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Simply over per week earlier than USA Basketball travels to Australia for the 2022 FIBA World Cup, a number of faces of the storied program — some for the previous twenty years — are nowhere to be seen on the coaching camp in Las Vegas.
There is not any Sue Chook and Diana Taurasi on the ground, nor fellow Crew USA stalwarts Brittney Griner, Sylvia Fowles and Tina Charles — a gaggle that has mixed for 19 Olympic gold medals. Not even A’ja Wilson or Breanna Stewart are round for the time being, the previous set to hitch the group after successful her first WNBA title on Sunday.
As a substitute, camp is stuffed with recent faces competing for a spot on the World Cup roster: a mixture of up-and-coming stars like Sabrina Ionescu and Shakira Austin, and extra established gamers like Kahleah Copper and Betnijah Laney, who’ve but to earn call-ups for the 2 largest worldwide tournaments: the Olympics and the World Cup.
“It is difficult as a result of there are voids all over,” Cheryl Reeve, who took over as nationwide group coach from Dawn Staley in December, mentioned of the absences.
In Reeve’s first main worldwide match on the helm, which begins Wednesday towards Belgium (9:20 p.m. ET on ESPN+), onlookers will catch their first glimpse of how one in every of sports activities’ most profitable dynasties will deal with an enormous altering of the guard. The final roster contains a single participant in her 30s (Alyssa Thomas) and simply 5 holdovers from the 2020 Olympic group. At stake? A fourth consecutive World Cup medal since 2010.
USA Basketball has additionally misplaced only one sport over the previous six World Cups (previously referred to as World Championship) and has a fair longer successful streak on the Olympics, regardless of a typically rocky efficiency in Tokyo.
“We’re in somewhat little bit of a transition,” Stewart advised ESPN. “But it surely actually provides a possibility for younger gamers to return in and present what they have and assist take USA Basketball to the following degree — and perceive that everyone needs to beat us.
“No one needs us to win gold. And nonetheless, our objective each time that we’re taking part in is to win the complete factor.”
Roster fluidity and late arrivals are nothing new for Crew USA, however this yr particularly, the group has been navigating large uncertainty. Chook and Fowles introduced their retirements earlier this yr. Taurasi handled a WNBA season-ending quad harm. Charles mentioned she felt she had “served my time.” And nobody may have anticipated the absences of Griner — who has been wrongfully detained in Russia for over 200 days — or of Skylar Diggins-Smith and Napheesa Collier, each first-time Olympians in Tokyo. The previous left the Phoenix Mercury midseason for private causes, and the latter remains to be working herself again from being pregnant and maternity depart.
Stewart, Wilson, Jewell Loyd, Ariel Atkins and Chelsea Gray are the one gamers with Olympic 5-on-5 expertise, whereas Kelsey Plum (a 3×3 Olympian), Stewart, Wilson and Loyd are the one ones to have competed within the earlier World Cup in 2018. Wilson, Grey and Plum will arrive in Sydney after successful the 2022 WNBA title with the Las Vegas Aces and celebrating with a parade down the Strip. Brionna Jones and Thomas of the 2022 runner-up Connecticut Sun will even arrive late.
And Sydney will mark the USA Basketball debuts of Jones, Thomas, Ionescu, Laney, Copper and Austin in a significant worldwide competitors.
The returners
Stewart and Wilson are the clear heirs obvious of the USA Basketball dynasty, particularly after the Tokyo Olympics. Alongside Griner, they had been the one ones who averaged double-figure scoring in Tokyo, at 15.0 and 16.5 factors per sport, respectively.
The passing of the baton occurred nearly instantly.
“After we received gold, [Bird] was like, ‘All proper, it is your flip now,'” mentioned Wilson, who received her second WNBA MVP trophy, first Defensive Participant of the Yr award and first WNBA title this yr. “I am like, ‘Huh?’ While you actually give it some thought, it is me and Stewie. Everybody’s gone.”
