When the legend herself walks in wearing an all-white fit, her aura and energy is mesmerizing. Her presence commands the entire room. This is the same visionary who just led her team to an undefeated season and the program’s third national championship, a feat very few expected them to accomplish. This is the very trailblazer who is the highest paid Black coach in all of women’s basketball. This is the Dawn Staley, the dream merchant who has led not just a program, but the culture, into a new day where no one can deny what she’s done and no one can doubt that she is one of the greats. It’s written in the banners, in the stars, and on this very cover. She is in charge. The CEO of excellence. 

SLAM 250 featuring Dawn Staley is available now.

With her right hand man, Champ, prancing a few steps behind her, Staley exudes calm, cool and collected as she walks onto set. Biggie is blasting through the speakers in the background, serving as the perfect anthem for what we’re trying to capture: her aura, her energy and all that damn swaggggg. Not only is this Dawn’s first-ever solo SLAM cover, but it’s the first time ever that any coach has had their own cover for the magazine. Today is about capturing the legacy of someone who is way bigger than the box scores—but, if we are talkin’ hoops, a legacy that includes 38 straight wins this past season. The Gamecocks were out here destroying teams by upwards of 50, 60, nah, 80 points per game. 

As legendary photographer Diwang Valdez snaps away, Staley, who is now wearing the team’s 2024 National Champions tee, effortlessly poses in front of the camera. Just when you think the flicks couldn’t get any more fly, Dawn turns things up with another outfit change. This time she’s rocking a black blazer, tearaway joggers and, of course, a crisp Louis Vuitton tee. She goes from giving soft smiles and playful banter to transforming, as she leans back into the chair she’s now sitting in, crosses her legs and rests her elbow on a basketball. She stares into the lens, giving the same look that we’ve seen from her on the court. It’s deeply methodical, poetic even. Right now, Dawn means business. 

This is the face of someone who has personified strength, resilience and authenticity for decades. Here, she gives us a glimpse into her mind and her magic—a conversation that is as much about basketball as it is about how she sees people, her legacy, and—with true sincerity—herself. 

SLAM: You’ve mentioned in the past how you didn’t really have an interest in coaching, at least early on. Can you bring us back to when you were playing in the WNBA and coaching at Temple at the same time?

Dawn Staley: One of the most gratifying moments of my life was to be able to play and then be able to coach all at the same time. Because it played on both sides of my brain and the passion was on full display. If any of the younger players in the WNBA ever have the opportunity to do both, they would find that it’s so fulfilling. You’re able to get out the aggression of playing while also being a dream merchant for younger players and giving them an experience that you are actually living. A lot of coaches have to go back in time to that place when they were playing, but when you’re able to do it in real time, it is an automatic respect from your players because they know you’re doing the very thing that you’re asking them to do and to be disciplined at.

SLAM: You often refer to yourself not just as a coach but a “dream merchant.” Can you elaborate on what you mean?

DS: Anybody that is coaching this game, that’s what you are. I know we try to figure out our purpose in coaching, and it’s just that: being a dream merchant for young people. Helping young people find their passion [and] work towards that. It’s not always basketball—it’s not. For 90 percent of them, it’s not basketball. It is figuring out what you want to do, because I want people to work in their passion. It is a lot easier to work in your passion if that’s what you do on a daily basis. The real world really is taxing. It pulls you in a lot of different directions and if you’re not passionate about it, you are not going to give it your full effort. And maybe half of you is good enough in some instances, but for you as a person, your fulfillment is most important. 

So, what does a dream merchant do? That person guides, that person helps to navigate, that person is a listener [and] an observer. That person is someone that is trustworthy of not only the student-athlete but everybody that touches that student-athlete, because it’s not just a one-way street. All young people have people in their lives that impact them. I find that young people talk to their parents every single day…I think back to when I was their age, I probably talked to my mom or my dad maybe twice a month. And you know when that was? When the funds were low. But they talk to them every day, so I’m like, OK, well, I may have to change my style. I may have to pivot a little bit because I want to be the biggest voice in my players’ heads, and if it’s the parents that have access in that way, in talking to their daughters every day, [then] I gotta talk to the parents. 

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SLAM: Who were your mentors? And did any coaches inspire you?

DS: I really didn’t have coaching mentors. I’m more of a private person. I don’t like to show weakness, and that’s probably a downfall of mine, but it’s the very thing that keeps me going, because it has me working. It always has me preparing for the worst, and I don’t like to take my problems to anybody else. I will say I have people in my life that I bounce things off that [are not] as close to the game as probably some other coaches, and I like them to give me feedback from the outside looking in, because when it’s all said and done, I like to be covered. My mind works as a basketball coach most of the time, so I’m always looking for basketball things to teach lessons to our players because I believe that sometimes they learn better from that standpoint. 

And then, if I get advice from somebody that’s not in the basketball world, I can balance that and make sure that I’m giving our players what I see, as well as what somebody else may see that I’m not covering. 

SLAM: Has your approach to coaching changed at all over the years? Are there things that worked early in your career that may not work now and vice versa?

DS: We’re in an era where we have to pivot. What worked 24 years ago will not work today. I’ll say this: The core principles of who I am as a person and coach doesn’t change. [The] battles I fight? They change. Take for instance this year—my approach was entirely different than my approach in just the recent years. In recent years, we had a group of players that got it. They understood the assignment and what they needed to do and they executed on and off the court, so they gave us no issues. I was just able to be a basketball coach. 

This year, they were different. They were younger, their approach was different. They were lackluster, they didn’t really have a plan as individuals—they may have thought they had a plan. Their plan was just to play more. You can approach it that way, but it’s shallow, so you gotta put something behind it. We worked from a place that we hadn’t worked from in a long time, which was, Hit the ground running. We couldn’t [even do that] because they couldn’t run, they were outta shape. They came in just thinking, I wanna play. I sat for a long time. It’s my time. Well, their time, and who they thought was taking their time, [the] approach was a lot different. Zia, Aliyah, Brea [Beal], they all came in shape. Every time that we had to come back in the summer, so we could hit the ground running…It was more of creating better discipline and habits, because they hadn’t formed it to the degree of them being ready to rock and roll. So, I looked at it as a challenge, and once I looked at it [as that], I got more passionate behind it because I’m drawn to challenges. It was cool because they did teach me [that] there are a number of ways to be successful and a number of ways to approach things.

One of the battles that I did not fight that I normally fight: if everybody had the same sweatsuit on, and one person didn’t, I knew that they spoke to that person. I knew it. I could see it, I’m looking at [it] and it looks strange to me…I approached it as a mistake that had been handled. But that’s one of the things I didn’t fight, because I knew this team had a way of delivering the message that I would deliver. 

SLAM: As you mentioned, the start of the season was a little different for you. What do you attribute this year’s success to? 

DS: We’ve had the best team in the country prior to this year, I would say for years. The best team in the country and this one ended up being the best team in the country by way of default, so to speak. But it was a way that was formed by them and I will give them all the credit because they could’ve balked, they could’ve said, I should be starting—for a while, they could’ve said, I’m the It. I should be starting. Tessa [Johnson could’ve been like], I could play with the best of them. Let me get some of Breezy’s time. Let me get some of Raven’s time. [But] they didn’t. Actually, the youngsters just allowed the older players to guide them to the point where they were so confident entering the basketball game that they knew that they were going to make an impact. And they kept holding each other accountable. Ashlyn [Watkins] found her superpower, and her superpower is on both sides of the basketball, but it was also leading. Her voice was prevalent in huddles, and it got to the point where they didn’t want to lose. It wasn’t even being undefeated, they just didn’t want to lose. It was nothing about winning each and every game, but in the moment of each game, they didn’t want to lose. So, they would listen to each other and they were very coachable, and then we just got momentum. We kept pushing through and then when we got to the Final Four, they were like, We gonna win this thing.

Before the national championship game, they were talking major cash ish. The coaches’ locker room is connected to the big locker room, and we don’t go in there [to] let them have their space. I’m too close to the situation, I don’t want to hear them, [but] they’re like, We’re going to kick their A, and I’m like, Lord, they don’t know what they don’t know. Either we’re going to get blown out, or we’re going to blow somebody out because they were talking. And I know they’re hyping themselves up, but as coaches, you know, we gotta go out there and face Caitlin [Clark] and them. Like, they got themselves here, they got momentum. 

As coaches, too, we would ask each other, You drinking the Kool-Aid? We would literally ask each other. So, for the most part we were like, Nah, we ain’t drinking it. Towards the end of the year, we asked, How about now? You drinking the Kool-Aid? I’m like, I’m sippin’. I ain’t taking a big gulp, but I’m sippin’. Because they’re putting it on display. I think, just overall as I reflect, it was a super cool journey and environment to be around them. They just played loose. I told this to a friend, I said, “They played free.”…So, I think that was really kind of cool for them to take us coaches down their journey. It’s usually, like, our journey—how we want to direct them and guide them. Nah. Nah, we got on their train and we rode their coattails. 

SLAM: Now that you’ve accomplished it all—going undefeated, winning your third chip—how does it feel?

DS: It feels great, like seriously. It’s unbelievable to me…[The] 2022 [team] looked the part. They looked the part, they played the part. They played just freer, but with pressure. And then this group was just unlike any of them. I don’t think anybody saw it coming. We didn’t see it coming, so that’s what I like about it. I’m sitting [here] and I’m happy…I want to share our story. I want to share the good, the bad, the ugly but also the likelihood of someone else doing what we did—I want to give them hope, because we didn’t look like a national championship team at the beginning of the season. We looked like most of the teams in the country, so we’re relatable to most of the teams. If we could do it, anybody could do it. 

