Lindsay Whalen retires from USA Basketball; camp names revealed
Within the release of USA Basketball’s attendees at the upcoming national team training camp February 9-11 in South Carolina was some significant news about who won’t be there.
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Lindsay Whalen, who won gold with both the 2012 and 2016 USA Basketball Olympic teams, has decided to step away from international competition.
“I’ve cherished all of my time with USA Basketball since I was 20,” Whalen said Friday. “This was a very tough decision, but I feel like it’s time in my career to step aside and give another young player the opportunity. I started with USA Basketball in Brazil, so finishing at the Olympics back in Brazil seems like I’ve come full circle. It was definitely a tough decision given the gold medal culture that Carol (Callan) and Dawn (Staley) and Geno (Auriemma) and everyone else has created, it’s the best to be in that. Because not only is it amazing on the court, but everybody truly cares for each other off the court. You become a family for that month, month-and-a-half that you’re together. I’m certainly going to miss that, but I’ll always enjoy my memories with USA Basketball as a player.”
Whalen’s decision opens up a spot for a point guard alongside Sue Bird on the 2020 roster, and there are a number of intriguing candidates for the spot. Layshia Clarendon, who has made no secret of an Olympic team spot as a singular career goal, will be in the February camp. So will Kelsey Plum, healthy and confident, getting the chance to play alongside her childhood idol, Diana Taurasi, who will also be present. And there’s Chelsea Gray, fresh off a dominant 2017 season with the Los Angeles Sparks. Each of the three are capable of taking the spot for Dawn Staley’s team.
But attention must be paid, too, to Whalen, and what she leaves behind.
“Lindsay Whalen is probably my favorite point guard of all time, and that’s nothing against Sue Bird. But, Lindsay, I like her swag; I like her toughness; I like her mindset,” Staley said. “She’s always thinking about ways in which to out-fox the opponent. I’m just sad that I don’t get an opportunity to coach her in this capacity, but I’m glad that I got a chance to coach her when I was an assistant coach on the 2014 and 2016 USA teams.”
Also missing from future USA Basketball teams? Gentry. As of now, there are no internal candidates to replace Gentry with USA Basketball. Who ever could?
The complete list of participants is as follows:
Sue Bird (Seattle Storm); Tina Charles (New York Liberty); Layshia Clarendon (Atlanta Dream); Elena Delle Donne (Washington Mystics); Skylar Diggins-Smith (Dallas Wings); Stefanie Dolson (Chicago Sky); Brittney Griner (Phoenix Mercury); Tiffany Hayes (Atlanta Dream); Jewell Loyd (Seattle Storm); Angel McCoughtry (Atlanta Dream); Maya Moore (Minnesota Lynx); Nneka Ogwumike (Los Angeles Sparks); Kelsey Plum (Las Vegas Aces); Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury); Morgan Tuck (Connecticut Sun); and Courtney Williams (Connecticut Sun); Allisha Gray (Dallas Wings); Chelsea Gray (Los Angeles Sparks); Tiffany Mitchell (Indiana Fever); Brittney Sykes (Atlanta Dream); Sydney Wiese (Los Angeles Sparks); and Elizabeth Williams (Atlanta Dream).