Twelve players including five with ties to UConn were added to the player pool for the U.S. senior national team meaning seven of the 20 players in the running to represent the U.S. at the FIBA World Championships either attended or are attending UConn.

Current Huskies Tina Charles and Maya Moore are joined by former teammate Renee Montgomery as well as Swin Cash and Asjha Jones, teammates on UConn's 2000 and 2002 national championship teams. Former UConn stars Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi are among the eight previously named as core players.

The other core players are Seimone Augustus, Tamika Catchings, Sylvia Fowles, Kara Lawson, Candace Parker and Cappie Pondexter while the players named to the player pool on Wednesday are Alana Beard, Shameka Christon, Candice Dupree, Lindsey Harding, Angel McCoughtry, Lindsay Whalen and Candice Wiggins.

The 2010 World Championship team as well as the 2012 Olympic squad will be coached by UConn's Geno Auriemma.

Speaking of Auriemma, he did not return with the team after Monday's win at Notre Dame as he headed out to Iowa to watching highly-touted 6-foot-3 junior center Kiah Stokes of Linn-Mar High in Marion, Iowa play in the state tournament. Stokes had 17 points, 13 rebounds and 3 assists as Linn-Mar defeated Johnston 60-38 in the Iowa 4A quarterfinals at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines on Tuesday.