SLAM: Your legacy reaches far beyond Xs and Os, wins and losses. We could go on and on, but what do you, Dawn Staley, want your legacy to be? 

DS: I want my legacy to be an “odds beater.” I am an odds beater. The odds said that I wouldn’t be an Olympian, I wouldn’t be the head coach of an Olympic team. To have coached 24 years in this game, I know that I don’t care about a personal legacy. I want to let my players talk about the legacy that they were able to feel every day from our coaching staff. I don’t have to say anything, they say it. Historically speaking, you don’t really hear my name as being a great coach, whether it’s X-ing and O-ing. I’m probably known to be a player’s coach, whatever that means. But to win three national championships, to not be an X and O coach and only be a player’s coach, I think we’re doing pretty good. If the X-ing and O-ing coaches aren’t winning national championships, I know they would probably flip it and be a player’s coach, if it produces national championships. I really don’t care about any of that, but what I do care about is our players, their experiences [and] their legacy, because the more of a legacy they have, it comes back. I just want to do right by our players. 

SLAM: You’ve seen women’s basketball skyrocket from a business standpoint, starting from your playing days to what it is today. What has it been like to see this transformation in real time?

DS: Women’s basketball is super cool, now. I would say now. It was super cool to me when I was growing up playing it and going to college because I didn’t know what I didn’t know. Now that I know what I know about our game, one, we’ve been intentionally held back. I know that because it just doesn’t come out of nowhere. It seems like our game has just come out of nowhere and now everybody is falling in love with it, when we know different. We know that back when I was playing in ’88, in college, in ’89, people were watching. They would tune in. I know it because I know when I go to different places, I’m more known for playing at Virginia than anything. So, they were watching it. 

So, what happens between then and now? Decision makers are making some really good calls when it comes to our game…They know that women’s basketball is a mainstay. So, the biggest difference now is we are being treated like a real sport. The good, the bad and the ugly because in sports you have storylines, like a Caitlin Clark. In our game you have storylines of us being undefeated, winning a national championship. You’ve got Juju [Watkins], Hannah [Hidalgo], MiLaysia [Fulwiley], all of these storylines that are being played out now because the fans want more and more and more. And now, finally, and maybe, it’s the new negotiated TV deal that is allowing us to continue to grow. Maybe there’s somebody in the room that’s making sure that we have different people telling our stories. You got Elle Duncan, Chiney Ogwumike, Aliyah Boston, [Andraya] Carter, Carolyn Peck…I thought that whole crew broke basketball down like no other. Wasn’t biased, because we gotta get the bias out of our game. So, you saw what happens when it’s unbiased. It was absolutely beautiful.

SLAM: You don’t seem like the type to chase milestones or history, it just sort of finds its way to you. With that being said, is there anything that you have your eyes set on before you bow out of coaching?

DS: Selfishly, it’s just one thing that I wanted out of this game: I wanted to be a Hall of Famer. So, I went in [to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame] in 2013 as a player. Now, I do want to go in as a coach. 

Portraits by Diwang Valdez. Action photos via Getty Images.

The post The Excellence of Dawn Staley: South Carolina Head Coach Talks Championship, Being a ‘Dream Merchant’ and Growth of Women’s Hoops appeared first on SLAM.

“To finally be able to call myself a champion after nine long months there [means a lot],” says Howard, who’s basking in a rare break between seasons, Jordan Brand promos and her other commitments. “All that hard work that we put in. Also, being a champion meant that it was time to come home. I was extra excited about that.”

The feeling of confetti on her face is something Howard would like to experience with the Dream. “We were only one game out of the playoffs,” says the silky 2-guard, who averaged 16.2 points and 4.5 boards while knocking down a rookie-record 85 three-pointers. “This year, I expect us to be a playoff team and make a good run.”

Rhyne Howard is the future of the WNBA. Get your copy of SLAM 244.

To better its chances of seeing the postseason for the first time since 2018, Atlanta went out and got Allisha Gray from Dallas. The team also selected Stanford star Haley Jones and South Carolina forward Laeticia Amihere in the 2023 WNBA Draft. With the revamped roster, Howard sees the Dream’s future starting to take shape. “A lot of people are still questioning if we have enough [talent] or if we have that chemistry,” she says, “but I’m definitely excited about what we have in store.”

Does anybody have some gum? The images of Howard spinning a ball on her finger at the SLAM photo shoot are dope, but something’s still a little bit off. Rhyne’s mom, Rhvonja “RJ” Avery, says it’s gum that’s missing. Rhyne loves blowing bubbles when she spins. Someone finds the Dream star a few pieces of Bubblicious. The pics immediately start poppin’. Moms just know these things. 

Howard smiles when she chews gum and, really, just in general. But you’d never know it based off an on-court persona that comes off stoic and standoffish to some. Yeah, she’ll give you the Griddy on TikTok, but you won’t get much else during a game. “Say less, play more” has long been her MO.

But just because Howard doesn’t flex on ’em doesn’t mean she’s without emotion. “She comes off as very shy, but the kid is not shy,” says second-year Atlanta Dream head coach Tanisha Wright. “She has a funniness and humor about her that’s pretty cool. She’s not loud and she’s not boisterous, but she has a quiet competitiveness that comes out when it needs to come out at game time.”

When Howard hears of her coach’s comments, she adds, “I am shy. It affects how [people] talk to me. They’ll be scared to come up to me. I’m very open. I will talk to you. I won’t speak first, but I’ll have a conversation with you. I’ll joke and laugh. But I am going to feel you out a little bit just to see. But I feel like a lot of people are intimidated because I always look straight-faced.” 

Most parents know if their child has what it takes to be a standout in a sport. Avery certainly knew way back in the day when Howard was hooping as a child. When the other kids were frantically doing jumping jacks in front of the inbound passer, Rhyne’s mom was watching her daughter patiently scan the scene, looking to see how she could make a steal. 

“When she was 7, we were living in Virginia,” says Avery. “I was watching her play in a co-ed rec league. She’s already surveyed everything, trying to be one-up on [the opponent]. You can’t teach that.” 

By the time Howard was in eighth grade and living in Cleveland, TN, she was good enough to be on the high school varsity team. The squad’s first game of the season was the same night as the eighth-grade dance. Howard skipped the formal to suit up for the game. Even though she never put on a dress, she was still named queen of the dance. She didn’t have to make a choice between playing ball and going to one in high school. Different times of the year. She went to the prom. Won queen again. 

Though Purdue, South Carolina and Florida (where Avery herself once played) were attractive options for Howard’s next stop, Kentucky just felt different. Like her mom said, “It was far enough away, but not too far from home. It was a great fit for her because she could go in and make her mark.” With then-UK women’s head coach Matthew Mitchell at the helm, the locker room had a familial feel, too. Howard dug that. The Wildcats went 84-37 with three NCAA Tournament appearances while she was there.

It was at Lexington where Howard also befriended Terrence Clarke, the talented shooting guard out of Massachusetts. The two hit it off instantly. “When a men’s player comes to Kentucky,” Howard explains, “most likely they’re going to be one and done. They’re not going to have a lot of time and not going to have a lot of friends to hang out with. The first time I met [Clarke] was actually in the training room. He came in singin’ and stuff. I was like, Keep going. Go ahead. He actually ended up telling me that I was one of the first people besides his teammates to actually talk to him and be his friend.”

Howard continues, “They were having a rough season at the time. We were having a rough season. We would just go to the mall and just hang out and be there for each other and just talk and figure out what’s going on. Just being that ear, being that friend that we both needed.” She was big sis. He was lil’ bro. 

Clarke tragically passed away in April 2021 in a car accident only a few months before the NBA Draft. “It really hit hard when he was gone,” says Howard. “But I keep him alive when I play. I keep him alive all the time. I talk to his mom, too, just to check in on her. I’m actually going to send her this jersey and this magazine when it comes out. Just being able to have him as a part of my life, even for just a short amount of time, was a blessing. I wish everybody could find somebody like that.”

With her rookie season over and the franchise’s future in her hands, Howard knows that her voice may need to get louder in team huddles. Jones and Amihere are certainly going to lean on her for first-year guidance. Just about everybody in the Dream’s Gateway Center Arena will be depending on No. 10 when the team is down in crunch time.

“It makes your life easier as a coach because you know you have a player that’s capable of doing things that can help you win basketball games,” Wright says about Howard, who scored 20+ on 11 occasions her rookie year. “She definitely makes my life easier. But at times, you rely on her and you forget that you’re a team. That’s always an important piece that you have to keep in mind. We can’t just wait around and watch her go to work. We have to do it as a collective.”

One area where Coach Wright will be watching Howard more is on defense. An SEC All-Defensive Team member in 2020 and top five in the WNBA in steals a year ago, Howard can be a dawg on that end, too. “I’d love to see her utilize more of her tools,” says Wright. “She’s gotta expect more from herself on that side. She’s capable of doing much more than just catching and shooting.”

Howard agrees. “[Playing] overseas showed that I can be way more active than what I have been,” she says. “For the most part, I just use my length and my IQ to get a steal or get in the passing lane. But overseas, I was actually guarding the other team’s best player and doing a pretty good job, if I have to say so myself.”

Her mother takes things a step further. “She actually set her sights on doing what Candace Parker did,” says Avery, alluding to Parker’s ridiculous ’08 rookie campaign where she won almost every conceivable award, including League MVP. “I think she could be on that path to exceed Candace Parker and Breanna Stewart. She loves all of them, but she’s so competitive that she’s going to work to compete and be better.”

This whole magazine is dedicated to what’s next in the sport, right? When this generational talent gets her defensive game to match one of the most complete offensive packages in the League, mark our words: The future looks bright for the Dream and downright nightmarish for the rest of the WNBA. 

