Doug Feinberg of the Associated Press is reporting that U.S. national team mainstay Tamika Catchings is withdrawing her name from consideration to play in the FIBA World Championship for Women and fellow 2012 Olympian Candace Parker also won't take part in World Championships.

Catchings and Parker were two of 10 members of the 2012 Olympic gold-medal winning U.S. team in the player pool. It would have been very hard for Catchings and/or Parker not to be included on the U.S. roster so now there is an opening for another forward or two so the chance of  UConn's Breanna Stewart making the team just went up significantly.

The training camp opens tomorrow in Annapolis, Maryland.

USA Basketball just sent out an updated list of players heading to training camp and that list now stands at 17 so indeed Catchings, Parker and Monica Wright will not take part. Jayne Appel was removed from consideration earlier.