The place Stewart and Wilson may beforehand look to Chook, Taurasi, Fowles and others because the veteran leaders, they’re now those tasked with assuming the mantle in Australia.
“I do not know who’s going to be speaking within the timeouts now,” Wilson mentioned, chuckling nervously. “We’ll be figuring it out. However, no, it is an ideal factor. They’ve laid an ideal basis for us to step in as the following gen to hold the torch.
“I’m most likely terrified, however I am excited as properly simply to get again on the market with different greats. Let’s go get this gold.”
Going into her third World Cup, Stewart — who arrived in Australia a couple of days after nearly all of Crew USA — is essentially the most skilled participant remaining. She is one in every of two (the opposite being Seattle Storm teammate Loyd) gamers on the present roster who averaged no less than 20 minutes per sport on the 2018 World Cup.
Stewart is particularly cognizant of her management duties.
“Ensuring everyone seems to be comfy and adapting and studying and never taking these moments as a right,” she mentioned. “I believe it is type of egocentric in case you do not speak and in case you do not use your expertise to assist others, so I simply actually wish to make it possible for I am profiting from that and serving to the group as finest I can for what we do right here in Australia, but in addition to take it for whether or not they’re going abroad or the offseason or regardless of the case could also be.”
2:27
Becky Hammon and A’ja Wilson cap off a historic season to guide the Aces to a WNBA championship.
She and Wilson will not should do it completely alone. Grey and Loyd, who each averaged slightly below 20 minutes per sport in Tokyo, together with Atkins will assist shore up the backcourt. Grey, at 29 one of many older members of the World Cup group and the newly topped WNBA Finals MVP, might be significantly seemed to as a ground normal amid Chook’s retirement and Diggins-Smith’s absence.
“I undoubtedly wish to be a part of holding up that legacy and being a part of that group,” she mentioned. “I believe we will proceed that. We’ve some folks in there which have expertise, and there might be new folks. It is at all times forming, it is fluid, and in order that’s thrilling as properly.”
Loyd mentioned, “Clearly, it’ll be somewhat totally different. “Everybody has totally different studying types, management types. However I do know we’re not out right here stranded by ourselves. We have discovered from our veterans, and now we’re able to get going.”
Even Atkins, who had a restricted position off the bench on the Olympics, is taking over further reps at level guard till Grey arrives. She hopes she will carry among the management she noticed on show throughout her time in Tokyo to Australia.
“Simply their means to both calm folks down or hype folks up,” Atkins mentioned on what she absorbed from the greats she performed with all through her first Olympics. “I simply suppose that was a very cool half for me, studying the way to get us going and the way to get us in sure stuff to assist us rating. Even Chelsea being some extent guard for us in USA. Simply their means to catch the wave of the group, and type of direct it extra than simply letting it movement.”
The newcomers
Reeve believes the quite a few voids on the squad are merely a possibility for brand spanking new faces to fill them. Anticipated to do exactly that: seasoned WNBA gamers Jones, Thomas, Copper and Laney. They, together with Austin, ought to bolster the nationwide group’s energy on the perimeter and down low.
“They have been round for somewhat bit, and now it is their second to reap the benefits of that,” Stewart mentioned. “Additionally it simply reveals the expertise they’ve within the WNBA to how issues carry over on the courtroom.”
Thomas and Jones participated within the two-game World Cup Qualifying Event in February, however Copper has by no means competed with USA Basketball. She has confirmed herself, although, because the 2021 WNBA Finals MVP with the Chicago Sky and because the 2022 EuroLeague regular-season MVP with Spain’s Perfumerias Avenida.
“I simply love that it is the better of one of the best,” Copper mentioned. “It is not about one particular person, it is not about two folks. All people has to carry one thing totally different, and that is what I do. It is cool. I’ve by no means been part of it. That is the best degree for me. … I am simply grateful to be right here.”