“I want to continue being that dog on the court that everyone says I am,” she says. “Continue to take accountability and have that consistency that I’ve been having. It only goes up from here.”

AVAILABLE ON SLAMGOODS

Portraits by Marcus Stevens.

The post Atlanta Dream’s Rhyne Howard is Going to be a Nightmare in the WNBA appeared first on SLAM.

In their second season, AU features top women’s basketball talent worldwide, including Lexie Brown, Natasha Cloud, Odyssey Sims, DiJonai Carrington, Courtney Williams, Taj Cole, Evina Westbrook, and Destinee Walker.

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The innovative women’s professional basketball league comprises 44 of the country’s best women’s basketball players. The players compete both on teams and as individuals throughout a five-week season. Athletes earn points on team wins and individual performance, and the top four point earners become team captains for a week. The player leaderboard adds extra flare and excitement to the league because team captains can draft their teams. 

AU complements the WNBA and offers WNBA players an opportunity to stay in the United States year-round. Like many AU players, Smith could have chosen to play overseas. She opted for AU, “so [her] family could see [her] play again,” per Insider. 

Further, AU provided Smith with a much-needed “break.” 

“I went straight from college straight to the WNBA; then it would’ve been straight to overseas,” Smith said. “So I knew, like, as soon as the WNBA ended, I was gonna do AU because it gives you some time to prepare” and then “go compete at a high level.” 

Unlike the WNBA, Athletes Unlimited is built upon an athlete-centered model. Instead of sharing profits with owners, players split league profits or compete on behalf of non-profit organizations through AU’s Athletes Causes program. Additionally, players are empowered to decide on uniforms, roster formation, and league rules.

Only in its second season, AU is making its wave in the women’s basketball world by increasing the visibility of women’s basketball in the United States, uplifting its athletes, and offering the game in a unique format. 

When WNBA stars compete overseas, it’s nearly impossible for fans to follow their path. However, as Smith said, “after the WNBA season, a lot of players go overseas, but you don’t get to really watch them. AU you gives you that opportunity to keep watching and keep following your favorite players.”

The second AU season will take place in Dallas from Feb. 22 to Mar. 26. All 30 games will be accessible to audiences worldwide, including five contests on CBS Sports Network.

The post Allisha Gray and NaLyssa Smith Join 15 WNBA Players on Athletes Unlimited Roster appeared first on SLAM.

Allisha Gray led the Wings with 17 points and five rebounds, followed by a 13-point, five rebounds, and three assists outing from Tyasha Harris. Marina Mabrey contributed 11 points, and four rebounds, and Satou Sabally rounded out Dallas’ double-digit scorers with 10 points, two rebounds, and two dimes in 15 minutes of action.

SUN TAKE GAME 1

— WSLAM (@wslam) August 19, 2022

Created to create separation in the third quarter after going on a 13-0 run that helped build a 20-point cushion in the third seed’s favor. The Suns kept the Wings scoreless for over five minutes, leading to the Sun closing out the third quarter with a 17-5 run that gave them an 18-point lead going into the fourth quarter.

After the tough Game 1 loss, Coach Vickie Johnson told assembled reporters that she didn’t “recognize” who the Dallas Wings were on the hardwood and noted that some players were noticeably “complaining” and “not taking accountability.”

“The first thing I told my team is ‘I didn’t recognize my team tonight.'” Johnson said. “If we can think we can do it individually and beat Connecticut, it’s not gonna happen.”

Vickie Johnson: "The first thing I told my team is 'I didn't recognize my team tonight.'"

Said players were "complaining," "not taking accountability."

"If we can think we can do it individually and beat Connecticut, it's not gonna happen."

— Alexa Philippou (@alexaphilippou) August 19, 2022

Arike Ogunbowale, Dallas’ leading scorer, is still not healthy enough to play due to an abdominal injury she aggravated during the final days of the regular-season.

It’s really that simple for DB pic.twitter.com/do0bk85mpV

— WSLAM (@wslam) August 19, 2022

The Wings will look to tie the series up with a Game 2 win over the Sun on Sunday.

The post Vickie Johnson Didn’t ‘Recognize’ Dallas Wings Team That Lost Game 1 appeared first on SLAM.

Cheryl Reeves is the head coach of the World Cup team and will be joined by Mike Thibault, Kara Lawson, and Joni Taylor as her assistant coaches.

The training camp will take place September 6-12 in Las Vegas. An intrasquad Red-White game will headline the camp on Sept. 10 before the final roster comes out for the FIBA World Cup that runs Sept. 22-Oct. 1 in Sydney, Australia.

The following is a complete list of expected training camp participants: Ariel Atkins, Shakira Austin, Boston, Kahleah Copper, Elena Delle Donne, Diamond DeShields, Stefanie Dolson, Allisha Gray, Chelsea Gray, Dearica Hamby, Myisha Hines-Allen, Natasha Howard, Rhyne Howard, Sabrina Ionescu, Brionna Jones, Betnijah Laney, Jewell Loyd, Kayla McBride, Angel McCoughtry, Arike Ogunbowale, Kelsey Plum, Aerial Powers, NaLyssa Smith, Breanna Stewart, Alyssa Thomas, Courtney Williams, A’ja Wilson and Jackie Young.

Invitees will report “pending the conclusion of their WNBA seasons and the progression of the national team selection process,” USA Basketball said in a release.

“I am looking forward to welcoming this amazing group of athletes to a productive training camp as we prepare for the 2022 FIBA World Cup,” national team coach Cheryl Reeve said in a release. “These athletes will report to camp having just completed their WNBA seasons, and it says a lot about their competitive drive and commitment to USA Basketball that they will come to Las Vegas prepared to participate at the highest level.”

Atkins, Chelsea Gray, Loyd, Stewart, and Wilson won gold with Team USA in Tokyo. Alisha Gray, Dolson, Plum, and Young — members of the gold-medal-winning 3×3 team — will be headed to Vegas. Wilson, Stewart, Delle Donne, Loyd, Plum, and Young were members of Team USA’s World Cup team that won gold in Spain in 2018.

Delle Donne and McCoughtry didn’t play in Tokyo due to injuries but were contributors to the 2016 Olympic team in Rio de Janeiro. McCoughtry had appeared in three WNBA games in two years due to knee injuries and is currently a free agent after the Lynx bought her contract out before the season started.

This will be the first Team USA roster that won’t feature Sue Bird, and Sylvia Fowles is retiring. Tina Charles, Diana Taurasi (season-ending quad injury), Skylar Diggins-Smith (personal reasons), Napheesa Collier (played one week of basketball after giving birth in May), and Brittney Griner, who is controversially imprisoned in Russia due to drug possession and smuggling charges.

The post Aliyah Boston Headlines Invitees Tor Team USA Training Camp appeared first on SLAM.

Underrated.

Allisha Gray is—understandably—over the word that has often been used throughout the WNBA to describe her.

“It’s time to get rid of that underrated label. I’m tired of that,” the typically quiet, unassuming Dallas Wings guard laments. “Every year that’s all you hear: Allisha Gray is the most underrated player in the League…She’s so underrated…

“She’s underrated because no one is paying attention to her but she’s doing her thing on the court,” Gray continues. “Allisha’s been underrated her whole six-year career, maybe it’s time to pay attention to her.”

If you do pay attention, what you’ll see is a real life Energizer bunny in braids and goggles (hence the nickname “Goggles Lish”). You’ll witness Gray diving to the floor and tussling with opponents for loose balls; blocking shots with a vengeance; seemingly coming out of nowhere to steal the ball and sprint coast-to-coast, scoring on a layup; passing to an open teammate and playing both ends of the court like it’s an extreme sport. She tops her team in minutes played at over 30 a game and literally goes crazy offensively and defensively, sprinting up and down the court the whole game, scoring on one end then getting back on defense to make sure her opponent doesn’t score.

She’s a crucial member of this young Wings team looking to make a deep playoff run this season. Currently, Gray is the team’s second leading scorer with 14.6 points per game and leads the team in blocks (she’s No. 7 in the League in blocks per game at 1.2 as of June 8). Through the team’s first 11 games of the season, she had two 20-point games, including a season high 24 points in a matchup against the Las Vegas Aces.

The six year WNBA veteran—the League’s 2017 Rookie of the Year and an Olympic Gold medalist (3×3)—impacts the game in ways not revealed on a stat sheet. She’s having a fantastic season, one that could end with her reaching a goal close to her heart: landing a spot on one of the WNBA’s All-Defensive teams.

“I feel I have been under the radar. We all know people pay attention to scoring and not the whole body of work of a player,” Gray says. “People pay attention to the person who puts up 40 points but won’t notice the person who had 5 or 6 steals, 10 rebounds and no points, but impacted the game just as well. I am an all-around player. I do it both on the offense and defensive ends.

“I expect my name to be on one of those defensive teams at the end of the season. I’m playing the best defense of my whole career this season. I guard the best player on the team every night and have to produce on the offensive side as well.”

One person who doesn’t overlook Gray’s game or contributions is Dallas Wings coach Vickie Johnson, who calls Gray “one of the top three two-way players in the League.

“I think now you see her growth on both sides of the basketball; now you see her maturity on the court,” Johnson said. “With her six years in the League, it’s huge now. She understands who she is, she takes pride in guarding the best players on the other team and she doesn’t drop her head.

“I wouldn’t say she’s underrated. I think it’s a matter of her speaking out for herself,” Johnson said. “Like she [Allisha] said, she deserved to be on the All-Defensive team [last year] and that’s huge for her. That’s one of her goals. I think she’ll accomplish that goal this year.”

