Collier, Samuelson among 10 UConn products on U.S. national team player pool

Current UConn stars Napheesa Collier and Katie Lou Samuelson are among 29 players named to the 2017-20 USA Basketball Women's National Team pool.

Collier and Samuelson are among 10 current and former UConn products in the player pool including Olympic gold medalists Sue Bird, Tina Charles, Maya Moore, Breanna Stewart and Diana Taurasi in addition to Stefanie Dolson, Tiffany Hayes and Morgan Tuck.

The national team will hold a training camp from Feb. 9-11 at the Carolina Coliseum, the second camp run by new national team coach Dawn Staley although the five active college players (Collier, Samuelson, Louisville's Asia Durr, Ohio State's Kelsey Mitchell and A'ja Wilson of South Carolina and the professional players with overseas commitments won't take part in the camp).

Chiney Ogwumike and Courtney Williams of the Connecticut Sun were also named to the player poll to join Morgan Tuck to give the Sun three representatives.

“This is a very talented group, from four-time Olympians Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi, to the younger players who are hoping to compete in their first USA National Team competition,” said Carol Callan, USA Basketball Women’s National Team director and chair of the USA Women’s National Team Player Selection Committee. “As we looked toward the future, the committee first had to look at the past. We acknowledged that what has made the USA National Team program such a resounding success over the past two decades was the way our teams have seamlessly blended youth with veteran leadership. And because of that, we wanted to make sure we continued with that recipe in building a team. We can’t say enough about the veterans. We win simply because our best players want to play over and over again."