National Teams Archives - Page 19 of 19

USA Basketball Holds Training Camp at UCONN

February 22, 2016 by admin

February 22, 2016

The USA basketball Women’s National team are holding a training camp in Storrs, Connecticut from February 21-23. A break in European leagues for the EuroBasket qualifiers gave players playing abroad the opportunity to to descend on the campus of the University of Connecticut to participate in the mini-camp. Those expected to be in attendance, who are all finalists for the 2016 U.S. Olympic Women’s Basketball Team are, Seimone Augustus (Minnesota Lynx), Sue Bird (Seattle Storm), Tamika Catchings(Indiana Fever), Elena Delle Donne (Chicago Sky), Stefanie Dolson (Washington Mystics), Brittney Griner (Phoenix Mercury), Jewell Loyd (Seattle Storm), Kayla McBride (San Antonio Stars), Angel McCoughtry (Atlanta Dream), Maya Moore (Minnesota Lynx), Nnemkadi Ogwumike (Los Angeles Sparks), Danielle Robinson (San Antonio Stars), Breanna Stewart (University of Connecticut), Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury), Courtney Vandersloot (Chicago Sky) and Lindsay Whalen (Minnesota Lynx).

A familiar face that many are eager to see back on the court is Diana Taurasi who took the 2015 WNBA season off for varying reasons. ESPN’s Mechelle Vopel caught up with Taurasi in Storrs and they discussed what went on during her “off season” and what she is looking forward to this coming summer. You can check the article out here. Although this training camp will last for only three days it is invaluable for these players to be able to get on the court at the same time while having to navigate conflicting schedules. Camp will especially be beneficial to the younger players who are looking to get noticed by USA basketball and perhaps find their way onto the roster for the olympics in Rio this summer. USA basketball shared some highlights from day one;

EuroBasket 2017 Qualifiers Round 3 February 20th

February 21, 2016 by Andrew

February 20, 2016

Group A:

It was expected to be one of the most evenly matched groups, but it is probably the least likely of the three teams taking the lead halfway through qualification. Slovenia downed Latvia 69-51 in a battle of unbeatens, an impressive feat given the strength of Latvia’s roster as they managed to bring in their key players.

Slovenia vs. Latvia 69-51 SLO Pirsic 13/10r Baric 11 Oblak 10 Erkic 9 Lisec 8/9r Trebec 8 Abramovic 8 Ljubenovic 2 Zdolsek 0/8r Rupnik DNP Jakovina DNP Prezelj DNP LAT Steinberga 12/7r Vitola 12 Jekabsone-Zogota 9/6a Rozenberga 6 Teilane 4/12r Basko-Melnbarde 3 Babkina 3 Krastina 2 Priede 0 Putnina 0 Melnika 0 Eibele DNP

Standings: Slovenia 2-0, Latvia 1-1, Lithuania 0-2

Group B:

The Netherlands just managed to get the important 66-63 win at winless Estonia to stay in solid shape at the halfway point. Croatia got a big game from Iva Ciglar, but it was not enough to get the win against France, which would have put them right back into the picture for qualification. The visitors took the win by a 79-70 margin to stay in firm position atop the standings.

Estonia vs. Netherlands 63-66 EST Nikolai 17/9r Pokk 11 Anderson 8 Piibur 8 Mesila-Kaarmann 6 Kasemagi 4 Bratka 4 Puu 3 Koster 2 Sokman 0 Maaring DNP Rits DNP NED Treffers 13/17r Halman 12 Klein 12 Broring 11 Bettonvil 4 Van Den Adel 4 Butter 3 Adams 3 Ligthart 2/7r De Roos 2 Fokke 0 Ndiba DNP

Croatia vs. France 70-79 CRO Ciglar 25/6a Rezan 13/11r Ivezic 11 Lelas 7 Zellous 6 Begic 5 Tikvic 2 Sandric 1 Dzankic 0 Packovski 0 Borovic 0 Miletic DNP FRA Ayayi 15 Skrela 14/8r Miyem 14/7r Gaye 12 Ciak 8 Dumerc 4/7a Tanqueray 4 Epoupa 3 Michel 2 Johannes 2 Amant 1 Salagnac 0