The 27-year-old soft-spoken Gray won the 2017 national championship in her first season of eligibility at South Carolina under legendary coach Dawn Staley (in a championship game that ironically was played in Dallas). She has never been an attention-seeking person, opting instead to lead by example and allowing her on-court play to tell her story.

But she also understands the importance of advocating for oneself and has finally found strength in not just her game, but in her voice as well.

“I am glad I am now getting the attention I deserve. My dad always told me the squeaky wheel gets the oil, so it’s just like within me,” Gray says. “I’m at a point in my career—in my sixth season—it was just time for me to speak up and let people know I am here and I work hard. You can look at the numbers and I can have 0s all across the board, but I held my opponent to 8 points; well, that’s a win for me because I did my job.”

Her ability to be an effective two-way player lies in her consistency. Now there’s a word she doesn’t mind being associated with.

“Consistency. That’s a trait that many people don’t have. You know what you will get from me every night; you never have to guess what you will get from me in practice, on the court, in the game,” she says. “I feel like I am just that same, consistent player that will give you the same thing every night.

“I’ve always worked on my game to get better. I have been the same consistent player the whole six years in this League. My stats have also increased, especially assists, blocks, steals, rebounds and free-throw percentage,” Gray continues. “Each year I’ve improved my game so, yeah, it’s time to get rid of that underrated title.”

While enjoying another breakout season, Gray is also looking toward the next five-to-10 years on and off the court. On the court she “definitely sees some championships, All-Star appearances and another Gold medal.”

Gray put on a spectacular performance as a member of the US Olympic 3×3 Women’s Basketball Team. They competed in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo and went 8-1 en route to earning the first Gold medal in Olympic 3×3 basketball history.

“That Gold medal was a big achievement, representing America, all eyes are on you to compete and win,” Gray says. “The USA has that standard of winning Gold medals—especially on the basketball side. I am glad we won and were the first to do it. We will always go down in history for that.”

However, Gray reveals she has officially retired from 3×3 and has set her sights on a new Olympic goal: becoming a member of the 5×5 USA Women’s National Team. “Hopefully, I pray that I am in Paris [2024 Olympics] to win a Gold medal there.”

Off the court, she is carving out space in the business world as a budding entrepreneur. “One day the ball has to stop bouncing. I’m looking at what’s next,  what other ways can I make money and go into business,” says Gray. Currently she dabbles in crypto-currency investments and runs an RV-rental business with her brother who handles the mechanics, and her boyfriend, who along with Gray handles the bookings and communication with the customers.

“We bought an RV and we just rent it out to people. It’s like an AirBnB on wheels. We deliver it within a 60-mile radius or they come to pick it up [in her hometown of Georgia]; take it for a couple of days or however long they want,” she says. “Business is really booming right now!”

In the meantime, Gray remains focused on the Wings’ season and helping her team make it to a deep postseason run. She starts her mornings getting into a positive frame of mind by listening to gospel music from some of her favorite artists like Rance Allen, Mary Mary and Kirk Franklin.

“It just helps me start my day off in a positive light and just hearing the word of God,” she says. “I just love the positivity that comes from the music.” Gray is also an avid gamer who can be found during her downtime streaming on Twitch and playing Call of Duty Warzone, GTA and more recently FIFA 22.

She remains grounded and mentally strong through constant communication and a closeness with her parents, whom she calls her “real-life heroes.”

“They sacrificed so much for me in life. I am glad I was able to make it to the League to show them that all the sacrifices they made for me paid off,” says Gray, recalling her parents driving her “up and down the road” throughout Georgia when she played AAU basketball.  

“They didn’t complain once about it. They could have been doing something else but they put everything they were doing on hold to help me get where I am today,” she says. “That’s why I am very thankful for my parents. They turn clouds into sunshine; they are my rocks; they mean everything to me. They are my happy place.”

Another happy place for her is the basketball court, where she hopes more people will see her in action.

And that spot on a WNBA All-Defensive team? She’s coming for it.

“I feel like last year I was snubbed honestly, of being on one of those defensive teams, and now I’m putting it out there so people can pay attention early and realize, Yeah, she deserves to be on this defensive team.”

Watch her in action and you’ll probably think so, too.

WSLAM 2 is available now. Get your copy here.

Photos via Getty Images.

The post Allisha Gray is Continuing to Transcend Her Game as an All-Around Standout appeared first on SLAM.

Arike Ogunbowale led the Wings to the win with a team-high 27 points, followed by Marina Mabrey (21 points) and Allisha Gray, who had 20. 

Gray also got her first double-double after securing 12 rebounds on Sunday. Coach Vickie Johnson said she told Gray that her defensive effort must be consistent regardless of her matchups playstyle or if she respects who she’s guarding.

“You don’t fall back. You don’t bring your defensive effort down because of their style or the respect part of it. I was very happy for her, but she made it known that she needed one more rebound. ‘Coach, you got to put me back in; I need one more rebound,’ so I said alright, I got you,” Johnson said.

The Dallas Wings were on fire beyond the arc, too, knocking down at least 10 threes for their third straight game while tallying at least 20 assists for the sixth time this season. 

Johnson was asked during postgame about the improvement of the Wings from last season to this season and acknowledged the offensive and defensive changes. 

“We’re becoming a good team. We’re becoming what we can. We have stats – team, individual, game – we’re not there, but we’re becoming that. And once we become that, then that’s when we’re going to be very scary to deal with.”

The Wings, 8-8, remain the third seed in the Western Conference and have now won back-to-back games at home.

The post Dallas Wings Make Franchise History Against Los Angeles Sparks appeared first on SLAM.

Dangerous in a manner that it should invoke and inspire you to re-imagine an established world. 

To challenge conventional thought. 

To re-envision what generations have developed in order to create something new. 

The same should be said for coaching. 

For years, there has been a set of standardized systems in basketball. A form of coaching that damn near secured wins. A blueprint for winning a national championship at the collegiate level.  But there comes a time when evolution is not only needed but craved. A time when a world moving on autopilot requires a shock to its system, like a lightning bolt shooting down from the heavens. A necessity for a movement toward the future. 

Dawn Staley is that movement. 

SLAM 237 featuring Dawn Staley, Aliyah Boston, Zia Cooke, Destanni Henderson Cover SLAM 237 is available now!

The first coach to challenge the norms set forth by the UConns, Notre Dames and Tennessees of the world. The first to play in the WNBA and coach in the NCAA at the same time. The first Black female head coach to raise the national championship trophy over her head in nearly 20 years.

But it wasn’t always back-to-back No. 1 recruiting classes in Columbia. The roster wasn’t always stacked with WNBA talent like Aliyah Boston, Zia Cooke and Destanni Henderson. It wasn’t always easy. 

With change comes fear. Fear of the unknown. Trepidation of the uncomfortable feeling that accompanies growth. But for Staley, the concept of a challenge is what has fueled the South Carolina women’s basketball head coach from the very beginning. 

“I grew up in North Philly, in the housing projects, the Raymond Rosen housing projects. I’m the youngest of five. So, every day was a challenge,” Dawn shares with SLAM. 

Even when speaking of her early years and the struggles she faced, she speaks with such pride and ease. Those moments made her the player, coach and overall person she is today. 

A three-time Olympic gold medalist, a six-time WNBA All-Star, and most recently, an NCAA national champion as a coach. This was the path meant for her, even if she didn’t always see it herself. 

“Obviously, someone had to plant the seed, because I never wanted to be a coach. And it’s funny how this game finds you in the likeliest or unlikeliest ways,” Staley says. 

It was in 2000 when Dawn was gearing up for her second Olympics with Team USA. It ultimately became the year when her life would change. 

With a job playing in the WNBA, she had no interest in thinking about any other opportunities, until Temple’s then-athletic director Dave O’Brien came calling. 

“The AD posed two questions. One was, Can you lead? Can I lead? I’m the captain on every team that I played on, I’m a point guard. The position demands that you lead. And then I answered the question. I know my facial expression showed that that was not a good question. All questions are good, but that wasn’t a good question. And then he asked me the next question, which was, Can you turn Temple’s women’s basketball program around? And that was the aha moment, where he challenged me. I never looked at coaching as a challenge, and if I did, I probably would’ve been coaching a lot sooner than what I had done.”

She went on to do exactly what she promised and led Temple to four A-10 conference championships and a 172–80 record—the program’s best overall record—all while finishing out her final playing years in the WNBA.  

“Coaching is like…No day is the same. I like that, but I also like being a dream merchant for young people,” she says. “My cup runneth over when it comes to being successful and what the game has given to me. I want people to feel it.”

As I listen to Dawn speak, I don’t feel like I’m on set in a gym with one of the greatest figures this game has ever seen, but rather like I’m in her living room just chopping it up, talking about life, laughing at the good old days and just soaking up every nugget of advice from lessons learned. It’s easy to see why she resonates so deeply with players. Sometimes it feels like she’s less of a coach and more of your auntie, there to guide you through the ebbs and flows of life. That connection to her players at Temple and the proof that she can turn a program around is what landed her at South Carolina.

It was 2008, and practically no one in women’s basketball even thought of the Gamecocks program as a contender. Wasn’t even an afterthought. 

Dawn knew what she was up against, but with that Philly toughness stored deep within the core of her soul, it wasn’t an obstacle she was going to shy away from. 

“When I first took the job here at South Carolina, I wanted to change the culture. I wanted to make sure that we’re all cut from the same cloth. I work hard, everybody around me works hard. So, we wanted that reciprocated, with everybody that has a hand in our program and the players are a big part of it.”

