If I were asked to give advice to a young player on how to approach the sport of basketball, I would likely make them spend a few hours watching Asjha Jones and Lindsay Whalen not only play the game but their preparation as well.

Obviously I am not alone as the two former teammates will be members of the U.S. Olympic team. Whalen received word of her selection late last month while Jones was officially named to the team today.

There are so many similarities in the way Jones and Whalen go about their business. Neither one of them cares about any individual statistics and are more interested in making winning plays than padding their stats. That is what makes them perfect picks. Sue Bird is the unquestioned floor leader of the U.S. squad. How many minutes Whalen, the only other true point guard on the U.S. team, figures to flucuate from game to game depending on the opponent, pace and way the game plays out. The same could be said about Jones, although it should be noted that Jones was absolutely brilliant in  being named the MVP of the EuroLeague Final Eight. The U.S. team is loaded with frontcourt players. Even after you get by the dynamic center duo of Tina Charles and Sylvia Fowles, you have forwards Tamika Catchings, Candace Parker, Angel McCoughtry and Swin Cash as well as dynamic offensive players Seimone Augustus, Diana Taurasi and Maya Moore capable of playing small forward. But it was hard for the selection committee to overlook the familiarity and success rate Jones has against some of the best players in Europe.

I believe that final spot would have gone to Baylor's Brittney Griner had she not removed from name from consideration. I am sure there are those who could make an argument against Jones. When I picked my 12-play squad I selected Candice Dupree in large part because she was the leading rebounder for the U.S. team at the World Championships, Her numbers at that tournament are superior to Jones in every category except for steals. I don't think there would have been any complaints had Dupree been named the 12th player on the U.S. squad today. But there should not be an outrage about Jones  being named either. She is the consumate pro, an incredibly versatile offensive player who can thrive either at the high or low post and is a standout defender. I am sure there are those out there who have raised eyebrows over six former UConn players being named to play for the U.S. squad coached by UConn's Geno Auriemma. But anybody who has been the six former Huskies (Bird, Cash, Charles, Jones, Moore and Taurasi) play has to admit that each have the credentials to make the U.S. squad.

I've had the chance to see Jones and Whalen play throughout their pro careers so perhaps I am a tad bit biased but they add a professionalism to their crafts and are the type of team-first players that figures to serve the U.S. squad well. They've both had to pay their dues.

I won't be headed to Seattle next month when the U.S. Olympic team gathers for the first time since the squad was officially named but I am hoping to make my way down to American University in Washington, D.C. for the training camp in mid July to see how this U.S. team is meshing.

Angel McCoughtry had 17 points, Candice Dupree had 12 points and 16 rebounds and UConn senior Maya Moore had 15 points, four rebounds and three blocked shots as the United States blew past South Korea 106-44 in the quarterfinals of the FIBA World Championship in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic on Friday.

Sylvia Fowles had 10 points while former UConn players Swin Cash and Tina Charles also reached double figures with 11 and 10 points respectively and ex Husky Asjha Jones finished with nine points, four rebounds and two steals.

The U.S., the last undefeated team remaining in the tournament, will play the winner of the France/Spain game in the semifinals on Saturday. The game will be played either at 12:30 p.m. or 2:45 p.m. (Eastern time) with the championship game set for Sunday at 2 p.m.

Former UConn star Diana Taurasi is the team's leading scorer with 81 points through seven games and has nine of the 27 3-pointers for the U.S. Dupree, Charles and McCoughtry are next with 75, 74, 73 points and there are four other players in the 56-66 point range.

Moore, the only active college player on the team, is averaging 8.7 points, 3.9 rebounds and 17.7 minutes per game. She is third on the team with both 16 assists and eight blocks but also has a team high 15 turnovers which really is not a shock considering she is the youngest player on the U.S. squad.

Sylvia Fowles, still getting her timing back after undergoing minor knee surgery after the WNBA season, had 15 points (on 5 of 5 shooting) and six rebounds as the United States defeated Belarus 107-61 at the FIBA World Championships on Tuesday. The victory, combined with Australia's hard-fought victory over a scrappy team from France, sets up a showdown for the Group E title on Wednesday at 2:15 p.m. when the 5-0 United States team plays 5-0 Australia.

As for the Belarus game, former UConn star Diana Taurasi had 14 points, four rebounds, Candice Dupree had another strong effort with 12 points, six rebounds and two steals. UConn senior Maya Moore and former UConn star Swin Cash had 11 points each, Lindsay Whalen had nine points and four assists, Angel McCoughtry also had nine points while former UConn star Asjha Jones was 4 for 4 from the field and had eight points and four rebounds in 12 minutes. Ten of the 12 UConn players scored at least eight points as the U.S. shot 68 percent the field and outrebounded Belarus 41-21.

Through five games Candice Dupree leads the U.S. with 57 points and 27 rebounds while Angel McCoughtry (10.8 points, team-high 17 steals) and former Huskies Cash (10.6 points), Tina Charles (10.0) and Taurasi (10.0) are averaging double figures in scoring. Moore is averaging 8.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.2 steals in 20.2 minutes per game.

Both only will the winner of the U.S./Australia game win Group E but the loser is guaranteed to finish second. The story is the same in Group F when Spain and Russia will play tomorrow for the group title. Both games will tip at 2:15 Eastern time.