Getting to know the 2023 FIBA Women's AmeriCup teams: United States

MIAMI (United States) – The defending World and Olympic champions are also the current Americas monarchs and will try to defend their title with a young team composed completely from NCAA basketball players, just like they did in 2021. The country has so much talent that even rostering young players does not diminish their favoritism. The intention of the North Americans, in addition to retaining the crown, is to give their players experience with an eye toward to the future. Kamie Ethridge, from Washington State University, will be in charge of leading the process as head coach.

FIBA Women's World Ranking, presented by Nike: 1

Team USA has been at the top for at least a couple of decades. They've been the most dominant country at all levels, and the recent titles at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, 2021 AmeriCup and the 2022 World Cup in Australia ratify the ranking.

Women's AmeriCup appearances (including 2023): 8

They played for the first time in 1989 in Brazil with a modest (for their standards) fourth place finish. They've only participated in half the tournaments because, due to the previous system, they weren't required to play the continental tournament to qualify for the Olympics or World Cups. Before the 2019 and 2021 tournaments, the last time they played was 2007.

Most recent appearance: 2021

They took the crown in San Juan, Puerto Rico, with a perfect 6-0 record. During the Group Stage and Quarterfinals, their average margin of victory was 46 points. They had to work a little harder in the semifinals against Brazil (71-60) and in the final against Puerto Rico (74-59) but still notched double-digit wins.

Best showing: 1993, 2007, 2019, 2021

The United States, despite having missed half the tournaments, is tied with Cuba with the second-most titles with 4, only behind Brazil (5). Right now, they've won back-to-back golds. They also have a silver medal (1997).

Players to watch:

The most intriguing name in USA Basketball's roster list is Angel Reese, a Louisiana State forward who led her team to the NCAA title. In the most recent collegiate basketball season, Reese was named to her conference's All-Defensive Team, the All-SEC First Team and NCAA Tournament MVP. She also led the country in points (23.0) and rebounds (15.4). Other players to watch are point guard Charisma Osborne, who won the U17 World Cup in 2018, and center Lauren Betts, a gold medalist at the FIBA Americas U16 Championship in 2019 and U19 World Cup in 2021.

How they qualified:

Women's AmeriCup awards four berths to national teams from South America and another fourth berths to teams from Central America and the Caribbean. USA and Canada, as North America representatives, get their berths directly.

Tournament projection:

They'll be trying to become the first team in the history of the competition to win three consecutive titles. Despite having a very young roster, it's widely known that the technical-tactical level of their players is extraordinary. They'll compete in Group A against Argentina, Brazil, Cuba and Venezuela.

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