She was meticulous and hungry to make it happen, but most of all, she treated herself and those around her with compassion, understanding that she had to coach each team and each player differently over the years. Most importantly, she had to have patience as she took the time needed to begin building (and recruiting) the team she wanted in order to become one of the best in the country. 

But she did it her way. 

It was just six years later that she went on to lead South Carolina to the program’s first Final Four appearance and its first No. 1 overall ranking. 

Then the movement came to fruition. 

Dawn had one of the best college basketball teams assembled, with what would eventually be four WNBA lottery picks. The roster was unbelievably stacked with star A’ja Wilson, Kaela Davis, Allisha Gray and Alaina Coates, not to mention future WNBA draft picks in freshmen Kiki Herbert-Harrigan and Ty Harris. 

It was the culmination of what Dawn had worked years toward. A vision finally realized. 

“[The year] 2017 was pretty special for a lot of reasons,” Dawn recalls. 

She would go on to lead the Gamecocks to their first-ever national title in their first-ever national championship game appearance. 

“Selfishly, it was one of the goals I set for myself in the projects in North Philly because I only saw women play on TV in two events. One was a national championship game, and then the other one was the Olympic Games. Those were the two things that kept me just going. I got the gold medal, several gold medals, but I never got the national championship. When I got that, I selfishly loved it and then I switched, and I just put it outward.”

That moment wasn’t just for her. 

It was for the women who played for her all those early years at Temple. It was for the residents of the Raymond Rosen housing projects. It was for everyone in her life who helped her get to that historic moment. 

In The Last Dance, Michael Jordan said that all it took was “one little match to start the whole fire” when speaking on the greatness he achieved with the Bulls. Dawn Staley was that match in women’s college basketball. Winning that title changed everything. 

Now she has one of the toughest rosters in the country. For starters, there’s National Player of the Year favorite Aliyah Boston, who recently set the record for most consecutive double-doubles in the SEC. Then there’s Ohio-made superstar Zia Cooke, whom the world remembers for dropping a defender and pointing after it happened. And Destanni Henderson, a senior who made her name known in last year’s NCAA tournament and now is a top WNBA prospect.

“I got to keep it honest. I just fell in love with Coach, as far as how real she was with me. I’ll never forget the first time I met her. I was super nervous,” Cooke says. 

Staley has now had the top recruiting class two years in a row and a roster already in position to win another (and possibly multiple) national championships. She doesn’t take any of it lightly, though. 

“[Forward] Laeticia Amihere, her mom [is a] God-fearing faithful woman. She’s got strength, and you could tell she’s a people-feeler. I had, probably, several conversations with her on the phone, and you really can’t get it until she’s sitting across from you and she’s talking to you. And then at the end of our visit with both of them, she came up to me and she was like, I give you my daughter. I’m from Philly—I’m hard, I’m tough—[but] that almost brought me to tears because I’ve never heard a mother say that,” Dawn recalls with a softness in her voice. 

That’s how she approaches not only building a championship-contending team, but a family. 

“Coach Staley has been through it all. She’s experienced it,” Boston shares.  “She’s someone that we look up to. She helps us with everything, on and off the court.” 

A coach who’s been through it all is especially what this group has needed over the last few years. Aliyah, Zia and Destanni, like everyone else, had their world put on pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was South Carolina’s year to take back the throne, but they never got the chance. 

“I feel like we’re on track as a team. It was the first time I felt like our team actually had a bond, and then COVID happened,” Henderson says. “We had to take a step back and reflect on life outside of basketball.”

They picked up right where they left off last season, only for it to end in heartbreak. Down 1 to Stanford in the Final Four, Aliyah’s final put-back effort fell just short. It was a moment of anguish for the then-sophomore, whose tears streamed down her face after leaving it all out on the floor. It’s an image that mainstream media lazily uses over and over. 

“After the game, we were sad, obviously. But when the coaches came in, Coach Staley told us that she was proud of us and that we worked hard and basically that we’re going to use this to continue to fuel us. We didn’t get what we wanted this year, but we still have another shot,” Boston says. 

Another shot is right. This year’s South Carolina crew has steadily remained the No. 1 team in the country. As we walk into the practice facility to set up for our cover shoot, while practice begins to wind down, evidence of why the program has been at the top of the standings all season becomes quite obvious.  

The gym is roaring as the Gamecocks scrimmage. You can hear every player (both on the sidelines and on the court) involved. They’re fully coaching themselves. No one is needed to get on the players who are making mistakes or talking through plays; the players are doing that together, for each other. 

“I think we’re a lot more mature. I feel like our games have all matured in a way,” Zia says. 

It is truly the Dawn Staley effect. Her mantra is simple, and she holds herself to the same standard. 

“You got to be vulnerable, you got to stand in your truth even when it doesn’t make you look good. That’s your truth,” Coach says passionately. “Everybody doesn’t live in their truth because everybody wants to paint a picture of being perfect. Hell, nobody’s perfect. Nobody.”

It’s that openness that’s allowed three of the best college basketball players right now to become the stars that they are. This resilient group has been through the ups and downs of everything and has now reached a point where they honestly play for each other more than themselves. 

What does their living legend of a coach want to see at the end of this year, when it’s all said and done? 

“I want to turn Aliyah’s frown upside down,” Dawn says definitively. 

Zia interjects after a long pause. “HELLO!!!”

Dawn continues: “Because that is something that media outlets use a lot. She’s more than the frown. 

“I want them to use the picture of her crying happy tears.” 

SLAM 237 is also available in this exclusive gold metal edition. Shop now.

The post Dawn Staley and the Gamecocks Are College Basketball’s Authors of Evolution appeared first on SLAM.

“It’s dope. It’s amazing in a league where there are so many great players—like, players you’ve seen growing up and watching while in college—to be considered one of the top players for the future, that’s important,” says the 24-year-old Dallas Wings guard.

“I can be the future [of the League] but I am also taking advantage of my time right now and not wasting any time,” she continues. “I want to be one of the top players now and in the future.”

And she’s willing to do whatever it takes to be the best—on and off the basketball court—in everything she does.

WSLAM 1 featuring Arike Ogunbowale, Diamond DeShields and Betnijah Laney is OUT NOW!

Take, for example, a recent toasty 95 degree Sunday afternoon in Dallas. Inside the Singing Hills Recreation Center is Ogunbowale, a mere two weeks after winning WNBA All-Star MVP honors and returning from vacation.

Hair pulled back in a long ponytail and wearing a white Nike headband, she stands with a basketball in the corner of the large, empty gym. She’s there on her off day for a photo shoot for Red Bull.

There’s Arike dribbling the ball with both hands. There’s Arike twirling the ball, first on one hand, then on one finger. There’s Arike shooting the ball and showing off her handles. There’s Arike posing. She’s laughing. She’s smiling, that wide, toothy grin we’ve all grown accustomed to, and chatting with the camera crew.

Dressed in a white T-shirt, blue shorts, black tights, white Nike socks and orange, black and white Nikes, she walks confidently down the gym floor near a basketball hoop. She chats with her trainer, Melvin Sanders of SandersFit Performance Center in downtown Dallas, before he begins passing her the ball. She effortlessly puts up a bucket. Then another. And another. She hits 10 straight before she misses. 

There’s no one there but me, a handful of Red Bull staff, Arike and her trainer. But she’s as focused as if she were in College Park Center where the Wings play their home games. She’s tending to business, but watching her up close and on the court alone, you can see how at one she is with the ball, how shooting baskets is second nature. She’s always working on her craft, always trying to get better, always trying to improve, even taking a photo shoot with seriousness. And it’s this work ethic, grit and determination that has propelled her in just three short years to become one of the unquestioned faces of the WNBA.

You just knew she would be.

You knew it when she led her Notre Dame team to the 2018 National Championship on a last second shot. 

You knew it when she passed fellow Irish alum Skylar Diggins-Smith to become the Notre Dame’s all-time leading scorer. 

You knew it when her name was called at No. 5 overall in the 2019 WNBA draft. 

You just knew the 5-8 walking bucket was going to take the League by storm. And in a way, so did she.

“I have a lot of confidence in myself. So I knew whatever I brought to Dallas, I would help the team for sure. No matter what it was, off the court, on the court,” she shares with WSLAM. “I knew I would help the team however I could and make a name for myself in Dallas.”

And throughout the League. 

And what a name.

She was a unanimous All-Rookie selection and WNBA Rookie of the Year runner-up after finishing third in the League in scoring (19.1 ppg) and leading her team in scoring. With a total of 630 points (third in League history in rookie points), she tied Maya Moore’s record of 30 or more points in four straight games. 

For her sophomore year, Ogunbowale—who admires the game of legends Seimone Augustus, Lisa Leslie, Maya Moore and Diana Taurasi—won the WNBA scoring title (22.8 ppg), recording four 30 point games in back-to-back years.

This year, a few games left in the regular season, she is averaging 18.8 ppg and is on pace to reach career bests in three-point and free-throw shooting. She was also named the All-Star MVP in her first All-Star Gajme after dropping 26 points.

“I want to be one of the top players now and in the future.”

– Arike Ogunbowale

But it’s not just on the court where Arike is making her name known. Recently, she joined some big names, including Kevin Durant, Elena Delle Donne and Kelley O’Hara, as investors in Just Women’s Sports, a growing media platform. 

“As you get more into the League, you want longevity and want to start investing in things,” she says. “What better way to start investing than in women’s sports? I’m involved in women’s sports. It’s what I do. If I have daughters, this is what I want them to do, and I just want to inspire young kids.”

“This is really putting my money where my mouth is, elevating women and all that they do, so why not invest in it and have a part in helping it grow? That was really important to me.” 

