COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Hitting the court in Tokyo for the U.S. Olympic Women’s Basketball Team will be four faces familiar to UConn fans.
Longtime USA National Team members Sue Bird from the Seattle Storm, and Diana Taurasi who plays with the Phoenix Mercury, played for the time for the first time in 2000 and have a combined eight Olympic and seven FIBA World Cup gold medals.
Also playing in Japan, Tina Charles, of the Washington Mystics, is a three-time World Cup gold medalist. 2016 Olympic gold medalists Brittney Griner, with the Phoenix Mercury, and Breanna Stewart, who plays for the Seattle Storm, have both captured at two World Cup gold medals, and are returning to try for a second Olympic gold in Tokyo. Napheesa Collier, Minnesota Lynx, will play in the Olympics for the first time.
The XXXII Olympic Games women’s basketball competition will be held July 26-Aug. 8 at the Saitama Super Arena, Saitama, Japan.
Since basketball has been played in the Olympics, only six athletes worldwide have competed in five Olympic basketball competitions. Bird and Taurasi are poised to join that elite club.
“USA Basketball has never been in a better place,” said U.S. Olympic Team head coach Dawn Staley from South Carolina, who claimed three gold medals as an athlete and helped guide two more Olympic teams to gold as an assistant coach. “I’m honored to be the coach of such an amazing collection of talented women, both those named to the team and those who gave their all the last few years but won’t be with us in Tokyo.
Jennifer Rizzotti, former UConn player, and University of Hartford coach now with the Connecticut Sun, is one of the team's assistant coaches.
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