Basketball keeps opening more doors for Courtney Vandersloot, the former Kentwood High School star.
Vandersloot, who just completed a standout career at Gonzaga University in Spokane, has been invited to the USA Women’s National Team Training Camp set for May 10-12 in Las Vegas, Nev., according to the USA team’s website.
Vandersloot, a 5-foot8 guard, and Baylor University sophomore Brittney Griner accepted invitations to participate in the camp in hopes of being added to the USA National Team pool.
Twenty-two members of the 2009-12 USA Basketball Women’s National Team, including all 12 who aided the USA to the 2010 FIBA World Championship gold medal, will attend the training camp.
“I can’t wait to get these guys on the court in Vegas,” said Geno Auriemma, 2009-12 USA National Team and University of Connecticut head coach. “This is going to be the first time we’ve had this many together and healthy at a training camp, and it’ll be interesting to see how bad some of these guys want to make the Olympic team, how much they hustle, fight for rebounds, I’m really looking forward to that.
“Then you add in the two new kids, Griner and Vandersloot. I’m anxious to see how they interact with some of the veterans. Certainly they’re a couple of great players, but I’m excited to see them go up against our National Team and try to earn their spot in our pool.”
Also participating in the training camp are USA National Team members Jayne Appel (San Antonio Silver Stars), Seimone Augustus (Minnesota Lynx), Sue Bird (Seattle Storm), Rebekkah Brunson (Minnesota Lynx), Swin Cash (Seattle Storm), Tamika Catchings (Indiana Fever), Tina Charles (Connecticut Sun), Shameka Christon (Chicago Sky), Candice Dupree (Phoenix Mercury), Sylvia Fowles (Chicago Sky), Lindsey Harding (Atlanta Dream), Ebony Hoffman (Los Angeles Sparks), Asjha Jones (Connecticut Sun), Kara Lawson (Connecticut Sun), Angel McCoughtry (Atlanta Dream), Renee Montgomery (Connecticut Sun), Maya Moore (Minnesota Lynx), Candace Parker (Los Angeles Sparks), Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury), Kia Vaughn (New York Liberty), Lindsay Whalen (Minnesota Lynx) and Candice Wiggins (Minnesota Lynx).
Vandersloot was the No. 3 selection by the Chicago Sky in the 2011 WNBA Draft earlier this month. She capped the 2010-11 season by leading Gonzaga to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight, the West Coast Conference Tournament and regular season titles and a 31-5 record. She earned numerous All-America accolades, took home the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award as the nation’s top player 5-8 and under and was named the WCC Player of the Year.
She averaged 19.8 points and 10.2 assists her senior season at Gonzaga.
Four head coaches, Doug Bruno (DePaul University), Corey Gaines (Phoenix Mercury), Jennifer Gillom (Los Angeles Sparks) and Marynell Meadors (Atlanta Dream), will serve as court coaches during the three-day training camp.
Four-time defending Olympic gold medalists, the U.S. will look to capture a fifth straight gold medal and extend its 33-game Olympic winning streak at the 2012 Olympic Summer Games in London.
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