Maya Moore Posts Moster Outing

USA National Team hopeful and three-time USA Basketball gold medalist Maya Moore had 38 points and a career-high 20 rebounds against Syracuse last night, marking the second 30-point, 20-rebound game in UConn history. The first to do it? '96 Olympic gold medalist Rebecca Lobo.

• '92 Dream Teamer Christian Laettner Headed to Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame
• Globetrotting Sue Bird Makes Time for Home
• Former Va Tech hoops player and multiple amputee serves up some motivation to kids
• USA World Championship gold medalist Fran Harris to star in Home Rules on HGTV

Taurasi Turns on the Style in Spartak Win

After leading the Mercury to the WNBA title and finishing as the league's top scorer, Diana Taurasi turned her attention to her Russia team, Spartak Moscow Region. She helped lead Spartak to the last three EuroLeague titles and is on pace for a fourth, collecting top scoring honors in the EuroLeague in the process.

• Selfless Odom May be Just What the USA Needs
• A Sprinting Start

Six Olympians Power Teams to EuroLeague Wins

As expected, Spartak Moscow Region, which features three Olympic gold medalists on its roster, and UMMC Ekaterinburg, featuring two, each won their first EuroLeague quarterfinal contest and both are one victory away from returning to the Final Four. Diana Taurasi, firing on all cylinders, shot 5-of-7 from 3-point en route to a game-high 28 points. She continues to lead all EuroLeague scorers, a spot she has not relinquished all season. USA teammates Sylvia Fowles, 18 points and 12 rebounds, and Sue Bird, 10 points and four assists, were also instrumental in the 90-79 victory over Fenerbache. In Ekaterinburg, it was Candace Parker who powered her team to a 81-56 win over Good Angels Kosice with 21 points and 14 rebounds, while Cappie Pondexter posted 11 points and four assists.

Host Wisla Can-Pack came from behind to notch a 78-74 victory over Frisco Sika Brno, while Ros Casares Valencia, with the help of DeLisha Milton-Jones, earned a 74-50 victory over the visitors from Halcon Avenida. More...

Tina Charles, Maya Moore on Brink of History

USA Basketball gold medalists and UConn standouts Tina Charles and Maya Moore are zeroing in on Husky records. Charles is set to become UConn's all-time leading scorer and Moore will be UConn's first junior to reach 2,000 points. But that's not as important to them as winning another NCAA crown.

• All Quiet on the Northern Front: an interesting read regarding the recent USA-Canada hockey game.
• Jen Rizzotti has Hartford in the A.P. Poll for First Time Ever

Odom Seeks Redemption

In the news today ... Lamar Odom wants to return to the Olympic court and collect a gold medal to go with the bronze he earned in Athens. And yes, we've been off our game for the last week or so and haven't added the usual spate of USA Basketball-related links. Accept our apologies and we hope you continue to check out the bevy of links to different USA teams and athletes!

Also ...

• Tina Charles or Maya Moore for Big East Player of the Year?
• Matt Painter's Defensive Emphasis has Purdue back on top
• Blazers' McMillan weary of D-Will
• Devils do the Talking
• An interesting online Q with A's (some WAY off the mark, some right on) on why pros are allowed to compete in the Olympics

USA National Team Pool Unveiled

So now we know ... all the prognosticators found out today who's joining the USA National Team for 2010-12. Of course there could still be additions to the pool and injuries or other issues could force some to drop out, but it's a pretty good mix of guys who want to win a gold medal for the United States of America!

• 27 NBA Standouts Named To 2010-12 USA Basketball Men’s National Team
• Billups a Key Addition to Pool
• Wallace Honored to be Selected to USA National Team
• Dwight Howard among 27 players named to USA Basketball’s 2010-12 men’s national team roster
• Bulls' Rose Named to USA National Team Roster
• Team USA Wants Gay
• Amar'e Stoudemire in mix for Team USA again
• Nine from 2008 roster rejoin U.S. team
• Bosh among stars on U.S. 2010-12 team roster
• Wallace added to USA team pool
• Grizzlies Rudy Gay, O.J. Mayo named to USA Basketball roster
• New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul selected to 2010-12 USA National Team program
• Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook named to U.S. national team
• Jerry Colangelo says Dwight Howard’s rebounding and defensive skills will be important for Team USA
• Rose picked for USA national team program: Selection gives Bulls guard good shot to make Olympic team
  
