#PSBSportsChop: USA Women’s National Team Finalists – January 31, 2016
By: Keil Moore @KeilMoorePSB and Brandon Clay @psbpopculture
The 2016 Olympics are just around the corner. As we approach the homestretch of the college season and the beginning of WNBA play, we aim to answer the question of who the final 12 members of the USA Women’s senior national team will be.
We will divide the 25 finalists into one of three categories:
LOCKS = Finalists who we can’t see USA National Team coach Geno Auriemma leaving at home.
BUBBLE = Finalists who will have to play their way on the team. Factors such as positional needs and/or specialty’s will most likely impact their selection to the team.
PATIENTLY WAIT FOR 2020 = Finalists who will most likely have to wait for the 2020 Tokyo Games to be in the mix.
2016 USA Basketball Senior Women’s Team Finalists
Seimone Augustus
Sue Bird
Tamika Catchings
Tina Charles
Elena Delle Donne
Skylar Diggins
Stefanie Dolson
Candice Dupree
Sylvia Fowles
Brittney Griner
Briann January
Jantel Lavender
Jewell Loyd
Kayla McBride
Angel McCoughtry
Maya Moore
Chiney Ogwumike
Nnemkadi Ogwumike
Candace Parker
Danielle Robinson
Odyssey Sims
Breanna Stewart
Diana Taurasi
Courtney Vandersloot
Lindsay Whalen
KEIL MOORE’S TAKE
LOCKS:
Seimone Augustus
Sue Bird
Tamika Catchings
Elena Delle Donne
Brittany Griner
Angel McCoughtry
Maya Moore
Candace Parker
Diana Taurasi
Lindsay Whalen
BUBBLE:
Tina Charles
Skylar Diggins
Candice Dupree
Sylvia Fowles
Chiney Ogwumike
Nnemkadi Ogwumike
Odyssey Simms
Breanna Stewart
Courtney Vandersloot
PATIENTLY WAIT UNTIL 2020:
Stefanie Dolson
Jantel Lavender
Jewell Loyd
Kayla McBride
Danielle Robinson
KEIL’S BREAKDOWN: With 10 players in great shape to make the roster this summer, it will be hard for the people on the bubble to get one of those final two spots. I predict that an additional post player will be selected with Breanna Stewart getting the “Christian Laettner” (direct reference to the 1992 Dream Team) spot as the 12th person on the roster.
BRANDON CLAY’S TAKE:
LOCKS:
Seimone Augustus
Sue Bird
Tamika Catchings
Elena Delle Donne
Sylvia Fowles
Brittney Griner
Angel McCoughtry
Maya Moore
Candace Parker
Diana Taurasi
Lindsay Whalen
BUBBLE
Tina Charles
Skylar Diggins
Candice Dupree
Breanna Stewart
Courtney Vandersloot
WAIT PATIENTLY UNTIL 2020:
Stefanie Dolson
Briann January
Jantel Lavender
Jewell Loyd
Kayla McBride
Chiney Ogwumike
Nnemkadi Ogwumike
Danielle Robinson
Odyssey Sims
THE BREAKDOWN: I put 11 players as locks. I realize that doesn’t leave a lot of wiggle room so people will have to impress at camp to carve out a spot. I could certainly see Charles on this roster as an additional post player. The same goes for Diggins providing depth at the guard position though the ACL injury is certainly something to keep an eye on. Keil’s assessment of Stewart potentially making the team is on point as well. It’ll be interesting to see what direction the team goes when it’s all said and done. This could be the final Olympics for Augustus, Bird, Catchings, Fowles, Taurasi, and Whalen. They are all over 30 and there are plenty of talented players in waiting.
Keil Moore is a Philadelphia sports fan who loves the Eagles, 76ers and Phillies. He’s the go-to NBA League Pass subscriber in the PSBPopCulture.com. Moore will contribute his expertise to multiple categories on the site. He is the owner of Keil Moore Basketball, Inc. You can follow him on Twitter @KeilMoorePSB.
Brandon Clay serves as the publisher of PSBPopCulture.com. A self-professed entertainment, music and sports junkie, Clay has been on his game since picking up his first Nintendo and Sony Walkman in the early 90’s. Adding in a SLAM (Basketball) Magazine subscription in the late-90’s had him setup up for lifelong success. Clay is also a founding member of the “Luxury Boys Club” designed to stay on top of whatever is next in the world of PopCulture. You can follow him on Twitter @psbpopculture.