All-Stars-Basketball Preview

By VIN A. CHERWOO
Posted Jul 09 2010 6:57PM

UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) Geno Auriemma looked around the court during the U.S. national team's practice and saw a lot of familiar faces.

The University of Connecticut coach has seven former and current players at the team's four-day training camp to help prepare for the world championships in October.

Six of them will be on the roster that will face a WNBA All-Star team Saturday in this year's version of the league's midseason game.

``They were the best players in high school and everybody knew it,'' Auriemma said Friday. ``They were the best players in college and everybody knew it. And they're the best players in the WNBA, and everybody knows it.''

Auriemma's players led UConn to six NCAA championships from 2000-10, including three with undefeated records. Sue Bird and Swin Cash won in 2000, then were joined by Diana Taurasi on the 2002 team that finished 39-0. Taurasi added titles in 2003 and '04, making it three in a row.

Renee Montgomery, Tina Charles and Maya Moore were teammates on the unbeaten championship team in 2009. Charles and Moore - the lone college player in training camp and entering her senior year - followed with another unblemished title run earlier this year.

``The minute we got back on the court yesterday, you just snap right back into college form,'' Phoenix Mercury star Taurasi said. ``Every time you throw a pass you call out someone's name. When you're not on the court running, you're on the sideline talking and making sure you're involved. Those are things that are just ingrained in us.''

Bird, who along with Cash has helped the Seattle Storm to the league's best record at the All-Star break, agreed that it felt like old times.

``The minute you step on the court it does,'' Bird said. ``A lot of the things are the same. The basketball part is the same. It's so easy to step right into practices.''

The UConn contingency will also give the U.S. a distinct home-court advantage since the game is being played about 30 miles south of the school's campus. Also, Charles and Montgomery will be on their Connecticut Sun home court.

The rest of the U.S. roster includes Tamika Catchings (Indiana), Candice Dupree (Phoenix), Sylvia Fowles (Chicago), Angel McCoughtry (Atlanta) and Cappie Pondexter (New York). Los Angeles Sparks star Candace Parker was selected to the team in fan balloting, but is out for the season with a shoulder injury.

Having so many players familiar with Auriemma's system has helped in the first two days of practices, even to those who haven't played for him before.

``For me, being able to have a lot of Geno's players here, kind of seeing them go through the plays ... that's how I learn,'' Catchings said. ``You can talk me through stuff, but being able to see and know the system firsthand helps me and I'm sure it helps a lot of other players, too.''

The WNBA All-Star roster is led by San Antonio teammates Michelle Snow, Sophia Young and Jayne Appel; Washington's Crystal Langhorne, Monique Currie and Lindsey Harding; Minnesota's Rebekkah Brunson and Lindsay Whalen; Indiana's Katie Douglas, Phoenix's Penny Taylor and Atlanta's Iziane Castro Marques.

``We all know it's going to be a good game,'' Langhorne said. ``This is not like it's been in the past, just joking around. People are trying to make the team for USA Basketball, so it's going to be a little bit serious.''

Seattle coach Brian Agler, who will lead the WNBA team, just wants a fun experience.

``Our main objective is to keep these players as fresh as possible and get them back to their (teams) healthy,'' he said. ``Second is they enjoy the experience and the third is to try to be competitve for these guys. This isn't your typical All-Star game. They're in a situation where they're preparing for the world championships and they're still evaluating talent, and that means they're going to really compete.''

The WNBA All-Stars will be competitive, even without Seattle's Lauren Jackson (concussion), the Silver Stars' Becky Hammon (quadriceps) and the Dream's Sancho Lyttle (concussion).

After this weekend, which concludes with the U.S. playing an exhibition game against Australia on Sunday, the next time the national team will have all its players together could be the opener of the world championships in the Czech Republic on Sept. 23.

``If the WNBA finals go to the fifth game, the fifth game is Sept. 21, which means there's a pretty good chance that some of my best players won't be with me the whole month of September training camp,'' Auriemma said.

This is the second time this format is being used.

The first was in 2004 at the start of the league's monthlong Olympic break. The U.S. won that game, 74-58, at Radio City Music Hall. However, international players such as Jackson left to immediately join their national teams and did not play for the WNBA All-Stars.