Standings: France 3-0, Netherlands 2-1, Croatia 1-2, Estonia 0-3 [Read more…]

EuroBasket 2017 Qualifiers February Preview

February 20, 2016 by Andrew

The second of the three two game windows for qualification will take place on Saturday and Wednesday. Teams will be looking to grab that top spot in their group, which guarantees passage to the main tournament in the Czech Republic. After those nine teams join the hosts, six more teams will qualify as group runners up after comparing their records against the first and third place teams in the group. For several teams, these games take on added meaning as they know that they will have more basketball to play this summer. Serbia will be looking to continue to build cohesion ahead of the Olympics while other teams still need to qualify, meaning that preparations now could be critical to success later.

In Group A, the two undefeated teams will face each other on Saturday to try and gain an advantage as Slovenia welcomes Latvia to Celje. On Wednesday, Latvia makes the trip to Kedainiai as neighbors Lithuania look for their first win.

In Group B, the Netherlands looks to continue its momentum from earlier, but face a tricky trip to Tallinn against winless Estonia. The other game on Saturday sees undefeated France try to navigate their most difficult remaining game visiting Croatia in Slavonski Brod. France completes the road trip on Wednesday in Tallinn while Croatia will be looking to pull themselves back into the picture when they host the Dutch in Osijek.

In Group C, two undefeated teams headline Saturday’s slate as Montenegro visits Italy in Schio. Great Britain welcomes Albania to Manchester as both teams look for their first wins and a chance to fight their way back into the picture. On Wednesday, Italy should have an easy time at Albania in Tirana, but Montenegro will continue their toughest stretch with their trip to Manchester with the British team certainly looking to take advantage. [Read more…]

Olympic Qualifying Draw

January 27, 2016 by Andrew

While focus in the United States has been on the recent announcement of the list of finalists compiled by USA Basketball, twelve countries were focused on something else Tuesday as the draw for the final qualifying tournament was made in Mies, Switzerland.

Information

After seven teams qualified from their work in previous years, the remaining twelve teams will be in Nantes, France from June 13th through June 19th to fight for five final slots. The teams are divided into four groups of three teams with the top two teams from each round robin moving on to the next round. The quarterfinals are the critical stage as winning them mean Olympic berths and an end to further competition. The losers of those four games then proceed in a four team bracket to determine the final qualifier.

The four European teams were in one pot while Cuba and Argentina joined the teams from Asia in another pot with the remaining teams in the final pot. These groups were drawn:

Group A: Cuba, New Zealand, France
Group B: Cameroon, Turkey, Argentina
Group C: Belarus, South Korea, Nigeria
Group D: Venezuela, Spain, China

The Group letter is also important as the bracket for the quarterfinals will pit Group A teams against Group B teams and Group C teams against Group D teams. Each of the European teams will be viewed as favorites to advance, placing a premium on the group stage games between each group’s non-European teams. Preparations are mere months away for teams looking to make Olympic dreams a reality. While domestic league play wraps up, some countries will also be hard at work to make sure they can gather their strongest teams for the big tournament. The four European teams will be busy next month with Eurobasket qualifiers, giving them an early chance to prepare for the summer.

Soon we will know who will join hosts Brazil, the defending world champion United States, and the five continental champions Serbia, Canada, Australia, Japan, and Senegal.

