Getting Closer By The Day

Sept. 20, 2010 • Brno, Czech Republic

Photo Gallery

The 2010 USA Women's World Championship Team played in its final warm-up prior to the 2010 FIBA World Championship with a closed scrimmage against Czech Republic this evening, Sept. 20, in Brno. And while the team is still missing pieces, including WNBA Champions Sue Birdand Swin Cash of the Seattle Storm, along with Angel McCoughtry and USA assistant coach Marynell Meadors of the Atlanta Dream, the USA took another step closer to determining the official 12-member roster, which is yet to come, and another step closer to opening play in the Worlds on Sept. 23 in Ostrava.

The USA recorded a 96-79 win, but the focus was on defense when USABasketball.com talked with USA and University of Connecticut head coach Geno Auriemma and six players of the 14 players in contention for a roster spot following the contest.

Auriemma

USA head coach Geno Auriemma (University of Connecticut)
What did you get out of tonight's scrimmage against the Czech Republic?
We were able to kind of work on some things. We just don't play enough games, obviously. We're not together enough. So, the more we're together, the more it helps us. The hardest thing is defensively for us to be a cohesive unit. Especially against teams over here that are so organized. They run their stuff and they all shoot the ball real well. The first half I thought we struggled a little bit on the defensive end, the second half I thought we were great. So, it was really important that we did this.

Will defense be the key to this team in the tournament?
I think so. I think all of our success is going to have to come from the defensive end because you can't just go out there and outscore these guys all the time. You gotta get some stops. You have to gotta figure out a way to neutralize some of these teams. As I said, they have five players on the floor all the time who can score. You don't have the ability to play off of somebody, so you have to know what you're doing. You have to make good decisions. These next couple of days, before we start on Thursday, we have to get better defensively.

Not to overlook any opponent, but are you happy that the USA's first two opponents aren't as strong as your third game's opponent will be?
No. I think the teams that we're playing in pool play, obviously you want to win every game and you have to prepare for every game. You don't want to go into any game thinking that this is a practice game for the big games to come. I think what's important is that you play well and build momentum going into the next round. That's something that we want to be ready to do on Thursday. We've been traveling a lot. We've been playing a lot. We've been doing what other teams are doing. At this time of the year, right now, it's important that we get our minds set in a positive frame of mind and move on from there.

How difficult will the USA Basketball Women's National Team Selection Committee's decision be in terms of determining the final team?
Yeah, I think it's been really difficult. It's still difficult and we're getting down to the last day. I don't know what the committee … what's going to come of all this. I wish it was so clear cut that you could just say it's obvious that so-and-so and so-and-so didn't make the roster. But it hasn't been clear cut and every day it gets less clear cut. What we thought might be the situation when we left, all of a sudden changes day to day. It's almost the more we play and the more we practice, the more it changes. So maybe we should just stop and go play our games.

Appel

Jayne Appel (San Antonio Silver Stars)
What do you think this team got out of the scrimmage?
I think we learned a lot, in terms of we can't just try and come out and try and outscore other teams; we need to play a lot of defense every game, every possession. And we need to get a good shot every possession because we know teams are going to score.

Does this team have its offense solidly in place?
I think, generally, everyone came in knowing what to do because of the past training camps, but we have been sharpening things up and kind of refocusing on what exactly we are looking for.

Do you like the offense? Is it difficult to run?
I like it. We ran it for four years at Stanford, or a similar offense. So for me, it's kind of is just re-training and making sure I'm looking for all of our options. So, yeah, I enjoy it.

How is the team chemistry?
It's good. It's building. I think all of the traveling helps with that and helps us build that as we get closer to the world championship, off and on the court.

Is this team on the same page defensively?
I think coach brought up a good point today after practice, which was to make sure we don't foul because every team we play will be a good free-throw shooting team, and you only get five fouls per quarter before they get two shots. So, I think if we sharpen up on that, then we'll really be making some improvements.

How helpful were the two games in Salamanca?
I think it was helpful in terms of realizing how many options we have on this team, and realizing how valuable each player is and trying to find a role on the team for every person. It was important because it helped everyone see what they are needed for on the court, instead of trying to do too many things.

