I initially thought that Team USA would struggle in the current 2020 Women's Basketball World Cup with the retirement of fixtures BIRD and TAURASI from world competitions as well as the absence of their top 3 post players of their gold-winning 2016 and 2020 Olympic Teams and 2014 and 2018 World Cup Teams in 6'8 GRINER, 6'6 FOWLES and 6'4 Tina CHARLES.
Plus the fact that 5 of their players were still playing in the WNBA Finals (Las Vegas Aces' Aja WILSON, Chelsey GRAY, and Kelsey PLUM, Connecticut Suns' Brionna JONES and Alyssa THOMAS) and did not participate at all during the barely two weeks of practice before the event.
Well, was I emphatically wrong!
Despite JONES and THOMAS arriving in Sydney the morning of their first game vs Belgium, and WILSON, GRAY and PLUM unable to play in their first two games (vs Belgium and Puerto Rico), Team USA blitzed through their group elimination round play:
USA 87 Belgium 72 (without WILSON, GRAY and PLUM)
USA 106 Puerto Rico 42 (without WILSON, GRAY and PLUM)
USA 77 China 63 (China to me is the 2nd best team in the entire tournament)
USA 145 South Korea 69
USA 121 Bosnia & Herzegovina 59
In yesterday's Quarterfinal Round:
USA 88 Serbia 55
Canada 79 Puerto Rico 60
China 85 France 71
Australia 86 Belgium 69
In tonight's Semifinals (PST):
1200AM USA vs Canada
230 AM Australia vs China
I consider Aja WILSON and Alyssa THOMAS to be the MVPs of Team USA so far.
WILSON is averaging 17.3 ppg (1st for Team USA, 2nd overall),
7.0 rpg (2nd for Team USA, 11th overall),
1.3 bpg (1st for Team USA, 6th overall)
while shooting a tournament leading 72.5 FG% and 100 FT%
and is the leading candidate for tournament MVP at this point.
THOMAS is averaging 10.7 ppg, 7.3 rpg (1st for Team USA, 8th overall),
5.2 apg (1st for Team USA, 8th overall) and
a tournament leading 3.2 spg
Other double digit averaging Team USA players include:
Kelsey PLUM 16.0 ppg
Brionna JONES 13.0 ppg
Breanna STEWART 12.7 ppg
Shakira AUSTIN 11.2 ppg
Chelsea GRAY 10.3 ppg
Plus the fact that 5 of their players were still playing in the WNBA Finals (Las Vegas Aces' Aja WILSON, Chelsey GRAY, and Kelsey PLUM, Connecticut Suns' Brionna JONES and Alyssa THOMAS) and did not participate at all during the barely two weeks of practice before the event.
Well, was I emphatically wrong!
Despite JONES and THOMAS arriving in Sydney the morning of their first game vs Belgium, and WILSON, GRAY and PLUM unable to play in their first two games (vs Belgium and Puerto Rico), Team USA blitzed through their group elimination round play:
USA 87 Belgium 72 (without WILSON, GRAY and PLUM)
USA 106 Puerto Rico 42 (without WILSON, GRAY and PLUM)
USA 77 China 63 (China to me is the 2nd best team in the entire tournament)
USA 145 South Korea 69
USA 121 Bosnia & Herzegovina 59
In yesterday's Quarterfinal Round:
USA 88 Serbia 55
Canada 79 Puerto Rico 60
China 85 France 71
Australia 86 Belgium 69
In tonight's Semifinals (PST):
1200AM USA vs Canada
230 AM Australia vs China
I consider Aja WILSON and Alyssa THOMAS to be the MVPs of Team USA so far.
WILSON is averaging 17.3 ppg (1st for Team USA, 2nd overall),
7.0 rpg (2nd for Team USA, 11th overall),
1.3 bpg (1st for Team USA, 6th overall)
while shooting a tournament leading 72.5 FG% and 100 FT%
and is the leading candidate for tournament MVP at this point.
THOMAS is averaging 10.7 ppg, 7.3 rpg (1st for Team USA, 8th overall),
5.2 apg (1st for Team USA, 8th overall) and
a tournament leading 3.2 spg
Other double digit averaging Team USA players include:
Kelsey PLUM 16.0 ppg
Brionna JONES 13.0 ppg
Breanna STEWART 12.7 ppg
Shakira AUSTIN 11.2 ppg
Chelsea GRAY 10.3 ppg