Finalist Announced For U.S. Women’s Olympic Team

January 26, 2016 by admin

LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 11: USA versus France during their Basketball Game on Day 15 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at the North Greenwich Arena on August 11, 2012 in London, England. Copyright 2012 NBAE (Photo by Garrett W. Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)

25 player’s have been chosen to compete for a spot on this summer’s Olympic team that will compete in Rio de Janeiro from August 5-21. Finalists for the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team include: Seimone Augustus (Minnesota Lynx), Sue Bird(Seattle Storm), Tamika Catchings (Indiana Fever), Tina Charles (New York Liberty), Elena Delle Donne (Chicago Sky), Skylar Diggins (Dallas Wings), Stefanie Dolson (Washington Mystics), Candice Dupree (Phoenix Mercury), Sylvia Fowles (Minnesota Lynx), Brittney Griner (Phoenix Mercury), Briann January (Indiana Fever), Jantel Lavender (Los Angeles Sparks), Kayla McBride (San Antonio Stars),Angel McCoughtry (Atlanta Dream), Maya Moore (Minnesota Lynx), Chiney Ogwumike (Connecticut Sun), Nnemkadi Ogwumike (Los Angeles Sparks), Candace Parker (Los Angeles Sparks), Danielle Robinson (San Antonio Stars), Odyssey Sims (Dallas Wings), Breanna Stewart (University of Connecticut), Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury), Courtney Vandersloot (Chicago Sky), Lindsay Whalen (Minnesota Lynx), and Jewell Loyd (Seattle Storm).

This pool is a mix of veterans, youth and USA basketball experienced players. There are several players on the finalist list that have already secured gold in past Olympic games. Leading the pack with three gold medals a piece are Bird, Catchings and Taurasi. Augustus, Fowles and Parker have all earned two gold medals, while Charles, McCoughtry, Moore and Whalen have won one. This pool of players is so deep that the U.S. could very well field two teams in Rio. The final roster will include 12 players and will be selected by he USA Basketball Women’s National Team Player Selection Committee. Those include, Reneé Brown, WNBA chief of basketball operations and player relations; Dan Hughes, head coach and general manager of the San Antonio Stars; and Chris Sienko, vice president and general manager of the Connecticut Sun; and three-time Olympic and two-time FIBA World Championship gold medalist Katie Smith, serves as the athlete representative.

I’m wondering what new faces may possibly earn a spot on this year’s team. There is some high quality young talent in the pool of 25 who i’m sure are eager to show their talent and compete for one of the 12 spots on the team. The USA Basketball Women’s National Team has won five-straight Olympic gold medals and I don’t see that changing for quite some time. Spain, Australia, Russia and France usually field very competitive squads in the Olympic games and may put up a challenge if they come up against the U.S. Do you see any country giving the U.S. a real challenge? I’m confident in my prediction of the U.S. bringing home Olympic gold medal number 6.

EuroBasket 2017 Qualifiers Round 2

November 26, 2015 by Andrew

FIBA/Alberto Nevado

November 25, 2015

A handful of new teams made their debuts in this format after not playing on Saturday. Slovenia, Belgium, and Finland joined in as Latvia, Poland, and Sweden did not play. All of the other groups have seen all teams playing two games now.

Group A:

Slovenia saw their first action, controlling the second half in Kedainiai to record a key 73-64 road win in Lithuania.

Lithuania vs. Slovenia 73-64 LTU Sulciute 16/6r Gutkauskaite 11 Nacickaite 10 Petronyte 8/9r Okockyte 8 Kuktiene 7 Solopova 4 Grigalauskyte 0 Paugaite 0 Pikciute 0 Siksniute 0 Visgaudaite DNP SLO Erkic 19 Oblak 16 Lisec 12 Baric 11 Pirsic 9/8r Trebec 4 Zdolsek 2 Ljubenovic 0 Rupnik DNP Jakovina DNP Gjerkes DNP Prezelj DNP

Standings: Slovenia 1-0 Latvia 1-0 Lithuania 0-2

Group B:

Croatia shook off a sluggish start in Tallinn to win 67-55 in Estonia as Shavonte Zellous led the way. France eventually pulled away from the Netherlands to win 76-52 in Amsterdam.

