The 12 members of the 2012 U.S. Olympic women’s basketball team have been named, and the team continues to compete in preparation for the Summer Games in London (July 28-Aug. 11).
Eleven of the 12 play professionally in the WNBA, and most hone their games during the winter in China or Europe. Asjha Jones, the 12th and final member named to the team, played overseas last season, earning Euroleague Final Eight MVP honors. Angel McCoughtry, who plays for the Atlanta Dream, is on her first Olympics team.
Named to their third Olympics team were Sue Bird (Seattle Storm), Tamika Catchings (Indiana Fever) and Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury), all of whom won gold medals at the 2004 and 2008 Games. Competing in their second Olympics are Swin Cash (Chicago Sky), Seimone Augustus (Minnesota Lynx), Sylvia Fowles (Chicago Sky) and Candace Parker (Los Angeles Sparks). Newcomers include McCoughtry, Jones, Tina Charles (Connecticut Sun), and Maya Moore and Lindsay Whalen (both of the Minnesota Lynx).
Six players, or half the team, are former University of Connecticut Huskies, who competed for coach Geno Auriemma, also coach of the Olympic women.
“I would like to think that regardless of who the coach was, there’s a pretty good chance that every one of those players would be on this team. They earned it,” Auriemma told USA Today. “All the accolades that these players have gotten, they didn’t get because they played at UConn. They got those accolades because of what they’ve done in their pro careers. That speaks to their talent.”
