2012 U.S. Olympic Team Notes & Records

• Six U.S. team members first played for USA Basketball in high school and four started while in college. Below is a listing of each athlete’s first USA Basketball experience.
• Seimone Augustus: after trying out for and being cut from two USA Basketball teams (2001, 2002), won a gold medal at the 2003 FIBA U21 World Championship and was named the tournament MVP.
• Sue Bird: won a gold medal at the 2000 R. William Jones Cup.
• Swin Cash: first played for USA Basketball in Havana, Cuba, with the 2004 USA National Team.
• Tamika Catchings: won a silver medal at the 1996 FIBA Americas U18 Championship.
• Tina Charles: won a bronze medal at the 2005 USA Basketball Youth Development Festival.
• Sylvia Fowles: won a silver medal at the 2003 USA Basketball Youth Development Festival.
• Angel McCoughtry: won a gold medal at the 2007 Pan American Games.
• Maya Moore: won a gold medal at the 2006 FIBA Americas U18 Championship.
• Candace Parker: finished in fourth place at the 2003 USA Basketball Youth Development Festival.
• Diana Taurasi: won a gold medal at the 2000 FIBA Americas U18 Championship, playing for Geno Auriemma.
• Lindsay Whalen: won a gold medal at the 2002 FIBA Americas U20 Championship.
• Tina Charles is the third U.S. Olympian to play her prep career at Christ the King High School (N.Y.), following Sue Bird (2004, 2008, 2012) and Chamique Holdsclaw (2000). The only other high school USA Basketball found with multiple Olympians was Morningside High School (Calif.), which produced four-time Olympic gold medalist Lisa Leslie (1996, 2000, 2004, 2008) and two-time gold medalist Tina Thompson (2004, 2008).
• With a total of 14 Olympians, the University of Tennessee is the only school to have representation on every U.S. Olympic women’s basketball team. Only two other schools have five or more alumni listed on the U.S. Olympic women’s basketball roster: Connecticut (seven, including this year's addition of Tina Charles and Maya Moore) and Southern California (five).
• There are six athletes (Sue Bird, Swin Cash, Cynthia Cooper, Sheryl Swoopes, Diana Taurasi, Kara Wolters) with a NCAA title, WNBA championship, FIBA World Championship gold medal and Olympic gold medal. Maya Moore has an opportunity to join that group this summer after earning two NCAA championships, the 2011 WNBA title and 2010 FIBA World Championship gold medal.
• The USA roster features 10 of the last 12 Naismith Player of the Year award winners, including Tamika Catchings (2000), Sue Bird (2002), Diana Taurasi (2003, 2004), Seimone Augustus (2005, 2006), Candace Parker (2008), Maya Moore (2009, 2011) and Tina Charles (2010).
• There are seven NCAA champions on the USA roster (Sue Bird, Swin Cash, Tamika Catchings, Tina Charles, Maya Moore, Candace Parker, Diana Taurasi) and six WNBA champions (Seimone Augustus, Sue Bird, Swin Cash, Maya Moore, Diana Taurasi, Lindsay Whalen).
• Tamika Catchings was the first athlete ever to win gold medals at the FIBA U19 World Championship (1997) and FIBA World Championship (2002, 2010). Maya Moore became the second to do so after earning gold at the 2007 FIBA U19 World Championship and gold at the 2010 FIBA World Championship.
• Recipients of the USA Basketball Female Athletes of the Year include: Seimone Augustus (2003), Diana Taurasi (2006, 2010), Tina Charles (2009).
• Seven U.S. team members are competing this weekend in Istanbul, Turkey, for the 2012 EuroLeague title, including Seimone Augustus for Spartak Moscow Region, Sue Bird and Candace Parker for UMMC Ekaterinburg, Tina Charles and Diana Taurasi for Galatasaray, Angel McCoughtry for Fenerbache and Maya Moore for Ros Casares Valencia. Bird and Taurasi are the only two who have won EuroLeague titles, doing so four straight years (2007-2010) while playing for Spartak Moscow Region. Sylvia Fowles, who is on Gala’s Turkish League roster, but doesn’t compete for the team in the EuroLeague, also won in 2009 and 2010 with Spartak.

U.S. Olympic Team Records (single game, career and single competition)

• Sue Bird: ranks fifth among all-time USA athletes for Olympic career assists (37).
• Swin Cash: tied for the highest single game free throw percentage (1.000, 7-7 FTs).
• Tamika Catchings: ranks 10th among all-time USA athletes for Olympic career points (109) and fifth for career rebounds (78) and steals (36); ranks third (tie) for single competition field goal percentage (.724 in 2008) and fifth for steals (22 in 2004).
• Sylvia Fowles: ranks eighth among all-time USA athletes for Olympic career field goal percentage (.643); ranks second for single competition rebounds (67 in 2008) and fifth for blocked shots (7 in 2008).
• Diana Taurasi: holds the USA records for most 3-point field goals made (5) and attempted (8, twice) in a single game; ranks seventh among all-time USA athletes for Olympic career points (155), fourth for career free throw percentage (.909), eighth for career rebounds (55), assists (27, tie) and 3-point field goal percentage (.377); ranks second for highest free throw percentage in a single competition (15-15 FTs, 1.000 in 2008).