How does this travel schedule compare to the WNBA, playing overseas or even your college days?
I think it's all pretty similar, except for the big time change. I think that took a while. I think everyone is almost at the point where we are on this time zone, but it will take a couple more days to really be accustomed and get in good sleep. So, I think it's all pretty similar with the exception of the time change.

How do you feel physically? How is the team holding up?
I think we're doing good. We come out each day, and it's a short and sharp practice. You know, I don't think we are getting run into the ground. We have plenty of time to rest during the day. It's just about making sure we are taking care of our bodies during our off time.

Dupree

Candice Dupree Phoenix Mercury
What do you think you learned from this scrimmage?
That we have to be aggressive and play defense for the entire 40 minutes. First half, like coach said, we tried to outscore them, and we can't do that. One through 11 on the opposing teams can score, so we have to play defense the entire game.

How did it feel coming out to practice this morning after a long travel day yesterday?
For me it felt good to get out here and get moving around. It was a long travel day yesterday, but I think we're ready. We had a good practice this morning. We got a couple of new things in.

How's the team's chemistry?
Well, based on some of our games, it doesn't look too good. But it's coming along. It's difficult when you have to cut players and then you have three more players coming in. Today everything was looking good. We were moving the ball, playing defense pretty well, so it looks better.

Are you still learning during this process from the coaching staff and other players?
Absolutely. That's my goal, to try to learn something every day. Coach put in a couple new plays today, some zone stuff, we're working on some press stuff. Jen (Gillom) has been talking to me a lot more as far as being aggressive, crashing the boards and all that stuff.

What do you think you would be able to contribute to this team?
Hopefully to come out here and be aggressive on both ends of the floor, rebound the ball, that's something I didn't do when we were in Spain, and be a little more aggressive on offense.

Was it difficult to say goodbye to three of your teammates yesterday?
It was tough. It was like a top-secret mission the other night. I don't think anybody really knew what was going on. It kind of all seems a little surreal. You know there are 14 of us together the entire trip and you know they have to get rid of three of them. It's tough, but you have to keep working. You have to move on and I'm sure I'll be seeing them in the off season and next summer.

Jones

Asjha Jones, Connecticut Sun
What do you think this team will take away from the scrimmage against Czech Republic?
I think when we don't play defense the way that we are capable of playing defense, when we don't get through screens, teams are just too good and they make those shots. When we want to play good defense, we can do it. It's not that we don't play hard. It's just that we need to make a commitment to getting things done on that end of the floor. Everybody on the team is capable of it, and when we do, we look really good. When we don't, we look bad.

Does this team have its offense solidly in place?
I think we definitely have all the things we need in place, it's just a matter of getting spacing and getting everybody involved. We have so many good players, you can run sets to play one-on-one, but at the same time, I think we have a lot of unselfish players. The more we share the ball, the better we will be.

How is the team chemistry?
We are still adding three more players. So, until we finally get everybody in place and get to practice together, I think we will be continuing to work on our chemistry and our identity. I think we have a system of how we want to play, it's just a matter of getting people here.

Are you looking forward to adding Sue Bird, Swin Cash and Angel McCoughtry?
I'm just looking forward to the team being settled and everybody knowing exactly if they are on the team or if they are not on the team, whatever it is. I think everybody is giving their best effort, and I'm just ready for it to be final.

Is that difficult to play through, not knowing the final 12?
It can be if you dwell on it, but the idea is just to live in the moment. It's a great opportunity, whether you make the team or not, to be out here and playing with this team, so I guess the key is to stay in the moment.

How similar or different is this experience from playing for Geno Auriemma in college?
I guess it's pretty similar. Coach has a style of play. He wants to get everybody moving and everybody involved and just take good shots. So, his philosophy hasn't changed at all over the years.

How helpful were the two games in Salamanca?
It was an opportunity to play together against foreign teams, and I think that was great for us. In the States, we wouldn't have had that opportunity.

How do you feel physically? How is the team holding up?
We have a lot of people who can play, so it's not like people are playing too many minutes. As long as we just keep everybody rotating through, I think we are going to be good.

How does this travel schedule compare to the WNBA, playing overseas or even your college days?
I think we are used to all different schedules. In the summer, we play a lot of games. You play back-to-backs and all of that kind of stuff, and most of us play in the EuroLeague, too. So, I think our experiences playing overseas and during the summers has prepared us for this.