• Rose sets his sights 2012 Olympics in London
• Rose would be 'honored' to make final USA roster
• Cleveland Cavaliers LeBron James among NBA stars added to U.S. national team roster
• Cavaliers notes: Team USA will have issues this summer
• Gordon, Granger make first cut in U.S. program
• Jefferson, Love make national team
• Jefferson, Love picked for Olympic basketball pool
• Amar'e Stoudemire in mix for Team USA again
• Nuggets' Billups has eyes on 2012 Olympic gold
• Team USA names World Championships pool of players
• Nine Olympic gold medalists named to 2010-12 U.S. national basketball team
• Odom a surprise USA choice
• Utah Jazz: Deron Williams, Carlos Boozer selected to U.S. pool for 2012 Olympics
• Williams, Boozer on Team USA preliminary roster
• Free Agency Concerns Hover Over Team USA
• Team USA: Surprise Picks, And A Surprise Omission
• Stoudemire Most Intriguing of 27 Players Named for Team USA
• Odom excited to be on Team USA

The Next Great Big Man?

Pete Thamel of the New York Times seems to think so:

Andre Drummond doesn’t turn 17 until August. Because he’s 6-foot-11 and 270 pounds, he said people mistake him for a “grown-up” all the time. And by grown-up, he means an 18-year old. Read More ...

Appel Grabs Record Boards, Other USA Basketball Women's News

Jayne Appel, playing alongside several other USA Basketball gold medalists, broke Val Whiting's Stanford rebounding record over the weekend. Appel, who has helped the Cardinal put together a 21-1 record on the year so far, now tops the charts with 1,143 boards in her career. On an even brighter note, Appel got her record board against an old AAU teammate who had been injury-riddled Jackie Gemelos. Gemelos graduated high school in 2006, but this marked her first college game. Congrats go out to both!

On the downside of this weekend's women's basketball news, USA Basketball gold medalist Danielle McCray suffered an ACL injury and is out for the remainder of her senior year and likely most of this summer's WNBA season.

Will They or Won't They?

Chris Bosh, David Lee, LeBron James ... these are just a few names that have been flying around in the rumor mill lately about who will be on the upcoming USA World Championship Team. Here are just a few links to the hundreds of articles from the last few days speculating on who will play this summer and some of the rumor mill grinders have differing and opposite view points. Like we said before, we're keeping quiet on the issue until anything's official, but if you're into playing guessing games, have at it!

• USA Basketball: a New Generation
• All-Star Snub David Lee May Join Team USA
• Talking for Chris
• Cavaliers notes: James won't commit to Team USA
• LeBron Likely for Team USA
• Bosh Hasn't Fully Committed to USA Team
• LeBron will Take Care of Business Before FIBA World Championship
• Chris Bosh Didn't Commit to Team USA
• Colangelo: Bosh Set for World Games, LeBron Closer to Saying 'Yes'
  

Double Gold: Looking Back at the Summer of '86

Throughout the history of the FIBA World Championship, USA men’s and women’s teams have captured ‘double gold’ in the same World Championship year only once.

In 1986 cracks were beginning to show in the Soviet Bloc’s Iron Curtain. From the Chernobyl disaster, to the Soviet War in Afghanistan, which was already over six years old and going nowhere, the USSR’s days were numbered...

Who will Represent the USA this Summer?

The New York Daily News seems to think that David Lee will return to USA Basketball in 2010. Mum's the word on our end, but every year about this time rumors start to fly as to who will and who won't be at the USA Basketball camp. You'll all have to wait and see!

Kobe Passes Logoman

Kobe Bryant yesterday became the leading scorer in LA Lakers history, surpassing Jerry West. Bryant now has 25,208 points in his NBA career and West sits at No. 2 on the Lakers' all-time scoring list with 25,182 points.

Charles Hits 2K Mark

USA National Team hopeful Tina Charles became the sixth player in UConn history to score 2,000 points in her career. She's currently on pace to break Nykesha Sales' record of 2,178 points during this year's Big East Tournament and has excelled through a test of wills against USA and UConn head coach Geno Auriemma. Charles, who held her own against pros last fall during the USA National Team training in DC and tournament in Ekaterinburg, will likely be the No. 1 pick in the '10 WNBA Draft ... Youngster Cierra Burdick, a member of the USA's gold medal squad at the 2009 FIBA Americas U16 Championship, talks about her love of the game ...

The Dunk ...

Poor Frederic Weis, he will forever be known as the guy who got dunked OVER by Vince Carter in the 2000 Olympics. In Chris Sheridan's blog today, he discusses whether Weis will make his MSG debut against the USA World Championship Team and of course, links to a highlight reel of The Dunk seen round the world. If you haven't seen it in awhile, do so now. It's a great way to start the week (as long as your name isn't Frederic Weis)! ... Speaking of this year's USA World Championship Team, Jerry Colangelo has some unfinished business he'd like to take care of this summer in Turkey: bringing back the gold medal ... Dwyane Wade, who is about 30 credits shy of his college degree, is planning on hitting the books this summer ...