BERLIN (Germany) - Breanna Stewart has warned USA will need to be at their best if they want to win a fifth straight FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup crown and continue their dominance of the famous competition. The standout star and TISSOT MVP of the 2018 event, the forward is setting her sights on a fourth World Cup title, but adding another line on her glittering resume will require USA moving up a gear.
I think that France got very close and that should be a wake-up call for us
Stewart has warned that in the wake of their narrow 67-66 success in the Olympic Final, they must sharpen up when heading to the German capital. She declared: "Every team and every country is getting better. For USA, we need to continue to elevate our game. "I think that France got very close and that should be a wake-up call for us - making sure that we're ready every single night and that is not to discredit anybody. "France played great, but I just think that wasn't our best showing and we want our best showing to be in the best game."
Now very much a veteran player due to her know-how at the elite level, Stewart is one of the leaders of the USA pack. With Diana Taurasi no longer on the roster, it's a leadership role she relishes heading to Berlin this September. "I think it is going to feel pretty much similar to the last World Cup when Dee wasn't there," mused the 31-year-old. "So it's really about using my experience and understanding of how it's going to be different and how this team comes together.
"It's not about any individual person, it's how we can contribute collectively and make sure everyone has fun - as well as being patient."
Part of that patience and gelling process could be the continued integration of new kids on the block, Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers. Both made their senior debuts at the Qualifying Tournaments in San Juan recently. Clark walked away with the TISSOT MVP honor, while Bueckers caught the eye too. And, although Stewart didn't play in the Puerto Rican capital, she did take part in a training camp leading up to the event and is looking forward to lining up alongside them.
"Individually, they have both kind of waited their turn a little bit with USA basketball - knowing that this is the top of the top and where you want to be representing your country," explained Stewart. "We're excited to have them back on this stage at the national team level." One thing the trio have in common is that they're all former FIBA U19 Women's Basketball World Cup MVP's. It's a fact not lost on Stewart, who emphasized the importance of the journey that has seen them all playing internationally in FIBA competitions from a young age.
She said: "USA Basketball is a pipeline from the junior national teams, whether it is U16 or whatever an then all the way up. "You see now that there are more and more players who are sticking with it and sticking with it, then ending up on the [senior] national team. "Just to be able to develop your game and then understand the difference between playing in a domestic league or in the United States versus playing FIBA," concluded Stewart. USA have been drawn in Group D with China, Czechia and Italy. FIBA