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“I think the last few days have been a lot of fun…Every time we come here, we know we’re doing something bigger than ourselves,” Brianna Stewart told reporters after practice.
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The lightheartedness of the final moments of practice was balanced by a sense of business and mission. This camp will be the last time the athletes will have a training camp together before the Olympics begin this summer in Paris. The camp was also the final opportunity for players to make their case for selection to the exclusive 12-man roster.
“It’s a lot of work, but it’s great to complete the process and now I’m on the committee,” Kelsey Plumb told reporters.
Plum won a gold medal on the 3×3 team at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, and having the chance to represent the United States again, this time on the 5×5 team, is something she has strived for and hoped for throughout her career. .
“Oh my god, [it] It’s a dream come true – it’s definitely on my bucket list,” Plumb said. “For an athlete, especially playing basketball for the United States, it’s like a pinnacle. To be one of the 12 representatives on a team at the Olympics, there are no words to describe what it means. I don’t like it.”
Stars old and new
Friday’s open practice put the past, present and future of USA Basketball on display. Diana Taurasi, the elder statesman of the team, is seeking a chance to win her sixth gold medal. Taurasi began her journey with the national team when she was fresh out of college in 2004. She still remembers her first training camp.
“I try to treat every piece like it’s my first. I think back to when I was 19 years old and the first camp I went to with the national team out of college was in Denver. I always look back and feel like it’s an honor to be here, but I never take it lightly, and that’s natural,” Taurasi told reporters.
As for her “Welcome to National Team” moment?
“we [were] Do target practice, [former WNBA player] Katie Smith says, “Your shorts are a little bigger than mine, so I’d like them.” Now, what do you want me to do? So literally in the middle of target practice, I took off my shorts and [them] I went to her and took her panties. ”
Taurasi doesn’t do anything similar to today’s young players like Aliyah Boston and Rhyne Howard, who are nearly 20 years younger than her. Taurasi joked that such actions could now be “litigated.”
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For Shakira Austin, a 23-year-old aiming to compete in her first Olympics, playing alongside veterans like Brittney Greiner helps her understand how much effort it takes to become a member of Team USA. ing.
“[Brittney Griner] He’s a leader,” Austin said. “She’s vocal all the time. You can see her energy and the energy that radiates for her. Honestly, it’s really mesmerizing. She doesn’t even have to say much, but the room It just brightens things up. And that’s what I see in myself. So hopefully we can continue to talk and maybe she can guide me.”
Rivalry within the university is reignited
Most of the players from training camp will remain to watch the Final Four, which will also be held in Cleveland. The stakes are high, especially for UW graduate Brianna Stewart and University of South Carolina graduate A’ja Wilson to see their alma maters compete for a spot in the national title game.
“We’re rooting for the Huskies, okay? That’s all we’re talking about right now. I’m really excited. Excited. And I’m excited for them to be resilient all year long. I’m proud of what we came through and just know it’s going to be a great basketball game,” Stewart, who won four national titles between 2013 and 2016, told reporters. .
Later, 2017 NCAA National Champion A’ja Wilson revealed that she stopped by the University of South Carolina’s practice in preparation for the game. Her relationship with head coach Dawn Staley has developed over the years, and the two still share a very close bond.
“I don’t think I’ll go a week, maybe two weeks, without talking to her…I feel like as we get older, our relationship grows more like a normal mother and daughter,” Wilson said. he told reporters. “I may not always be able to talk about it the way I want, but I’m so grateful for that relationship because that woman was in my back pocket no matter what.”
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Plumb, who reached the Final Four as a Washington senior in 2016, has no fundamental interest in the outcome of this weekend’s matchup. The ace guard just hopes the sport’s final weekend brings the same competitiveness that fans have seen all season.
“Hopefully we can have two really good games,” Plumb said. “I think we’ve been spoiled by just having great competition all the way through, not just in the first round, but in the second round, third round, you know what I’m saying? So I’m looking forward to tonight. . Don’t talk nonsense, just have fun.”
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