Lawson

Kara Lawson, Connecticut Sun
How helpful do you think this scrimmage against Czech Republic was for this team?
Because we have a short preparation time, we've been together for just two weeks, anytime you can scrimmage another team it's helpful. We saw their style of play, their size, their skill level, and it's going to help us as we are building toward the tournament. Each team that you play has different strengths, so you're going to have to adapt defensively to what their strengths are on the offensive end. Czech shot the ball really well and they have great size, so it was good for us to get a feel for them and for another international team.

How is the team chemistry right now?
I think it's coming along real well. When you've been playing this long you have connections with almost everybody. We have players who have played college together like Seimone and Sylvia; Catch and I played in college together; Sue, Swin and Asjha; so you have groups of people who know each other from college. Then you have teammates, so like Seimone plays with Lindsay, I play with Tina and Asjha, there are pockets of us who know each other from other teams. You're already kind of familiar with them, then a bunch of us have USA Basketball experience together. I think it's really good. It's a good blend. We have some young players where it's their first time. We have some who are really experienced, too. So, I think we're all anxious for the other three players to join us, then we'll be complete.

You've played with a lot of great teammates in your career in college, professionally and with USA Basketball. Are you still learning things and improving upon your game?
The one thing that playing with all these guys does is really, really expose your weaknesses. I remember the first time I played with the USA National Team. I was like 'Okay, I've got to work on this and this and this when I get back.' Because you realize that at this level, there's a smaller margin for error and players will expose you on either end. Every time I come here, one part of my game, or more, will get exposed. So, you try to work on that and get better. You also want to use the strengths of your teammates to kind of help you out. That's the beauty of our team. We have so many good people. Coach says this all the time, if someone's better at something that you're about to do, give the ball to them to do it, right? Because they're better than you at it. If we all have that type of attitude, we have a chance to fulfill our goal, which is to win this tournament.

What will the key to this team's success be?
I think the key is always on the defensive end. Do you have the ability to get stops? Do you have the ability to rebound the basketball and not let the other team get second chance opportunities? Do you play soundly on the defensive end, where you don't foul them? If we can keep a team from getting to the free throw line, if we can keep a team from getting extra rebounds, we feel like we have a chance to get out and run and win. That's our strength, getting out in transition, running, playing, having fun on the offensive end. Our depth is always the key and the only way you can use your depth to your advantage is if you play at that high tempo and that's what we want to do.

Moore

Maya Moore, University of Connecticut
How do you feel this team did in the scrimmage today?
We did a little bit better. I thought that we were able to adjust defensively when they were getting open threes in the first half. I think we have up about four open threes. I the second half, I thought we did a better job of making it tougher on them and not allowing as many open looks. We still know some spots that we need to tighten up defensively, and we can still get in a better rhythm offensively, but I think we made improvements.

How similar or different is this experience from playing for Geno Auriemma in college?
He has said this before, when you are coaching professionals players, there are certain things that don't have to be said that he might harp on in college. So, there's an assumptions that the pro players know how to fix problems as opposed to teaching in college. But as far as attention to detail, the competitiveness that he wants us to bring, the energy - the basic concepts of how he wins are all the same. So, I feel really comfortable, and I think a lot of the players are really gelling in his system.

You are the only college student, how has this experience been for you?
Some things are different, like having to pay attention to what certain players like to do and their tendencies and all of the little things that you are going to need at the pro level because everybody can hurt you. That has been something I've learned from the pro players, and some little tricks here and there - how to get around certain screens or how to set certain screens. The physicality of it is a whole other level. You have to be physical, otherwise you'll get in trouble. But I've tried to observe and watch and tried to get a feel for the dynamics of certain people and their leadership styles. Contrasting certain players, like Diana, who is pretty loud and is very hands on, and Tamika, who speaks up sometimes as well, but she does it a lot with her energy on the court making certain plays. So, seeing the impact those veterans make.

