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Less than two months into the new year, Collier shows no signs of slowing down. She played with Minnesota teammate Kayla McBride in Fenerbahce, Turkey, and most recently helped Team USA to a 3-0 victory at the final Olympic qualifying tournament in Antwerp, Belgium.
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Collier led the U.S. in total points throughout the tournament, including a game-high 23-point performance in a close 81-79 victory over the hosts in front of a very pro-Belgium crowd. She added 12 and 22 points in big wins against Nigeria and Senegal, respectively. Through three games, Collier averaged 19.0 points in 23.5 minutes per game. Both are high marks for her in the international game.
“I think I’ve definitely grown as a player since the last time I was with the team.” [the national team]” Collier said in an interview. to the next. “[In the 2020 Olympics], I had only been in the league a few years and was the youngest on the team. I was really happy to be able to meet you honestly. I thought my role would be a little broader this time. I felt really ready for it. I’m proud of where I am as a player and the work I’ve put in, so I just want to go out there and play my game and not think too much and play like I always do. I did. ”
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Collier averaged 19.0 points per game, along with 4.7 rebounds, 3.7 steals and 3.0 assists per game, leading to him being named to the tournament’s All-Star 5. She also earned a place in the starting lineup for the final against Senegal, no small feat considering the team’s concentration of talent in the No. 4 slot.
“I think this shows the work I’ve put into my game over the past few years,” Collier said. “I’m really proud of the way I’ve played. It’s always such an honor to wear the letters ‘USA’ on my chest, and I want to express myself accordingly when I’m with these guys.”
“I’m happy to be able to show off my skills and help the team in any way I can. It was a really fun competition and I was happy to participate.”
Collier filled up the stat sheet well in Belgium, shooting nearly 75 percent from 2-point range, but hitting 1-of-8 from 3-point range. This is an element of her game that will continue to be a key focus for her to maintain her key role in USA basketball as her team aims for more gold medals in Paris this summer. .
“As a senior, my position is saturated,” Collier said. “I think I’ll play a lot because the best players in the league are on all fours.” [at the] three. Killing threes is a huge part of being a three player. I definitely want to keep working on that and get a little more consistent and comfortable in that role. ”
It’s a small sample size, but Collier made 3-of-5 shots from behind the arc in his first two games since returning to Fenerbahce following wins over Tarsus and Besiktas.
It’s also worth noting that USA Basketball (and Minnesota Lynx) head coach Sheryl Reeve pointed to the up-and-coming chemistry of the USA starters in the final game of the tournament as an important development.
“The group that started the game, we were looking for a group to build chemistry,” Lieb said after the game against Senegal. “I thought they were particularly exceptional.” [Napheesa Collier]Alyssa [Thomas] And Brianna Stewart worked inside and outside and shared the ball. I thought that would set the tone for us. ”
Building team chemistry in such a short period of time is a challenge many national teams face, but it’s not a problem when each member of the group in question is a WNBA All-Star.
“I mean, it’s pretty cool to play with some of the best players in the league,” Collier said. “It’s a lot of fun and I think we were able to build chemistry with each other pretty quickly. That’s not easy when you don’t get a lot of time together. Training camp was three days and we didn’t have a set team, so we got to meet a lot of different people. We were playing. I think I learned a little bit from the first game, but each [game] I think it continued and got better and better.
“It’s easy to do that when you’re playing with players who are very skilled and obviously the best in the field. So building that chemistry probably speeds things up a little bit more than a normal team. I think you are.”
The next time the U.S. women’s national team is called up will be for an April training camp in Cleveland during the NCAA Women’s Final Four. The Paris Olympics will open on July 26th.
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