US has strong UConn presence for game against WNBA

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.