Ogunbowale, who’s signed with Nike and most recently partnered with Red Bull, also has her hand in uplifting young people. She recently worked with the Dick’s Sporting Goods Foundation to give away clothing and other gear to young girls. 

“I have a lot of things in store. Whatever I am doing, I am definitely trying to make young girls and our community the focal point. That’s what I’m big on.”

Get your copy of the first all-women’s issue of SLAM!

She’s also big on basketball, and getting into the playoffs remains her top priority; something she’s yet to experience after a 10-24 finish her rookie year; 8-14 in the shortened 2020 wubble season, and currently 10-13 this season, one game out of the playoffs.

“I’m good. I’m locked in and getting ready for the second part of the season,” she answers with trademark confidence when asked about her current state of mind. 

And she has to be. 

Although there are other talented veterans on the Wings, including Olympic Gold medalist Allisha Gray, defensive stalwart Kayla Thornton and Isabelle Harrison, it’s Ogunbowale who’s the face of the franchise and the leader of the team. She has been since she was drafted and named starting point guard in the absence of Diggins-Smith. How challenging has it been for her to step into the role of leader and help put the Wings in the best possible position to succeed? 

“I wouldn’t say challenging, it’s just a process, especially with me being young myself,” she explains. “I already had to be more of a leader even in year one when I was starting point guard. I’m not even done with year three and I’m already considered a leader, and that’s just who I am and what I add to this team.

“In order to be a top player, you have to lead as well, so I think I’m growing in that and learning and that’s still a process, too. I’m not the best leader yet,” she admits. “But I’m definitely working at it. And it helps to have teammates and coaches who trust you, trust what you say; believe in you as a leader. That definitely elevates my confidence as well.”

Wings teammates Harrsion and Bella Alarie, who have played alongside Ogunbowale for three and two years respectively, have seen the growth and evolution of their teammate and see no limits on her ascension to the top of the League.

“My favorite thing about Arike is how talented she is, but still has a listening ear,” says Harrison. “Even when she got here her first year, she was our leader. Arike was the person we were going to give the ball to at the end of the game so she stepped up a lot. This is her third year now, I think she is just getting more comfortable in her role as far as being vocal, leading off the court, encouraging  people and holding herself to a standard defensively. She wants to grow. I don’t know if people see that about Arike. She wants to grow and she wants to be better.  

“So any Arike slander, I don’t listen to it. I don’t care who it comes from,” Harrison says laughing, but also very seriously. “That girl wants to be better. And I love that about her. She is just so humble. She is just putting herself on the next level. She can only go up. She is pushing herself to be good.”

Alarie calls Ogunbowale, “a fantastic player, playmaker and extremely confident. And that’s something I look up to her for. She’s not afraid to take those last second shots that make or break the game. I really admire that.”

“The way she’s grown into herself, she’s done a great job of carrying us along with her,” she continues. “I really love playing with her. She brings a great attitude to the court. She plays hard and she is only going to get better.”

One area Ogunbowale is striving to improve upon is reading defensive schemes other teams are throwing at her as they try to make it more difficult for the bucket-getter to score.

“Everyone knows I can score, but every night it’s a different defense. The hardest thing is being able to adjust every game to different defenses because teams throw different things at me,” she says. “Being able to adjust and read the right plays—you know, if I’m getting trapped, I gotta swing it quick—just being able to get up on those things faster.”

There’s no doubt she’ll improve defensively and in any other way she desires. Ogunbowale has that kind of will, dedication and focus—much of which comes from her family, whom she calls the source of her inspiration and motivation and with whom she connects with every day. “My support system is really big and definitely keeps me going.”

What also keeps her going is her competitive nature and her desire to take her team further than they’ve ever gone. 

“I’m locked in. We’ve got some important games. We’ve gotta get these wins in order to make this playoff push. I’m really locked in right now.” 

Go behind the scenes with Diamond, Betnijah and Arike for their WSLAM 1 cover shoot!

Portraits by Raven B. Varona. Follow Ravie B. on Instagram, @ravieb.

Action photos via Getty Images.

The post Arike Ogunbowale Continues Making Her Presence Felt On and Off the Court appeared first on SLAM.

Samuelson was originally set to be on the roster for the USA’s first-ever 3×3 team.

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A post shared by Katie Lou Samuelson (@katielou33)

Due to her diagnosis, Samuelson was placed under USA Basketball’s health and safety protocols on Saturday despite being fully vaccinated. The former fourth overall pick would have been the first USA player to compete at both the Youth Olympic Games and the Olympics.

The former UConn Husky standout will be replaced by Las Vegas Aces guard Jackie Young, joining Aces teammate Kelsey Plum, Chicago Sky center Stefanie Dolson and Dallas Wings guard Allisha Gray before the Games begin.

A third-year pro in the WNBA, Samuelson wasn’t a newcomer to playing 3×3 in international competition, having played on the USA’s 3×3 national team at the 2019 World Beach Games in Qatar. Young also participated in the 3×3 Olympic qualifying team training camp in February of 2020 in Chicago.

Suffice it to say, Samuelson’s experience will be missed.

With a retooled roster, the USA 3×3 team is set open the tournament on Saturday against France followed by Mongolia.

The post Storm’s Katie Lou Samuelson Withdraws from Olympics After Testing Positive for COVID-19 appeared first on SLAM.

All-Star center Stefanie Dolson (Chicago Sky), fifth-year guard Allisha Gray (Dallas Wings), former first overall pick Kelsey Plum (Las Vegas Aces), and third-year forward Katie Lou Samuelson (Seattle Storm) will all be making their first Olympic appearances.

The 3×3 event in Tokyo features a distinct set of rules, differing significantly from the four 12-minute quarters in the WNBA and NBA.

The games are played outdoors in under 10 minutes, with a 12-second shot clock. Baskets are counted by ones (inside the arc) and twos (behind the arc); the winner being determined by who scores 21 first, or who is leading by the end of the 21 minutes. 

𝗢𝗟𝗬𝗠𝗣𝗜𝗖𝗦 𝗕𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗗

The USA Women have secured a bid to #Tokyo2020! pic.twitter.com/8dQCcbEYid

— USA Basketball 3×3 (@usab3x3) May 30, 2021

While this format may differ from what Dolson, Gray, Plum, and Samuelson are used to professionally, they are by no means out of their element:  The four won the Big Twelve International Tournament in France, and then finished 6-0 in the Olympic Qualifying tournament in Austria to secure an Olympic bid.

They are all also decorated individually in national team events, including 3×3 and 5×5: the four boast a combined record of 157-11 with USA Basketball teams.

Plum won a gold medal at the 2013 FIBA U19 World Cup, while Samuelson won a gold medal with the USA National Team in the 2019 FIBA Women’s AmeriCup. 

Kara Lawson, the Duke Blue Devils women’s basketball head coach, will be coaching the team.

While 3×3 rules dictate that in-game coaching is prohibited, Lawson will lead team practices and help the team prepare to take home gold.

They’re going to Tokyo!

Congrats to Stef Dolson, Katie Lou Samuelson and USA 3×3 on qualifying for the Olympics! pic.twitter.com/ouXsCd2QDB

— UConn Women’s Basketball (@UConnWBB) May 30, 2021

“Their dedication these past 18 months to help position USA Basketball in Tokyo is being rewarded,” Lawson said. “Now, the real work begins. I’m confident that this group will be able to put together performances that represent our standard. This will be our most challenging tournament to date, but I love the competitors that we are bringing with us.”

The U.S Squad will face off against China, Mongolia, Romania, Russia, France, Japan and Italy in the preliminary round, from July 24-27.

The quarterfinals take place on July 27, while the semifinals and finals will take place on July 28.

The post USA Roster Announced for Inaugural Women’s 3×3 Olympic Team appeared first on SLAM.

Entering its 23rd season, the WNBA has more talent than ever before, making final roster cuts even more excruciating for teams.

The WNBA season will tip off tonight with the Wings visiting the Dream at 7:30 p.m. EST. Check out the 12-player, opening-night rosters for every WNBA team below!

(NOTE: Some opening-night rosters do not include players on the temporary suspended list while injured, sitting out or fulfilling overseas commitments.)

ATLANTA DREAM

Alex Bentley (G)
Monique Billings (F)
Jessica Breland (F)
Maite Cazorla (G)
Nia Coffey (F)
Marie Gülich (C)
Tiffany Hayes (G)
Angel McCoughtry (GF)
Renee Montgomery (G)
Haley Peters (F)
Brittney Sykes (G)
Elizabeth Williams (C)

CHICAGO SKY

Kahleah Copper (GF)
Diamond DeShields (G)
Stefanie Dolson (C)
Jamierra Faulkner (G)
Chloe Jackson (G)
Jantel Lavender (FC)
Astou Ndour (C)
Cheyenne Parker (F)
Allie Quigley (G)
Katie Lou Samuelson (GF)
Courtney Vandersloot (G)
Gabby Williams (F)

CONNECTICUT SUN

Kristine Anigwe (FC)
Rachel Banham (G)
Bridget Carleton (GF)
Layshia Clarendon (G)
Bria Holmes (G)
Jonquel Jones (FC)
Brionna Jones (C)
Shekinna Stricklen (GF)
Alyssa Thomas (F)
Jasmine Thomas (G)
Morgan Tuck (F)
Courtney Williams (G)

DALLAS WINGS

Kaela Davis (GF)
Skylar Diggins-Smith (G)
Allisha Gray (G)
Isabelle Harrison (F)
Tayler Hill (G)
Glory Johnson (F)
Brooke McCarty-Williams (G)
Imani McGee-Stafford (C)
Arike Ogunbowale (G)
Theresa Plaisance (FC)
Azura Stevens (FC)
Kayla Thornton (F)

