PHOENIX — Two-time Olympic gold medalist A’ja Wilson will participate in a USA Basketball coaching camp in Phoenix in the course of the ladies’s Ultimate 4.
That is the primary time that Wilson will participate in a coaching camp since serving to the U.S. win the gold medal on the 2024 Paris Video games.
She’ll be joined by Olympic teammate Sabrina Ionescu.
There may also be a handful of gamers who simply competed for the U.S. this month on the FIBA World Cup qualifier in San Juan, Puerto Rico – Monique Billings, Rae Burrell and Paige Bueckers. The U.S. went undefeated in that event and can subsequent compete on the World Cup this September in Berlin.
Caitlin Clark, who made her nationwide group debut in that World Cup qualifier occasion, was not within the camp.
Different WNBA gamers taking part within the camp embody Cameron Brink, Veronica Burton, Stefanie Dolson, Rickea Jackson, Azura Stevens, Brittney Sykes and Kayla Thornton. Dolson gained a gold medal in 3-on-3 on the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Thornton might be making her USA debut.
Two-time Olympian Napheesa Collier might be on the camp, however unable to take part as a result of she’s recovering from an damage she suffered on the finish of the final WNBA season.
The WNBA group might be joined by a pair of faculty gamers with Vanderbilt’s Mikayla Blakes and Southern California’s JuJu Watkins. Watkins, who has been recovering from an ACL damage she suffered in final yr’s March Insanity, was on the USA camp at Duke in December.
USA coach Kara Lawson will lead the camp and be assisted on court docket by Nate Tibbetts, Natalie Nakase and Stephanie White. The trio have been all a part of the World Cup qualifying event. Shea Ralph and Niele Ivey may also function court docket coaches.
There might be a number of rooting curiosity by the gamers for the Ultimate 4 with Wilson’s Gamecocks taking part in UConn. There are a bunch of Huskies alums with Bueckers, Dolson, Collier and Stevens. Billings starred at UCLA.