LAS VEGAS — Three Sky players were invited to take part in a three-day USA Basketball training camp this week in preparation for the 2019 FIBA AmeriCup Tournament later this month.
But whether they’ll be able to participate has yet to be determined.
Forward Diamond DeShields, center Stefanie Dolson and first-round pick Katie Lou Samuelson told USA Basketball that they plan to attend this week’s training camp at the University of Miami, which starts Tuesday, provided they’ve concluded their WNBA season.
The fifth-seeded Sky will play the fourth-seeded Aces for a single-elimination second-round game in Las Vegas on Sunday.
Joining the Sky trio, under the same condition, are seven of the eight players who committed to USA Basketball’s new expanded training program this summer. That list includes Sue Bird (Seattle Storm), Skylar Diggins-Smith (Dallas Wings), Sylvia Fowles (Minnesota Lynx), Chelsea Gray (Los Angeles Sparks), Nneka Ogwumike (Los Angeles Sparks), Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury) and A’ja Wilson (Las Vegas Aces).
Elena Delle Donne is unable to attend as the top-seeded Mystics are preparing for the semifinal round of the WNBA playoffs, which starts Tuesday. And Bird, who had knee surgery in May, and Diggins-Smith, who gave birth to her first child in April, haven’t been cleared to play yet.
Other players expected to attend if their WNBA seasons are over include Jordin Canada (Seattle Storm), Tina Charles (New York Liberty), Napheesa Collier (Minnesota Lynx), Jewell Loyd (Seattle Storm), Arike Ogunbowale (Dallas Wings), Kelsey Plum (Las Vegas Aces), Brittney Sykes (Atlanta Dream), Sydney Wiese (Los Angele Sparks) and Elizabeth Williams (Atlanta Dream).
Forward Kayla Alexander, whom the Sky signed last month after they waived second-round pick Chloe Jackson, is expected to represent her native Canada in the weeklong AmeriCup Tournament, which will open next Sunday in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The final USA AmeriCup team will be announced on Thursday.
Flying in style
In an unprecedented move, the WNBA will be paying for the second-round winning teams to fly charter to their semifinals games.
The second-round games are in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, while the semifinal games will take place across the country in Washington D.C. and Uncasville, Connecticut. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced the decision before the two playoff games tipped off Sunday.
“We believe it is in the best interest of the players to provide them with an opportunity to arrive expeditiously in the city of the first game of the WNBA semifinals and have a full day on-site to practice, rest and prepare,” Engelbert said in a statement.
