In about 2 1/2 weeks, Geno Auriemma will oversee his first training camp as the head coach of the U.S. Senior National Team.

The timing of the camp (Sept. 30-Oct. 5 in Washington, D.C.) will prevent players competing in the WNBA finals from taking part in the camp and three games in Russia so it will be interesting to see who is actually there and how much Auriemma and the U.S. player selection committee gets out of the deal.

UConn's Tina Charles and Maya Moore will join Stanford's Jayne Appel as the only active college players expected at the camp although it is unknown if Appel will take part as she recovers from surgery to replace a torn meniscus in her left knee.

The combination of injuries and WNBA commitments could conceivably keep many of the eight "core" players from taking part. Seimone Augustus, out with a knee injury, definitely won't be able to play. Kara Lawson is currently sidelined with a quadriceps injury and would have to be somewhere from questionable to doubtful to participate.

If the seeds hold true to form, Diana Taurasi and Cappie Pondexter of Phoenix and Tamika Catchings of Indiana would be vying for a WNBA title and be unavailable. That would mean that five of the original eight "core" players would not be available.

The training camp will be a time for players like Moore, Charles, Candice Dupree, Shameka Christon and others to show the USA Basketball hierarchy that they should be in contention for roster spots. As I mentioned in an earlier blog, it's hard to get too worked up about a training camp held three years before the Olympics. I look at it for what it is, merely a start of the process of picking an Olympic squad. Back in 2006, seven players played at least 100 minutes in the United States' 11 games and only three (Katie Smith, Candace Parker and Kara Lawson) made the cut for the 2008 Olympic squad.