INDIANA FEVER

Natalie Achonwa (FC)
Candice Dupree (F)
Shenise Johnson (G)
Paris Kea (G)
Betnijah Laney (G)
Stephanie Mavunga (F)
Erica McCall (F)
Teaira McCowan (C)
Tiffany Mitchell (G)
Kelsey Mitchell (G)
Asia Taylor (F)
Erica Wheeler (G)

LAS VEGAS ACES

Liz Cambage (C)
Sydney Colson (G)
Dearica Hamby (F)
Kayla McBride (G)
JiSu Park (C)
Kelsey Plum (G)
Sugar Rodgers (G)
Carolyn Swords (C)
A’ja Wilson (FC)
Tamera Young (F)
Jackie Young (G)

LOS ANGELES SPARKS

Alana Beard (GF)
Kalani Brown (C)
Chelsea Gray (G)
Alexis Jones (G)
Marina Mabrey (G)
Nneka Ogwumike (F)
Chiney Ogwumike (FC)
Candace Parker (FC)
Tierra Ruffin-Pratt (GF)
Maria Vadeeva (FC)
Sydney Wiese (G)
Riquna Williams (G)

MINNESOTA LYNX

Seimone Augustus (G)
Lexie Brown (G)
Karima Christmas-Kelly (F)
Alaina Coates (C)
Napheesa Collier (F)
Damiris Dantas (F)
Sylvia Fowles (C)
Danielle Robinson (G)
Jessica Shepard (F)
Odyssey Sims (G)
Stephanie Talbot (F)
Shao Ting (F)

NEW YORK LIBERTY

Rebecca Allen (G)
Tiffany Bias (G)
Brittany Boyd (G)
Tina Charles (C)
Asia Durr (G)
Reshanda Gray (F)
Bria Hartley (G)
Kia Nurse (G)
Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe (FC)
Tanisha Wright (G)
Han Xu (C)
Amanda Zahui B (C)

PHOENIX MERCURY

DeWanna Bonner (F)
Essence Carson (G)
Arica Carter (G)
Sophie Cunningham (G)
Brittney Griner (C)
Briann January (G)
Camille Little (F)
Sancho Lyttle (F)
Alanna Smith (F)
Diana Taurasi (G)
Brianna Turner (F)
Yvonne Turner (G)

SEATTLE STORM

Sue Bird (G)
Jordin Canada (G)
Alysha Clark (F)
Natasha Howard (F)
Anriel Howard (F)
Crystal Langhorne (FC)
Jewell Loyd (G)
Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis (F)
Courtney Paris (C)
Mercedes Russell (C)
Sami Whitcomb (GF)
Shavonte Zellous (G)

WASHINGTON MYSTICS

Ariel Atkins (G)
Natasha Cloud (G)
Elena Delle Donne (F)
Tianna Hawkins (F)
Myisha Hines-Allen (F)
Kiara Leslie (G)
Emma Meesseman (F)
Kim Mestdagh (G)
Aerial Powers (F)
LaToya Sanders (FC)
Kristi Toliver (G)
Shatori Walker-Kimbrough (G)

The post WNBA Opening-Night Rosters Set for 2019 Season ✅ appeared first on SLAM.

EASTERN CONFERENCE — EARLY RETURNS LEADERS

Backcourt: Tiffany Hayes (Atl) 4,288; Tiffany Mitchell (Ind) 4,202; Kristi Toliver (Was) 3,498; Sugar Rodgers (NY) 3,480; Courtney Williams (Con) 3,239; Cappie Pondexter (Chi) 2,967; Tayler Hill (Was) 2,794; Jasmine Thomas (Con) 2,696; Shavonte Zellous (NY) 2,128; Ivory Latta (Was) 2,042; Allie Quigley (Chi) 1,939; Briann January (Ind) 1,531; Erica Wheeler (Ind) 1,507

Frontcourt: Elena Delle Donne (Was) 19,280; Tina Charles (NY) 12,055; Jonquel Jones (Con) 10,585; Candice Dupree (Ind) 4,965; Stefanie Dolson (Chi) 3,170; Alyssa Thomas (Con) 3,038; Kiah Stokes (NY) 2,567; Tamera Young (Chi) 1,924; Morgan Tuck (Con) 1,740; Imani Boyette (Chi) 1,730; Natalie Achonwa (Ind) 1,385; Bria Holmes (NY) 1,320

WESTERN CONFERENCE — EARLY RETURNS LEADERS

Backcourt: Sue Bird (Sea) 16,139; Diana Taurasi (Phx) 15,207; Skylar Diggins-Smith (Dal) 11,462; Seimone Augustus (Min) 11,198; Lindsay Whalen (Min) 10,131; Jewell Loyd (Sea) 9,639; Allisha Gray (Dal) 5,766; Alana Beard (LA) 5,003; Kelsey Plum (SA) 4,221; Chelsea Gray (LA) 3,975; Moriah Jefferson (SA) 3,823; Kayla McBride (SA) 3,034; Jantel Lavender (LA) 2,002

Frontcourt: Maya Moore (Min) 19,949; Candace Parker (LA) 17,127; Sylvia Fowles (Min) 15,159; Breanna Stewart (Sea) 13,793; Nneka Ogwumike (LA) 13,563; Brittney Griner (Phx) 12,818; Rebekkah Brunson (Min) 6,236; Glory Johnson (Dal) 5,680; Ramu Tokashiki (Sea) 2,653; Karima Christmas-Kelly (Dal) 2,651; Alysha Clark (Sea) 2,517; Crystal Langhorne (Sea) 2,046

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Plum broke the all-time NCAA scoring record on February 25 with a 57-point performance, and won every major college basketball award—including the Wooden Award and Wade trophy.

https://youtu.be/-UH1KYTr1j8

Plum will join 2016 Rookie of the Year runner-up Moriah Jefferson, fourth-year guard Kayla McBride and a group of young talented players on the San Antonio roster.

Here’s how the first-round played out:

1. Kelsey Plum, G, San Antonio Stars

 

2. Alaina Coates, C, Chicago Sky

 

3. Evelyn Akhator, F/C, Dallas Wings

 

4. Allisha Gray, G, Dallas Wings

 

5. Nia Coffey, F, San Antonio Stars

 

6. Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, G, Washington Mystics

 

7. Brittney Sykes, G, Atlanta Dream

 

8. Brionna Jones, C, Connecticut Sun

 

9. Tori Jankoska, G, Chicago Sky

 

10. Kaela Davis, G, Dallas Wings

 

11. Sydney Wiese, G, L.A. Sparks

 

12. Alexis Jones, G, Minnesota Lynx

RELATED:
Kelsey Plum Draft No. 1 Overall by San Antonio Stars

The post Kelsey Plum Drafted No. 1 Overall by San Antonio Stars appeared first on SLAM.

Ten prospects will be at the Draft, which is being held in New York at Samsung 837. The nation’s illest bucket-getter Kelsey Plum, former Washington Husky, will be there, as well as three players from the South Carolina Gamecocks, the 2017 National Champs. Alaina Coates, Kaela Davis and Allisha Gray will be representing for SC.  The rest of the guests will include Alexis Jones (Baylor), Shatori Walker-Kimbrough (Maryland), Sydney Wiese (Oregon State), Nia Coffey (Northwestern), Erica McCall (Stanford) and Brionna Jones (Maryland).

Plum set the record for most points in Division I history, capped off by an insane 57-point performance. She won the Wooden Award, Nancy Lieberman Award, Naismith POY and AP Player of the Year. She’s likely to get drafted number one overall by the San Antonio Stars. The first round picks are:

1. San Antonio Stars
2. Chicago Sky (from Washington Mystics)
3. Dallas Wings
4. Dallas Wings (from Connecticut Sun via Los Angeles Sparks)
5. San Antonio Stars (from Phoenix Mercury)
6. Washington Mystics (from Seattle Storm)
7. Atlanta Dream
8. Connecticut Sun (from Indiana Fever)
9. Chicago Sky
10. Dallas Wings (from New York Liberty)
11. Los Angeles Sparks (from Los Angeles Sparks via Dallas Wings)
12. Minnesota Lynx

Coverage of the 2017 WNBA Draft begins at 7 EST on ESPN2.

The post Kelsey Plum Headlines 2017 WNBA Draft appeared first on SLAM.

by Matthew Snyder

She’s the 6-1 daughter of a former Major League Baseball star and an All-American track athlete at the University of Tennessee. Her brother was the eighth pick in the 2010 MLB draft. She learned early on that it is only through discipline that you achieve your highest dreams. 

For her, that’s basketball.

For a while, though, it seemed certain she’d pour her relentlessness into tennis. She trained in Florida with Richard Williams, father of Venus and Serena. But basketball was always there, waiting patiently. And between AAU and school ball, she figured, she was already spending so much time with this game. 

Years after she was certain she would quit it, she decided to go all-in.

And oh, man, is she doing that this season for the University of North Carolina, in her own inimitable way. 

There was that game against archrival Duke in mid-February, when she donned the vaunted sky blue and stood amidst the Cameron Crazy swirl. Standing in front of them, their hands all flaying, she…

Yawned? Oh, yes.

When the crowd gets rowdy and they’re talking trash, I’m like, I’m gonna shut you up — right now.

It’s kind of like an out-of-body experience. I’m just out there, going off instincts, my killer instinct kicking in. I don’t hear anything. I know what I’ve gotta do, and I’m gonna do it.

North Carolina won that game. She became the first player to score 30 points against the Blue Devils since 2009. Her best friend, and teammate, added 24. Two games later, she scored 38 against North Carolina State, setting the UNC single-game freshman record. Then, the Tar Heels beat the Blue Devils again to seal a regular-season sweep. 

