USA - USA Women to take on select WNBA team as part of training camp

COLORADO SPRINGS (2010 FIBA World Championship for Women) - Six Olympic gold medalists will top the bill when the USA women's national team takes part in the "WNBA vs USA Basketball: The Stars at the Sun Game" on 10th July in Connecticut.

The game will be part of a five-day (7th-11th July) training camp for the Olympic champions who will look to add a FIBA World Championship trophy to their collection in the Czech Republic later this summer.

Gold medalists Sue Bird, Swin Cash, Tamika Catchings, Sylvia Fowles, Cappie Pondexter and Diane Taurasi will be joined by Tina Charles, Candice Dupree, Angel McCoughtry, Renee Montgomery and Maya Moore on an 11-player team that will go up against a select group of WNBA players at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.

Additional USA team members confirmed to attend the training camp include Seimone Augustus, Shameka Christon, Lindsey Harding, Asjha Jones, Kara Lawson and Lindsay Whalen. Alana Beard, Candace Parker and Candice Wiggins will not be able to participate due to injuries.

Jayne Appel, Ebony Hoffman and Kia Vaughn will practice alongside the USA team members in hope of being added to the squad at a later date.

USA head coach Geno Auriemma very much looks forward to the training camp.

"This training camp is the first and only opportunity that I'm going to have the chance to be with the majority of the players that were in the last Olympics that were a part of our core group," he said.

"So whatever amount of time we have, it's going to be used in the best way that we can. We'll get a chance to see how they interact with each other. They'll get a feel for me, and I'll get a feel for them and we'll play the game and go from there."

Available USA team members will practice at Connecticut College on 8th July. The following day, they will have another practice - open to the public - at the Mohegan Sun Arena.

USA players who do not have to return to their WNBA teams after the game on 10th July will remain in Connecticut to scrimmage with the Australian national team on 11th July.

The USA will compete in Group B at the 2010 FIBA World Championship for Women. They will face France, Greece and Senegal in the opening round in Ostrava.

FIBA