3 Aces named to USA Basketball roster
Ahead of the World Cup qualifying tournament, three members of the Las Vegas Aces have been called up to USA Basketball.
Shooting guard Chelsea Gray, point guard Kelsey Plum and forward Dearica Hamby were all named to the 12-player roster by USA Basketball coach Cheryl Reeve. Team USA begins play Friday against Belgium.
Gray said it’s been awesome to have her WNBA teammates at training camp with her.
“It’s cool to experience this with your close friends, your people,” she said.
Gray knows there’s no letting up.
“Many of these players are all-stars,” she said. “They’ve competed at a high level, they’ve won championships.”
Gray has the most national team experience.
She won a gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and is one of just three players from that team named to the qualifying roster, along with the Seattle’s Jewell Loyd and Washington’s Ariel Atkins.
However, the USA Basketball veteran was most excited for the inclusion of Hamby.
Following her breakout 2021 season, which saw her named a WNBA All-Star for the first time, Hamby was selected to a Team USA roster for the first time Monday.
Gray reminisced on her own introduction to the national team program. She jokingly complained Hamby won’t pass her the ball during USA Basketball practice, but said her teammate is truly taking advantage of the opportunity.
“She looks really good,” Gray said. “I’m happy for her, happy for her family. I know her daughter is extremely proud.”
While Hamby is preparing to make an impact in her USA debut, Plum is also at training camp with a purpose. She won a gold medal with the 3×3 basketball team at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, but now has her eyes set on making it to the 2024 Paris Olympics with USA Basketball’s 5-on-5 team.
Plum’s 3×3 teammates, the New York’s Stefanie Dolson and the Dallas’ Allisha Gray, also made the World Cup qualifying roster.
“It was an amazing experience for me,” Plum said. “But … I feel like the next step for me is to play fives, to play for the world championship team, and so mentally, I’m not in the 3×3 space anymore.”
With three players on the roster, the Aces have more representation than any other WNBA team.
Contact reporter Andy Yamashita at ayamashita@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ANYamashita on Twitter.