WNBA training camps are opening in mere days, but some of the league’s stars gathered in Las Vegas this week for the USA Basketball Women’s National Team’s three-day training camp ahead of the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Reigning WNBA MVP Maya Moore has been a member of numerous USA Basketball teams, so these training camps are nothing new to her. However, she understands how important they are in developing chemistry with a team of stars that don’t get the chance to play with one another very often.

“I think it’s very important,” Moore said. “Obviously, we’re all very confident players, but we don‘t get a lot of time together. So when we do get together, it helps build just a little bit more confidence when we are on the big stage, the world stage. Just as far as working together in an offensive system, that gives us a lot of freedom to make reads and play off of each other.”

The chance to don the red, white and blue and represent the United States is an honor that belongs to a select group. That privilege wasn’t lost on many who were in camp, including Los Angeles Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike.

“I feel like every time I come to [USA camp] it’s always a new, fresh experience, and it’s fun,” Ogwumike said. “It’s just such a blessing and an honor to be able to play with these players. The caliber of players that is here is amazing. I feel good about these first two days.”

The first two days were a whirlwind for some of those who made the trip to Las Vegas. Many of the team’s veterans returned to camp, but a splash of youth was also featured on the roster. Jewell Loyd and Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, who are both WNBA teammates and rookies, spent much of the first two days of camp learning from the veterans.

“It’s just been great. They’re all so welcoming,” Mosqueda-Lewis said. “They’re all really open to letting us try to learn from them and gain as much knowledge as we can, so the fact that they’re so receptive to the younger guys is awesome.”

“It’s definitely exciting,” added Loyd. “It’s people that you grew up watching and you kind of idolized these people right beside you giving you high-fives and explaining the drills to you, so it’s pretty exciting.”

The two Seattle Storm teammates will share the floor with Sue Bird when the 2015 WNBA season begins in June. Bird, a 13-year WNBA veteran, was also on the list of Olympic team hopefuls and was impressed with the younger players invited to participate in this week’s training camp.

“I saw a group of players who are very excited to be here, actually very eager to learn,” Bird said. “We put in some offenses and you could tell everyone picked it up pretty quickly. And then, of course, they are here to make a team at some point and prove that they should be in this mix of players and should be on the team.”