; Group B is comprised of Argentina, Australia, Nigeria and Turkey; while Group C features Belgium, Japan, Puerto Rico and Spain.

Following the preliminary round, teams will be seeded, and the top team from each group will earn an automatic berth to the quarterfinals, while the No. 2 and No. 3 teams from each group will advance to the Sept. 26 quarterfinals play-in round. From there, winners will compete in the Sept. 28-30 medal round.

About USA Basketball

Based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and chaired by retired Gen. Martin Dempsey, USA Basketball is a nonprofit organization and the national governing body for basketball in the United States. As the recognized governing body for basketball in the U.S. by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), USA Basketball is responsible for the selection, training and fielding of USA national teams that compete in FIBA-sponsored five-on-five and 3×3 international competitions, as well as for some national competitions and for the development of youth basketball.

The USA Basketball Youth Development division is tasked with the development of youth basketball initiatives that address player development, coach education and safety, while promoting, growing, and elevating the game. USA Basketball is committed to providing youth throughout the country safe, fun and developmentally appropriate environments in which they can enjoy the game. Current USA Basketball youth initiatives include coach licensing and education; organization accreditation; coach academies; regional camps; youth clinics; open court programs; Women in the Game conferences; and the U.S. Open Basketball Championships.

Connect with USA Basketball at USAB.com and on Facebook (USABasketball and USABYouth), Twitter (@usabasketball, @USABYouth, @USAB3x3), Instagram (@USABasketball) and YouTube (therealusabasketball).

2018 USA Basketball Women’s World Cup Team Finalists

NO NAME POS HGT WGT AGE TEAM SCHOOL HOMETOWN

6 #Sue Bird G 5-9 150 37 Seattle Storm Connecticut ’02 Syosset, NY

14 Tina Charles C 6-4 192 29 New York Liberty Connecticut ’10 Jamaica, NY

20 Layshia Clarendon G 5-9 140 27 Connecticut Sun California ’13 San Bernardino, CA

41 Napheesa Collier G/F 6-1 183 21 n/a Connecticut ’19 O’Fallon, MO

11 #Elena Delle Donne F/G 6-5 188 29 Washington Mystics Delaware ’13 Wilmington, DE

15 Brittney Griner C 6-9 205 27 Phoenix Mercury Baylor ‘13 Houston, TX

43 #Jewell Loyd G 5-11 150 24 Seattle Storm Notre Dame ’15 Lincolnwood, IL

21 Kelsey Mitchell F 5-8 154 22 Indiana Fever Ohio State ’18 Cincinnati, OH

25 Tiffany Mitchell G 5-9 154 23 Indiana Fever South Carolina ’16 Charlotte, NC

42 Nneka Ogwumike F 6-2 188 28 Los Angeles Sparks Stanford ‘12 Cypress, TX

23 Kelsey Plum G 5-8 145 24 Las Vegas Aces Washington ’17 Poway, CA

10 #Breanna Stewart F 6-4 170 24 Seattle Storm Connecticut ‘16 North Syracuse, NY

12 Diana Taurasi G 6-0 164 36 Phoenix Mercury Connecticut ‘04 Chino, CA

45 Morgan Tuck F 6-2 200 24 Connecticut Sun Connecticut ‘16 Bolingbrook, IL

51 Elizabeth Williams C 6-3 192 25 Atlanta Dream Duke ‘15 Virginia Beach, VA

30 A’ja Wilson F 6-5 197 22 Las Vegas Aces South Carolina ’18 Hopkins, SC

2017-20 USA National Team Head Coach: Dawn Staley, University of South Carolina

2018 USA World Cup Team Assistant Coach: Dan Hughes, Seattle Storm

2018 USA World Cup Team Assistant Coach: Cheryl Reeve, Minnesota Lynx

2018 USA World Cup Team Assistant Coach: Jennifer Rizzotti, George Washington University

NOTE: Ages listed are as of Sept. 11, 2018.

# Advanced to the WNBA Finals and is anticipated will join the team at a later date.

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