Diamond DeShields is one of the best players in the country. She leads her team in scoring and steals. She displays this presence and this poise, this smoothness and bounce that’s so rare in the game—let alone among kids her age.

Oh, yeah, lest we forget (because she doesn’t get this nearly enough).

She’s just a freshman.

***

People would ask her the question when she’d play for her country—first, at the U18 FIBA Americas, then at the U19 FIBA World Championships, and on. 

What’s it like being the youngest player on the team?

It wasn’t anything, really, she’d reply, before making key contributions. Talent is talent. Why put an age on it?

The narrative has followed DeShields to Chapel Hill this season, where she has emerged as the leading force on an incredibly young, incredibly talented Tar Heels team ranked No. 12 in the country heading into Selection Monday. 

Her 18.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.7 steals come in just 27.1 minutes per game. She’s ladled with superlatives, announcers gushing as she does all these things with superlative ease. 

She upped those numbers in 16 Atlantic Coast Conference games to 19.8 points and 6.1 boards in 29.6 minutes. She shrugged off a heavily taped left wrist—the middle and ring finger wound together, too—that was a caution against a hard fall against High Point back in December. 

She’s doing all this with her best friend. 

At 6-0, Allisha Gray displays a similar multi-faceted threat (two of her favorite players are Kevin Durant and Diana Taurasi). Her 14.3 points are second on the team behind DeShields. She’s hitting 48 percent of her shots, and 42.3 percent of her threes. Gray has two more rebounds, with 175 on the season. DeShields has amassed six more steals. 

They’ve each been named ACC Rookie of the Week three times this season. They’ve each just earned mention on the conference All-Freshman Team. 

And it all began back in middle school, when a soft-spoken girl joined the vaunted Georgia Pistols traveling team. (DeShields is from Norcross, Gray from Sandersville.) 

Gray saw this group of girls who’d played together so long and knew each other so well. It was intimidating. When her new teammates tried to draw her into their conversations, she’d say a few words, that’s all, but mostly stayed silent. 

But the star kept cracking away at that shell. 

“She wasn’t giving up until I talked,” Gray says of DeShields, laughing. “I guess I came around.”

A friendship was born. It was burnished when they headed to nationals. Before long, they’d decided they were going to play together in college. As two of the premier talents in the country, recruited by the powers, the goal quickly became feasible. 

North Carolina emerged from the pack. They had this legendary coach, Sylvia Hatchell, who had this presence, and this style of play, that fit them. In Chapel Hill, they felt at home. “The people were very welcoming and loving, and the campus environment has some good energy,” says DeShields. “It was all positives.”

Hatchell told the incoming freshmen that they could come in and make an immediate impact. They could help push the program over the top. 

But neither DeShields nor Gray has ever played a game for her. Hatchell, winner of 660 games in her 28 years at North Carolina (her overall record stands at 932-329), stepped away from the team in mid-October to begin a treatment program after she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia.

Andrew Calder, the associate head coach, took the helm in the interim, but Hatchell, possessor of an indomitable will, has kept in frequent touch. She meets with the players individually, and gives notes and encouragement. All of the coaches are positive, says Gray, but coming from Hatchell, it means that little something more. 

“She’s the engine,” Gray says. “That makes it very special.”  

Over winter break, Hatchell hosted a party at her house. “It was some nice Christmas cheer,” says DeShields, “especially since we’re away from home.” 

Hatchell learned in mid-January that her cancer is in complete molecular remission. She still hopes to return to the sidelines before the season is up. “I make an effort to play for her struggle,” says DeShields. “It brought us together as a team.”

“We want to play and win for her,” says Gray. “This season is definitely dedicated to her.”

***

They’re always together. 

“People call us Tom and Jerry, Dumb and Dumber, everything,” says DeShields. “We’re just extremely goofy together.”

“Oh, we do a lot of stupid stuff,” says Gray. “Like, when Diamond isn’t looking, I’ll run and jump on her back. She’ll do the same to me.”

Then there’s this academic advisor, Jaimie Lee, and this sociology exam from mid-February. DeShields and Gray are in the same class, and, heading into a study session, they decided they’d try their hand at a little acting.

So Allisha sidles up to Lee with this forlorn look on her face. Turns out she got…a 45 on this test. (Gray did much better.)

“So Jamie was freaking out and stressing, and meanwhile we’re just laughing, and then Jaimie logged on and saw the real grade, and just started laughing, too” says DeShields.

“She’s so nice, and so great, but it’s funny how we do little stuff like that,” says Gray. “We know her really well. You can talk to her, and she stays on top of stuff and makes sure we perform well. You know when it’s time to be serious, but it’s funny to see how she reacts, too.”

Speaking of serious, back to that Duke game in Cameron Indoor for a moment more. 

Gray remembers hearing that student section—well, sort of. “They’re a great group, but you’re in a zone and you barely hear it,” she says. “For me, I don’t smile on the court. I’m told I have a very serious approach. When I score an and-one, I celebrate, but then it’s like, OK, I made it, now it’s time to focus on free throws.” 

It’s been mostly business this season—a thriving one at that—but there’s still moments for levity during the course of a game. Like their self-professed tunnel vision, sometimes it seems like pressure falls flat beside them. 

When DeShields missed a three-pointer minutes into a game against Virginia Tech, the ball becoming lodged between backboard and rim, she smiled, jogged over and leapt to pump it out. 

Oh, she’s been doing that since seventh grade, says Gray.

 She hasn’t been wearing No. 23 since that age, though she’s rocking it this season. Diamond, is there any added pressure to wearing those hallowed digits at North Carolina? 

No, she’ll tell you. She welcomes that challenge. Jordan is her favorite player. And she has the utmost respect for Charlotte Smith, who wore it as well when she led North Carolina to its only National Title, punctuated by her last-second, game-winning shot, in ’94. 

DeShields had always gone with 22. Her father and brother had both worn 11, and as the second DeShields child, she liked the idea of doubling that number.

But Tar Heels sophomore N’Dea Bryant had already picked it. “So I didn’t want to pick a random number,” DeShields says. “I wanted to pick one that had some significance to me. It’s such a prestigious number here because of Michael and Charlotte, and I’m thankful I was granted permission to wear it.

“I’m trying to represent.”

***

This season, DeShields was the first freshman to be named ACC Player of the Week since ’02. Both she and Gray have crested 30 points in a game, the first time a North Carolina frosh has done so since Ivory Latta in 2003-04. (Latta is currently a Tar Heels assistant coach.)

Twenty years ago, North Carolina won that National Title, and now there’s these two first-year players who help constitute such a talented freshman class that wants to add another one to the cupboard.

Both DeShields and Gray were named to the ACC’s All-Freshman team. DeShields earned conference Rookie of the Year, the seventh player to do so during Hatchell’s tenure. She picked up an All-ACC distinction, too. Add that to Xylina McDaniel’s own league Rookie of the Year award a season ago, and you get why there’s such serious buzz building around this very young, very good nucleus.

Will all these accolades distract her? Could it ever get in the way? 

Nope. DeShields has this uncanny ability to tune it all out. As she’ll tell you…

It’s all about getting into a groove, for me. Then, it’s just me and whoever’s on the court. I don’t even pay attention to the officials. It’s kind of weird. Because the game just seems to go, go, go. 

That’s when I’m at my best, getting in that zone when nothing can change me, no one can get into my head, nothing bothers me.

The post Two in the Zone appeared first on SLAM.

Courtesy of FullCourt.com:

The final roster for the 2012 U17 World Championship Team has been set with a mix of experience and first time players

“It feels great; I’m really excited”, said Kai James (William T Dwyer High School) who is one of five first time players on the squad. “It’s very surprising. It shows that all your work, your hard work in the gym, it pays off.”

Brianna Tuner (Manvel H.S.), Oderah Chidom (Bishop O’Dowd H.S.), Jessica Washington (Jenks, H.S.) and Lindsay Allen (St. John’s College) are also proud to represent the USA for the first time. “Unbelievable, like I hope I don’t wake up soon because I’m dreaming”, said an excited Turner. “I thought in the beginning I didn’t play too solidly, but as it went on I think I improved a lot.”

Seven players returning to the team from gold medal performances last year including Diamond Deshields (Norcorss H.S.), who is the only two time gold medalist having won gold with the 2010 FIBA Americas U18 Team and the 2011 USA Basketball U19 World Championship Team. Despite being a shoe in to make the team, Deshields still had nerves. “Honestly? This is the most shocking selection that I’ve been a part of yet. This is the most nervous, the most anxious that I’ve been. You may think like, ‘why is she nervous?’ But, there was such a high expectation for me coming in and then everyone just showed up.”

Joining Deshields from the FIBA Americas U16 Championship Team is Kaela Davis (Buford H.S.), Rebecca Greenwell (Owensboro Catholic H.S.), Linnae Harper (Whitney Young H.S.), Erica McCall (Ridgeview H.S.), Taya Reimer (Hamilton Southeastern H.S.), andMercedes Russell (Springfield H.S.).

Additionally, Kendall Cooper (St. Anthony H.S.), LaJahna Drummer (St. Bernard H.S.), Allisha Gray (Washington County H.S.), Stephanie Mavunga (Brownsburg H.S.); Jannah Tucker (New Town H.S.), and Jatarie White (Providence Day School) have been selected by the USA Basketball Women’s Junior National Team Committee to stay and compete in the 2012 USA Women’s U18 National Team Trials, which are currently taking place and run through May 21 at the USOTC.

The post Meet The USA U17 Women’s World Championship Team appeared first on SLAM.