Brittney Griner, Diana Taurasi to headline USA Basketball exhibitions
USA Basketball is eyeing its eighth consecutive gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics next summer.
The exhibitions — against Tennessee on Nov. 5 (SEC Network/ESPN App, 6 p.m. ET) and Duke on Nov. 12 (ACC Network Extra/ESPN App, noon ET) — and training camp (Nov. 7-9) are held in preparation for the Games and to evaluate the program’s player pool.
The U.S. will also participate in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in February before holding another training camp at the Final Four. The team is coached by the Minnesota Lynx’s Cheryl Reeve, with Mike Thibault and Curt Miller serving as assistants.
Griner and Taurasi, who turned 41 in June and is a five-time Olympic gold medalist, will join Kahleah Copper, Allisha Gray, Rhyne Howard, Sabrina Ionescu and Azura Stevens on the roster for both college exhibitions.
It will be the first USA Basketball competition for Griner, a two-time Olympian, since her nearly nine-month detainment in Russia last year.
WNBA Rookie of the Year Aliyah Boston, Ariel Atkins, Betnijah Laney and Jackie Young will suit up in the exhibition vs. Tennessee, while Dearica Hamby, Natasha Howard, Arike Ogunbowale and Kelsey Plum are on the roster in place of those four for the Duke matchup.
Young and Plum recently won the 2023 WNBA title with the Las Vegas Aces.
Two-time Olympian Angel McCoughtry will join the group at training camp in Atlanta.