COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Seimone Augustus and Sylvia Fowles, both members of LSU’s women’s basketball team, have been invited to join the United States Women’s National Team spring training following the NCAA Final Four and the WNBA Draft in early April.
The duo will join Team USA in Australia for the Opals World Challenge on April 7-12.
Augustus and Fowles helped LSU advance to its third straight Final Four with a victory over Stanford on Monday. The Lady Tigers will face either Duke or UConn in the national semifinals on Sunday evening.
The pair will join fellow collegians Cappie Pondexter of Rutgers and Ohio State’s Jessica Davenport on the team that mainly consists of Olympians and WNBA stars.
“I’m excited about this mix of players,” said Team USA head coach Anne Donovan. “It’s going to be great to get some of the college kids out here. I’ve really enjoyed working with the younger players who don’t have a lot of senior-level international experience. These young players all have international experience, but it’s all with our junior program. It’ll be interesting to see how they adapt to playing in our senior program and I’m sure they’re looking forward to playing with some of our Olympians.”
Olympic gold medalists Swin Cash (Detroit Shock), a member of the first European Tour squad; Ruth Riley (Detroit Shock); Katie Smith (Detroit Shock), who competed in both of the USA’s 2006 European tours; and Tina Thompson (Houston Comets) will provide the veteran leadership for a squad that will feature young WNBA talent in 2006 USA Women’s National Team spring training participants Alana Beard (Washington Mystics); Kristin Haynie (Sacramento Monarchs) and Kara Lawson (Sacramento Monarchs); as well as Shameka Christon (New York Liberty), a member of the 2001 bronze medal winning USA Junior World Championship Team.
The internationally experienced crew of collegians all helped the U.S. earn the 2005 World University Games gold medal. A member of five USA Basketball teams, Pondexter boasts four gold medals and one bronze in international play. Most notably, Pondexter and Augustus, the 2003 USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Year and MVP of the 2003 FIBA World Championship For Young Women, teamed up to lead the 2003 USA World Championship For Young Women Team to gold in Croatia.
Augustus and Fowles helped guide Team USA to the gold medal this past summer in the world University Games in Turkey.
USA athletes involved in the Final Four and/or the 2005 WNBA Draft will travel with Donovan and Thibault and join the squad in Australia.
USA Basketball will announce the final 12-member 2006 USA World Championship Team by the end of June.
Name, Pos., School or WNBA Team
Seimone Augustus, F, LSU
Alana Beard, G, Washington Mystics
Swin Cash, F, Detroit Shock
Shameka Christon, G/F, New York Liberty
Jessica Davenport, C, Ohio State
Sylvia Fowles, C, LSU
Kristin Haynie, G, Sacramento Monarchs
Kara Lawson, G, Sacramento Monarchs
Cappie Pondexter, G, Rutgers
Ruth Riley, C, Detroit Shock
Katie Smith, G, Detroit Shock
*Sheryl Swoopes, F, Houston Comets
Tina Thompson, F, Houston Comets
Head Coach: Anne Donovan, Seattle Storm
Assistant Coach: Mike Thibault, Connecticut Sun
Assistant Coach: Gail Goestenkors, Duke University (N.C.)
Assistant Coach: Dawn Staley, Temple University (Pa.)
* Due to prior commitments, Swoopes will train with the USA Basketball team in Boston, but will not compete in the Opals World Challenge