Three Sky players vie for spot on Cup roster
This week, three Sky players will have a chance to compete for a spot on the U.S. basketball women’s national team for the 2019 FIBA AmeriCup Tournament.
Forward Diamond DeShields, center Stefanie Dolson and first-round pick Katie Lou Samuelson will attend this week’s three-day training camp, which starts Tuesday at the University of Miami.
Joining the Sky trio are four of the eight players who committed to USA Basketball’s new expanded training program this summer. That list includes Sue Bird (Seattle Storm), Skylar Diggins-Smith (Dallas Wings), Sylvia Fowles (Minnesota Lynx) and Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury), though, Bird, who had knee surgery in May, and Diggins-Smith, who gave birth to her first child in April, haven’t been cleared to play yet. The four other players — A’ja Wilson, Elena Delle Donne, Chelsea Gray and Nneka Ogumwike — can’t participate in this week’s activities due to the WNBA playoffs.
Other players expected to compete for one of the 12 spots are: Jordin Canada (Seattle Storm), Kaila Charles (Maryland), Tina Charles (New York Liberty), Napheesa Collier (Minnesota Lynx), Mykea Gray (Miami), Ruthy Hebard (Oregon), Jewell Loyd (Seattle Storm), Olivia Nelson-Ododa (Connecticut), Arike Ogunbowale (Dallas Wings), Michaela Onyenwere (UCLA), Khadijah Sessions (Kouvot, Finland), Brittney Sykes (Atlanta Dream), Christyn Williams (Connecticut), Beatrice Mompremier (Miami) and Elizabeth Williams (Atlanta Dream).
Forward Kayla Alexander, whom the Sky signed last month after they waived secondround pick Chloe Jackson, is expected to represent her native Canada in the weeklong AmeriCup Tournament, which will open next Sunday in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The final USA AmeriCup team will be announced Thursday.