July 10, 2008 - Tamika Catchings, Delisha Milton-Jones and Kara Lawson are going to play ball in Beijing.

The WNBA stars have earned the final three spots on the U.S. women’s basketball team going to the Olympics, a person familiar with the choices told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because an official announcement was planned for today.

Catchings would have been among the original nine picks in May had she not been slow to recover after tearing her right Achilles tendon last September. She started all eight games in Athens on the gold medal-winning 2004 Olympic team, averaging 6.9 points and 5.4 rebounds.

The other nine members of the 12 member squad heading to Beijing are headlined by three-time Olympic gold medalist Lisa Leslie (Los Angeles Sparks) and two-time Olympic gold medalist Katie Smith (Detroit Shock). In addition to Leslie and Smith, the initial roster includes 2004 Olympic gold medalists Sue Bird (Seattle Storm), Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury) and Tina Thompson (Houston Comets); while Seimone Augustus (Minnesota Lynx), Sylvia Fowles (Chicago Sky), Candace Parker (Los Angeles Sparks) and Cappie Pondexter (Phoenix Mercury) will participate in their first Olympic Games.

Filed under: Beijing Summer Games 2008, Int'l Basketball by jane
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March 05, 2008 - USA Basketball announced today the spring training plans for the USA Women’s National Team and followed that up by co-hosting, along with the U.S. Olympic Committee, a teleconference that featured 2008 U.S. Olympic Women’s Basketball Team head coach Anne Donovan, three-time Olympic gold medalist Lisa Leslie and two-time Olympic gold medalist Katie Smith.

A variety of questions posed were posed to the trio and in addition to the talk on this year’s spring training, Lisa talks about getting back to her ‘A’ game after the birth of her baby girl, Anne & Katie discuss last year’s training camps, Lisa and Katie answer a question about how they are able to take care of their bodies for an extended basketball career, what they think of seeing Sheryl Swoopes this summer in a Seattle Storm uniform, what it will be like having Candace Parker in Los Angeles … and more!

Listen to the audio at USA Basketball.

Filed under: Basketball, Int'l Basketball, Olympics by Pretty Tough
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Brazil, Sao Paolo- 12-23 September 2006

Who better to host the most elite women’s tournament in the world? Brazil - a country which is basketball crazy and has a long standing tradition for the game and an endless list of international titles and successes at World Championships and Olympics: Brazil - the land of Hortencia and Paula, the land of passion and pride, the land of Samba and carnival.

Sixteen teams from 5 continents joined the celebration of women’s basketball and got a taste of the excitement and enthusiasm of Brazilian fans during the 2006 FIBA Championships. (more…)

Filed under: Basketball, Int'l Basketball by jane
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