Does this team have an identity yet?
I think we are still working on it. It's kind of a tough spot where we don't have everyone here. We rarely have all the pieces together at one time, so I think we are used to that, but it still makes it tough to get a literal feel for each other on the court under a new coach. Every four years, it's a new go-around, and it's a little bit of an adjustment. But we are moving along. We've had some bumps in the road, but I think the expectation is for high energy, sharing the ball and just making plays. Anytime you are out on the court, you have to able to make plays. But as far as, like coach was saying, finding your strengths on this team, it's not going to be the same as it was necessarily back on your own team. It's about coming here and finding out what you do best and doing that.

Is it difficult not knowing who the final 12 will be?
I don't really think about it when I'm playing. I think it's more off the court and when he says things like he did the other day, like, 'This is the last time this group will be together,' it's tough. I hate that process. I hate the fact that you have to work and sweat and fight with your teammates around, knowing a few of them aren't going to be there or you potentially won't be there. I haven't really let it stress me, but it is a tough spot when it comes down to saying somebody has to go home.

You are also taking classes while you are on the road. How has that been?
It's going. I took a test a couple of days ago, and I think I did really well on it. There is another one coming up in the next couple of days, and I have to a lot of studying tonight. Tonight is going to be a big study night. But I try to make it so that I study on down days, when we just have a practice. After this test that's coming up, I won't have any more tests while I'm here, so that will be good. But I'm moving along. It's just a lot of reading. We've had a lot of travel, especially yesterday, when I was able to catch up on reading. Even when I'm back at school, there is always more that you can do. I'm just trying to find a balance where I can still remember why I'm here. I am a student, but I want to fully experience this time with the team, too. If we are going out to dinner, I'm going to go with them and study later. Overall, it's been a great experience.

Whalen

Lindsay Whalen, Minnesota Lynx
How do you think this team did in tonight's scrimmage?
Well, I think in the first half we came out and they were getting open threes and open shots. When we picked up our intensity and our aggressiveness in the second half, and we got after it, we were able to then get some stuff on the offensive end that was good. Once we picked it up on the defensive end, it translated into some easy baskets on the offensive end, and the flow was better. I think everybody felt more involved and more into the game, and that's what you want. So, from the start of the game, we need to bring that energy. Tonight, we didn't do that at the start, but then in the second half we did. Overall, it was a good step for us and another good team to play against.

Was it fun to play against your EuroLeague coach and some of your teammates?
Yeah, just the coaches and everybody over there, so many familiar faces, girls that I've played with now for, this will be four years, and that I've become really good friends with. I spend half the year in Prague, so we get close, and we are good friends. The head coach and assistant coach are my coaches during the season, so of course I know them well. They're great people. Seeing them here, and hearing coach yell, I knew exactly what he was yelling on the sideline in Czech. He was yelling rebounding and defense. So, it was just fun to see coach and some familiar faces.

You've played in Prague for a few years, does you feel like you're back home?
Yeah, flying into the airport yesterday, I saw some familiar sights. I've been to that airport lots of times, then seeing the city on our way out of town, there's some familiarity. I know a little bit of the language. Then lots of my teammates and coaches are on the Czech team, so it's fun to see some familiar faces.

Did you give your teammates a scouting report on the Czech team?
Yeah, I let everybody know what everyone's strengths are. I've played with a lot of them for three years. I know everybody's game pretty well.

How does it feel to be one of the finalists for the 2010 USA World Championship Team?
It's a huge honor. I want to keep trying to work hard and help the team in any way. I have to keep doing whatever I'm doing, keep working hard and having fun.

What do you think you can contribute to this team?
Being able to get us organized, offensively. Taking the ball to the basket, finding people, getting to the lane and making things happen. Defensively, keeping good pressure on the ball, keeping people out of the lane, things like that. Then just trying to work hard, bring effort and energy every day, just being a good teammate.

What have you learned about your game since the start of training camp?
I learned lots of different cuts, motion cutting. I learned how everybody on a day-to-day basis how professional everyone is, how everyone handles themselves. Learning from great players, this is what I feel like I want to be. Watching the people who have been on Olympic teams before, winning championships, just watching coach and how he carries himself, watching people like that makes you want to carry yourself in a professional manner. I think just learning those things, and then on the court, learning things, getting better playing against great players every day makes you better. In this competitive spirit, it really brings the best out of everyone. It's been a really fun atmosphere and a really great group to be around.