Fresh Faces, New Era Highlight Successful USA Training Camp in Seattle


SEATTLE – Layshia Clarendon couldn’t wipe the smile off her face during warmups. The 26-year-old point guard was about to make her debut for the U.S. National Team, representing her country as it faced China in an exhibition Thursday at KeyArena.

But then, the nerves started kicking in. Within two minutes of checking into the game during the second quarter, Clarendon had committed a pair of turnovers.

Suddenly, after a 14-2 start for the USA, the game was tied at 25.

“I’ll definitely remember those two turnovers,” Clarendon joked after the game. “I think it’s a great story to tell – the first game I stepped in with the National Team, I threw the ball away.”

Clarendon ultimately helped the Americans pull away, as she stayed on the court for a 17-0 run to close out the first half on Thursday. USA cruised to an 83-46 win to cap off its three-day training camp in Seattle in preparation for this year’s FIBA World Cup.

Almost half of the USA’s roster for Thursday’s game had never played for the National Team. Atlanta’s Clarendon, Elizabeth Williams and Tiffany Hayes, Seattle’s Jewell Loyd, Connecticut’s Morgan Tuck and Indiana rookie Kelsey Mitchell had all represented USA Basketball in some way and participated in National Team training camps, but Thursday was their first game for the senior squad.

USA coach Dawn Staley made it a point of emphasis to give the fresh faces plenty of action. As expected, the bench units were not as effective against China as the starters, which featured five members of the 2016 Olympic team (Diana Taurasi, Sue Bird, Sylvia Fowles, Seimone Augustus and Breanna Stewart).

“That’s all part of the process,” Taurasi said after the game. “I can remember when Sue and I were younger, that there were times when things felt like they were going really, really fast. As you get older, things slow down a little bit and you can go back to that experience that you’ve had. Everything doesn’t seem like that big of a deal. I think in the second half, they did a better job of coming in and playing a little bit more relaxed.

“We told them to keep it simple, go out there and have fun. You’re here for a reason. I think for the three days we were together that this team did that really, really well.”

Each member of the team earned at least 10 minutes of playing time in the win over China. Tuck wasn’t originally on the roster, but was selected as a replacement for Elena Delle Donne, who suffered a neck strain in practice earlier in the week.

In addition to the many players making their debuts, Thursday’s game was meaningful for the former USA star now roaming the sidelines. Staley, who is also the coach at South Carolina, earned three Olympic gold medals and six WNBA All-Star selections during her playing career.

As head coach, she now has three training camps and one exhibition under her belt.

“It’s awesome,” Staley said during the camp. “I did not aspire to be an Olympic coach, because that is something I didn’t experience very early on. But you’re a part of USA Basketball and this culture. I grew up in it. I was a player. I was an assistant coach. And now, I’m a head coach. It feels good to be able to climb the ladder and to head such a great organization.”

The FIBA World Cup, which is in September after the WNBA season, will be Staley’s first competition as coach after taking over for Geno Auriemma. The players feel confident in their chances to win a third straight World Cup title with Staley running the show.

“Dawn has been great,” Taurasi said. “I was in camp in [South Carolina] in February and got a little taste of the things she wanted to put in. In these three days, you can just feel her leadership and the things that she wants to implement, both on defense and offense. There’s a reason why she was the best point guard in the world for a long time. And now she’s been so successful [at South Carolina], and she’s going to continue that with our team.”

For the World Cup, Staley and her staff will likely go with a roster full of mainstays like Taurasi, Bird, Fowles and many that didn’t participate in the Seattle training camp. It will be difficult for any of the first-timers to crack the squad.

But as they now re-join their WNBA teams for training camp, the younger players are grateful for the opportunity to prove themselves on the biggest stage alongside the veterans.

“It’s about chasing your dream and finally getting that foot in the door,” Clarendon said. “Whether I make it all the way to Tokyo [2020] or the Worlds, or not, this is the first step. It’s such an honor.”