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USA Basketball expects comeback stories on the bench and the court in 2020

By Kim Doss

SEATTLE, WA - APRIL 26: The coaching staff of the USA Women's National Team during the game against China on April 26, 2018 at the KeyArena in Seattle, Washington. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WA - APRIL 26: The coaching staff of the USA Women's National Team during the game against China on April 26, 2018 at the KeyArena in Seattle, Washington. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Dan Hughes, Cheryl Reeve, and Jennifer Rizzotti named assistant coaches of the women’s national team

Dan Hughes just returned to the bench as the head coach of the Seattle Storm after a bout with cancer. One of his star players and last year’s WNBA MVP, Breanna Stewart, is out this season after tearing her Achilles tendon during EuroLeague play. USA Basketball head coach Dawn Staley expects both of them back for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

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“I think he wanted to get back with the Seattle Storm team as quick as possible,” Staley said. “But obviously, he was a good patient in listening to his doctors, and that’s why he’s probably back sooner than probably anybody anticipated.

“I knew he was going to come back. We had a number of conversations about where he was health-wise, and he assured me that it wouldn’t interfere with anything that we would do in Tokyo. He is a veteran coach, and obviously, he’s a man, and he brings great balance to our coaching staff. And I look forward to working with him, and I look forward to him helping us win a gold medal.”

“If I know Stewie, Stewie will be ready to rock and roll when it’s time for us to compete for gold medals,” the head coach added. “(Stewart and Hughes are) pretty much cut from the same cloth and that they want to get out there. They want to get back as soon as possible. They want to represent their country. So, you know, although it’s a minor setback, I think we all plan on having Stewie with us.”

Hughes was named one of three assistant coaches along with Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve and George Washington University head coach Jennifer Rizzotti. The trio will join Staley as they lead the team into competition through next year’s Olympic Games, including the competitions leading up to Tokyo.

“They pretty much prepare us,” Staley said of the assistant coaches. “They prepare us for our opponents. They do the scouting reports, they present them to that to the players. And they’re the ones that are doing the grunt work and in watching film. Although we all watch film, we all discuss it, but they’re putting together a game plan and how we beat them.”

Both Staley and USA Basketball Women’s National Team Director Carol Callan stressed the importance of continuity brought by the trio of assistant coaches.

“Cheryl is without a doubt one of the top coaches in the WNBA and around the world,” Staley said. “I think her resume speaks for itself. I think her ability to continue to come support USA Basketball year in a year out, and it’s only fitting that she’s a part of our staff.

CLEVELAND – MAY 7: Head Coach Dan Hughes and Assistant Coaches Janice Braxton and Cheryl Reeve of the Cleveland Rockers pose for a portrait during the Rockers media day on May 7, 2003 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Copyright 2003 WNBAE (Photo by: Gregory Shamus/WNBAE via Getty Images)
CLEVELAND – MAY 7: Head Coach Dan Hughes and Assistant Coaches Janice Braxton and Cheryl Reeve of the Cleveland Rockers pose for a portrait during the Rockers media day on May 7, 2003 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Copyright 2003 WNBAE (Photo by: Gregory Shamus/WNBAE via Getty Images) /

“Dan just won a WNBA championship,” she continued. “So, they come from a winning pedigree, they are winners themselves. They’ve been to every basketball situation that, you know, that’s imaginable. So they are worthy of this, this position, and I feel very comfortable knowing that they will be right beside me on the bench.

“Jen Rizzotti, same thing. Jen’s been around. Jen knows international play probably better than all of us. The work that she did with the 2016 Rio Olympic team; she worked her butt off behind the scenes. And I think it’s only fitting that she’s a part of our staff. And definitely what was officially done today was something that I knew would take place because of the chemistry that we have as a staff and the hard-working continuity that we bring just from our experiences working together, in and outside of USA Basketball,” Staley concluded.

The team will begin competition in September, so they will have to work around the availability of WNBA players who are involved in the playoffs, Callan said. Tournaments will also be held in November and February.

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