USA Basketball Women's National Team Set To Participate In 2010 WNBA All-Star Game

Colorado Springs, Colo. - Jan. 27, 2010
- Press Conference Quotes

As part of its training for this year's FIBA World Championship, the 2010 USA Basketball Women's National Team will participate in the WNBA All-Star Game on Saturday, July 10, at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., the WNBA and USA Basketball announced today. The game will be nationally televised on ESPN with tip-off scheduled for 3:30 p.m. EDT.

Unlike recent WNBA All-Star Games, the 2010 edition will feature a unique, exciting format in which the USA Basketball Women's National Team will compete against a team of WNBA all-stars. The U.S. squad will be coached by Geno Auriemma, who will guide the national team through 2012. As the head coach at the nearby University of Connecticut, Auiremma has led the school's women's program to six national championships, including the 2009 title. In his first stint as head of the national team Auriemma led the U.S. to a 3-0 slate against a trio of Europe's top professional teams at the 2009 UMMC Ekaterinburg Invitational.

-We will showcase the greatest female basketball players in the world," said league President Donna Orender. -With Geno Auriemma leading the national team in his home state before of one of the WNBA's most dedicated fan bases at a terrific venue and we're set for a great basketball experience."

-Women's basketball is ingrained in the fabric of the state of Connecticut," said Sun Chief Executive Officer Mitchell Etess. -Sun fans, in particular, proved that last year, filling the arena for the 2009 WNBA All-Star Game and making that game one of the greatest in the history of the event. Now in 2010 we're thrilled to be able to offer our fans an opportunity to see the best women's basketball players in the world all on one court at the same time with a unique twist."

-On behalf of USA Basketball, I want to thank the WNBA for providing us with this extraordinary " and important " opportunity to gather the USA Women's National Team together in advance of the 2010 World Championship," added Auriemma. -As we prepare to face teams from around the world, there is no better competition we could face than to tip off against a team of WNBA all-stars."

This marks the second time a USA National Team will go against a team comprised of WNBA standouts. Prior to the 2004 Olympic Games the U.S. faced a team comprised of WNBA players in an exhibition game at Radio City Music Hall. In an exciting send-off for the U.S. team that eventually captured gold in Athens, the USA was led in the 74-58 victory by Lisa Leslie's 15 points.

Auriemma will be assisted through the 2010 FIBA World Championship by DePaul University head coach Doug Bruno and Los Angeles Sparks head coach Jennifer Gillom.

In the past dozen years, the highly successful USA Basketball Women's National Team program, ranked No. 1 in the world by FIBA, has posted a 63-1 slate in major international competitions, winning four consecutive Olympic gold medals (1996, 2000, 2004, 2008), two FIBA World Championship golds (1998, 2002), one FIBA World Championship bronze medal (2006) and one FIBA Americas Championship gold medal (2007).

Sun season-ticket holders will receive information this week detailing an opportunity to buy their current seats for the All-Star Game in advance of a public on-sale date. Others with an opportunity to purchase All-Star tickets prior to the public sale date include fans who purchase one of the Sun Mini Plan options, which go on sale Feb. 1, or those who purchase a Sun pick-a-plan option that will go on sale in March.

Connecticut's Mohegan Sun Arena, host of the 2005, 2009 and 2010 WNBA All-Star games, joins New York's Madison Square Garden as the only venues to stage the event three times. In addition to hosting the league's first All-Star event on July 14, 1999, Madison Square Garden was the site of the All-Star Game in 2003 and again in 2006 during the league's 10th anniversary season. Washington, D.C. hosted the game in 2002 and 2007. Last year, the Seattle Storm's Swin Cash " a product of Auriemma's at UConn and a 2004 Olympic gold medalist, earned the game's MVP honor by scoring a record 22 points on 10-16 shooting from the field. She also added six rebounds and four assists to lead the Western Conference over the Eastern Conference, 133-118.