Estonia vs. Croatia 55-67 EST Nikolai 13 Koster 12 Puu 6 Anderson 6 Mesila-Kaarmann 6 Bratka 5 Pokk 3 Sokman 2 Piibur 2 Rosenfeldt DNP Kosk DNP Perv DNP CRO Zellous 21 Ciglar 14 Rezan 11 Sandric 6 Premasunac 5/9r Ivankovic 4/6r Ivezic 4 Dzankic 2 Begic 0/6r Dojkic 0 Borovic 0 Packovski 0

Netherlands vs. France 52-76 NED Treffers 14/7r Broring 11 Halman 9 Van Den Adel 6 Butter 5 Klein 4 Van Grinsven 2 Bettonvil 1 Ligthart 0 Klerx 0 Ndiba 0 Bettonvil 0 FRA Miyem 16/8r Johannes 15 Amant 10 Skrela 9 Ayayi 7/11r Gaye 6 Dumerc 6 Ciak 4 Gomis-Halilovic 3 Lardy 0 Michel 0 Kamba 0

Standings: France 2-0 Croatia 1-1 Netherlands 1-1 Estonia 0-2 [Read more…]

EuroBasket 2017 Qualifiers Round 1

November 22, 2015 by Andrew

November 21, 2015

Group A:

Latvia was one of the teams hoping to benefit from having a full strength team in the middle of the season and they beat their neighbors Lithuania 65-62 at home in Riga.

Latvia vs. Lithuania 65-62 LAT Teilane 15/6r Jekabsone-Zogota 15 Basko-Melnbarde 12 Steinberga 9 Rozenberga 6 Putnina 5 Babkina 3 Melnika 0 Krastina 0 Eibele DNP Priede DNP Vitola DNP LTU Nacickaite 14 Okocyte 11/8a Sulciute 11 Petronyte 10 Kuktiene 7/9r Siksniute 4 Paugaite 4 Gutkauskaite 1 Grigalauskyte 0 Solopova 0 Pikciute 0 Skadaite DNP

Group B:

Endene Miyem led France past Estonia 69-41 in Bourges. In Amsterdam, the hosts controlled the second half to upend Croatia 76-67 win Zera Butter leading the way.

France vs. Estonia 69-41 FRA Miyem 22 Ciak 13/6r Amant 9 Ayayi 8 Kamba 5 Skrela 4 Bernies 2 Dumerc 2 Salagnac 2 Tanqueray 2 Gaye 0 Michel 0 EST Pokk 12/6r Puu 7 Anderson 7 Mesila-Kaarmann 4 Piibur 4 Nikolai 3 Perv 2 Koster 2 Bratka 0/6r Rosenfeldt 0 Kosk DNP Maaring DNP

Netherlands vs. Croatia 76-67 NED Butter 23 Treffers 14/6r Halman 14 Van Grinsven 8 Van Den Adel 5 Ligthart 4 Klein 4 Bettonvil 2 Broring 2 Ndiba 0 Kuijt 0 Bettonvil 0 CRO Ciglar 19/7a Ivezic 14/7r Sandric 9 Rezan 7/7r Premasunac 7 Zellous 6 Ivankovic 5 Begic 0 Borovic DNP Dzankic DNP Dojkic DNP Packovski DNP [Read more…]

EuroBasket 2017 Qualifiers Preview

November 20, 2015 by Andrew

A new qualification scheme for EuroBasket comes into place as teams look to earn spots in the summer of 2017. As before, hosts qualify automatically, so the Czech Republic knows that it will be one of sixteen teams there. Unlike previous editions, all of the other countries who wish to join must go through the qualifying process. This is possible because qualification is held during the club season instead of the summer. Teams that were involved in global tournaments used to be given a break from qualifying to represent the continent on a wider scale. The teams have been divided into nine groups with three groups containing three teams and six groups containing four teams. Each winner of the group’s double round robin advances. The second place teams are then ranked with six of the nine taking the final places in the tournament. In order to ensure a fair comparison between groups of different sizes, results against fourth place teams are removed before comparing teams. The first two rounds of games will take place this Saturday and Wednesday. There will also be two rounds of games in February with the qualification process wrapping up with two more rounds in November. [Read more…]