Basketball 99, All-Stars 72

By VIN A. CHERWOO
Posted Jul 10 2010 8:06PM

UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) Sylvia Fowles stole the spotlight from the UConn reunion at the WNBA All-Star game.

Fowles scored 13 of her 23 points in the third quarter and the U.S. national team beat the WNBA All-Stars 99-72 on Saturday in this year's version of the league's midseason showcase.

Fowles shot 9 for 11 from the field and grabbed eight rebounds, earning the MVP award in a game that had six former or current Huskies players on a U.S. team led by Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma and played about 30 miles south of the school's campus.

``They're on this team for a reason,'' said Fowles, a former LSU standout. ``They're great players. ... They play well together. They have that chemistry. They know what they want and they know how to win. Just to be a part of that crew, it makes you feel good.''

Candice Dupree and Swin Cash had 13 points apiece, UConn senior Maya Moore added 12 and Angel McCoughtry 11 for the U.S.

Katie Douglas had 15 points, Penny Taylor scored 12 and Sophia Young added 10 for the All-Stars.

Fowles was dominant over the first 6 1/2 minutes of the second half, shooting 5 for 6 from the field, 3 for 4 from the free-throw line and grabbing five rebounds. The Chicago Sky center converted a layup with 3:38 to go in the third to make it 68-37, the U.S.'s biggest of the game.

``Syl did a great job,'' U.S. and Seattle Storm guard Sue Bird said. ``She's such a dominant player, you saw it. She can get every rebound if she wants. She can score 20 points a night if she wants. It's a matter if she wants to that night. That's what we're trying to do, that's what coach Auriemma is trying to do, trying to get her to be like that every game.''

The All-Stars tried to make a run in the fourth quarter. Young scored six points, Taylor had five and Lindsay Whalen four as the WNBA used a 17-6 run to pull to 81-61 with 6:12 remaining. But that was as close as it got down the stretch.

``Obviously the game was well over at that point,'' Douglas said. ``We just tried to put a little bit of energy and fun into the game.''

Moore, the first college player to appear in such a game, scored six points in the final 4 1/2 minutes as the U.S. pulled away again. She finished 6 for 13 from the field - taking the most shots on her team - and also had eight rebounds in 22 minutes. She also drew some of the loudest cheers from the crowd.

``I think this is a good little preview for her,'' Bird said. ``Pretty soon she's going to be in the WNBA. If anything, it gives you an idea to see what it's like, being on the court, kind of getting used to it.''

The U.S. shot 56 percent from the field (42 for 75), outrebounded the All-Stars 39-30 and had 32 assists. The WNBA shot 37 percent (26 for 70) and finished with 11 assists.

``The fact we had 32 assists ... is just an incredible number,'' Auriemma said. ``To be able to spread the ball around like that, share, make the extra pass, all the things you would want to see a team do.''

Young made two free throws, Michelle Snow had a layup and Monique Currie made one free throw to help the All-Stars close to 33-26 with 6:18 left in the second quarter.

The U.S. then closed out the half with a 16-2 run. McCoughtry hit a 3-pointer to cap an eight-point surge that gave the U.S. a 41-26 lead with 3:27 remaining.

``Obviously (we) played against the best team in the world today,'' All-Stars coach Brian Agler said. ``The game got away from us there a couple of times. ... We did our mission of getting out of here with no injuries, get these players back to their teams.''

The game was part of a four-day training camp for the U.S., which is preparing for the world championships in the Czech Republic in September. A potential Game 5 in the WNBA finals would take place Sept. 21, two days before the opener of the worlds.

It was the second time for this format. The first was in 2004 at the start of the league's monthlong Olympic break. The U.S. won that game, 74-58, at Radio City Music Hall in New York.

The U.S. concludes the camp with an exhibition against Taylor and the Australian national team on Sunday.

• USA Basketball: Parker
• WNBA Stars: Hammon, Jackson, Lyttle

• USA Basketball: --
• WNBA Stars: --

• Lead Changes: 0
• Times Tied: 1

• Arena: Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, CT
• Officials: #39 Michael Price, #13 Cameron Inouye, #18 Kurt Walker
• Attendance: 9518
• Duration: 1:57