Camp additionally included the highest three picks from the 2022 WNBA draft — Rhyne Howard, NaLyssa Smith and Austin — in addition to reigning nationwide collegiate participant of the yr Aliyah Boston. Austin and Ionescu had been the one gamers underneath 25 to make the ultimate minimize.
“It is cool to see lots of younger gamers,” Ionescu mentioned. “That is tremendous thrilling as a result of I really feel like the sport is simply altering and it is persevering with to be at a very excessive degree, and that is beginning not in Yr 8, however in Yr 1, 2 and three. That is solely going to make all of us higher. It is solely going to make USA Basketball higher.”
The New York Liberty level guard received three gold medals in varied occasions with USA Basketball earlier than getting drafted within the WNBA — however then missed time with Crew USA whereas spending the previous two years recovering from an ankle harm. Coming off a robust WNBA season through which she earned her first All-WNBA nod, she is one other choice to fill the void with the absence of Chook, Taurasi and Diggins-Smith.
“I believe having a wholesome season and persevering with to develop as some extent guard and as a guard on this league, I type of perceive what it’s that I have to do day in and time out and the way I can proceed to raise my teammates and likewise study from them,” Ionescu mentioned. “And so I believe coming into this camp, I’ve understood that and wish to tackle that position in addition to persevering with to hear and study from lots of the veterans which have received gold medals and which were within the place that I have been.”
The brand new-look USA Basketball
Reeve has an thought of how she needs her squad to play: quick. They’ll additional dictate the tempo in the event that they management the glass and get after it defensively, utilizing their size and athleticism.
Reeve calls for greatness, gamers mentioned, and has no downside telling gamers after they screw up. She admitted throughout camp that she’s largely taught her present group as they awaited the remainder of the group to hitch. Her first large check on the worldwide stage will depend upon how shortly she will get the group to jell, and the way she might help gamers learn to speed up the method.
The 1st step is understanding your stuff — together with the little particulars that usually make a giant distinction — to be extra communicative.
“You simply acquired to do it. It is onerous, I will be sincere, however you simply acquired to do it,” Atkins mentioned. “It is fixed repetition. It is locking in even whenever you’re drained.”
Gamers are already properly conversant in each other from the WNBA. But it surely does not equate to meshing on the identical group. If all goes to plan, USA Basketball’s expertise in Sydney will solely show that even with important turnover, many new faces and surging groups elsewhere on the worldwide stage, this system’s championship custom might be unwavering.
“The largest factor is that you just perceive the custom,” Atkins mentioned. “On the finish of the day, it is about particulars and at all times placing our greatest foot ahead and at all times taking part in the sport the suitable means. I do not essentially suppose the custom or the inspiration goes to alter, however undoubtedly the faces and the personalities and various things like that. So I assume we simply have to attend and see.”
5 of the ten gamers who earned all-WNBA nods this season, together with first-team picks Wilson, Stewart and Plum, will characterize Crew USA.
“After I take a look at me, A’ja, Chelsea, Jewell, we’re all going to be at this second the place we’re taking part in in our primes,” Stewart mentioned. “I believe as we proceed to have extra time on the courtroom along with USA Basketball, we’re solely going to proceed to get higher. For me it is simply going to be lots of enjoyable, and realizing that these experiences that we’ll have are going to be issues that we’ll look again on years from now, hopefully with many gold medals, and it is only a bond that can by no means be damaged.”
This additionally is not the primary time that USA Basketball has seen a altering of the guard, Reeve factors out. She remembers when the likes of Daybreak Staley stepped away after the 2004 Olympics, and “everybody was nervous concerning the subsequent technology. And that was Sue and Dee [stepping in].
“Someone goes to step up. It may maintain going,” Reeve mentioned. “It may look totally different. They’re by no means going to be Sue and Dee, when it comes to management and all the pieces, however in their very own means, and so it is at all times changed. At all times.”
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