USA Women's National Team Ready To Roll Into London

Istanbul, Turkey • July 24, 2012

Next stop for the 2012 USA Basketball Women's National Team: London. After gathering on July 14 Washington, DC, the U.S. women have recorded four wins in exhibition play in three different countries, and by the time the ball tips in the team's first Olympic contest against Croatia on July 28, the squad will have had a total of 10 practices together.

Two of those preceded the team's first exhibition win over China (100-62) in Seattle on May 12. Six more practices occured somewhere between DC, Manchester, England and Istanbul, Turkey, and two more await the team in London.

Hear what USA head coach Geno Auriemma has to say about that challenge, as well as five U.S. players.

Geno Auriemma (head coach, USA and University of Connecticut)
Is this team shaping up to look as you expected?
Yeah, I think so. We just talked a little bit about how we can't be great at everything because we just don't have the time to be great at everything. If we did have a couple months together, we could be great at everything because the collection of players that we have is phenominal. But the things that I thought we'd be good at, we are very good at. The flexibility that we have, the versatility that we have with this team is exactly what I thought it would be. The leadership is exactly what I thought it would be. People buying into their roles is exactly what I thought it would be. So yeah, the only downside is I wish I had three months with these guys, even three straight weeks, because it would be a lot of fun to watch.

How have you dealt with your limited practice time?
Well I didn't know we would only have 10 days when I took this job, but as you get into it you realize all of the commitments that these players have. We just talked about it as a matter of fact with the players. We are trying to work around their schedules, and it's like shooting a movie, being a movie director, you can't get all of the stars you want all at the same time. You have to improvise. And 10 days is 10 days. Every one of our practices has been really productive, and we've gotten better at every practice.

For our coaching staff, so much of it has been relying on the players' own individual ability to pick things up quickly, and it's an understanding of our 12 players -- what are you really good at? And they know what they are really good at as an individual, and then it's our job as coaches just, ok, we are going to put you in a spot where you can be really good at what you are good at. Beyond that, I think we have to cross our fingers.

Seimone Augustus (Minnesota Lynx)
Is this team shaping up to look as you expected?
Yeah, faster than I thought it would, too. I guess that's the professionalism we all have. We understand what's at stake and what we need to do. These players have been doing this for years. I've been in the USA pool since I was 15 years old, and it's the same for most other players, so we understand the expectations and what we need to do.

How have you dealt with your limited practice time?
It's been very intense, hard, but I guess we are all just focused on what we need to do. There is not a lot of busy work, meaning extra stuff outside of our game plan. It's mainly drilling our offense, drilling our defense, making sure we understand the schemes and what we are trying to get out of each set.

We've all trained together under Geno since 2010 at various times, and those times kind of help build to this point as well. They helped us prepare. Even though we had more players who were in the national team pool, we were still going over our offensive schemes and deffensive schemes and seeing what works best for particular player that could possibly make the team.

Have you gotten to do much in Istanbul?
I've played here for two years, so I've been chillin' out at the hotel, but there are a lot of places to see. The Grand Bazaar, I think the girls are going there today. Istinye Park, which is the biggest mall in Istanbul, it's a great place for shopping. And of course, the food here is wonderful.

So you've gotten a little time to rest?
I'm still trying to get adjusted to the time zone, so I've been trying to get to bed before 4 o'clock in the morning. That's been a struggle for me.

Tamika Catchings (Indiana Fever)
I understand you were a camper at USA assistant coach Doug Bruno’s camp?
I went twice. He beat me one-on-one and I was supposed to go to DePaul. However, things happened differently for me.

How was his camp?
It was good. I learned a lot. I remember being so excited to go. DePaul is a huge university in Chicago, so I was looking forward to it. I got to meet a lot of people. Going to his camp was what sparked me about wanting to have my own camp when I grew up, just doing the drills that we had and being able to play with a lot of good players. It was a lot of fun.

Sylvia Fowles (Chicago Sky)
Is this team shaping up to look as you expected?
It's looking better than I actually thought it would look. And if you ask coach, he'd probably say a different thing, but I say that because we have gotten better in each of our practices. But we aren't to our full potential yet, and I just can't wait to see everybody in action.

How have you dealt with your limited practice time?
Ten practices is not enough, but the time in the gym that we have been together, I can say each day we've gotten better. We still have a couple of things we need to work on and a couple of things we need to clear up, but for the most part it has been going well. Very intense and very tiring, but we don't have the same opportunity to train as the to other national teams, so we make it work.

Have you gotten to do much in Istanbul?
No. I play here. I will be coming back for my third year, so I've pretty much seen everything. My time off has been spent with Ed (Ryan [athletic trainer]) rehabbing and just relaxing.

Candace Parker (Los Angeles Sparks)
Are you excited about getting to London?
I’m very excited. The craziness is going to happen over the next few days where we have stuff other than basketball dealing with the Olympics, but it’s a really good feeling to be so close.

Have you been able to relax and recharge during your time in Istanbul?
These last couple of days without games, we were able to relax. We were able to go to the pool for a little bit and kind of see Istanbul a little bit. After we leave here tomorrow, it’s back to business.

It looked like it was a really good practice for you today:
Yeah, we had a really good practice today. I think these last couple days have been about fixing the things that we need to fix, addressing things we’re a little confused about. We used these last two games and these last two practices to get better.

Due to injuries, you missed out on a lot of training camps this quad. Has chemistry been an issue for you at all?
I think I’m clicking with people here. I played in his system in previous training camps and I’ve gone over plays with him. I think it’s just playing with one another and getting that groove back.

You went to USA assistant coach Doug Bruno’s basketball camps when you were young, how was that?
I went to coach Bruno’s camps for four years. It was a lot of fun. Coach Bruno does a good job of getting younger girls involved in basketball. I think everybody used to go to his camps when I was playing there. I think it was a good developing tool and he has a lot of team camps as well.

Did you ever think that after so many years, you would be playing for him again?
It’s fun, because he recruited me at DePaul. He’s a great coach and he’s running a great program at DePaul.

Lindsay Whalen (Minnesota Lynx)
Are you excited to get to London tomorrow?
Yes, I’m excited. I’m very excited. I’ve been looking forward to it all summer, since I made the team. I’ve never been to London. I’m super excited. I can’t believe it’s already here, you know?

What have you been doing off the court in Istanbul?
Getting some rest, definitely. Yesterday was like a total chill day. After practice I went down, got a massage, took a nap, stayed around the hotel, went to bed early. I went to a Chinese restaurant that Seimone knew about. It was kind of cool to chill at the hotel. The other days were game days, so we played and went to eat out in the city. So, it’s kind of nice just to stay around the hotel.

You are getting ready to be announced this afternoon as the newest Galatasaray player. Are you excited to be coming back here to play next season?
Yeah, I’m excited. I’m very excited. A bunch of the players on our team have played here and I’m excited to experience what they’ve all been talking about. They’ve all raved about it and said that they’ve enjoyed their time here. I’m looking forward to the opportunity.