Debbie Ryan and Dawn Staley To Co-Coach 2010 USA Basketball Women's Select Team
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CHARLOTTESVILLE – For the first time in their careers, Virginia head coach Debbie Ryan and former Cavalier All-American and current South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley will team up as co-head coaches, acting as court coaches of the 2010 USA Basketball Women’s Select Team. Additionally, Virginia’s Monica Wright will be a member of the team.
With a gap in the international calendar this summer for college-aged players, USA Basketball will conduct the USA Select Team training camp April 15-18 in Hartford and Storrs, Conn., in order to continue preparing its historically strong pipeline of athletes for future USA National Team events. Comprised of future USA National Team hopefuls, the collegians will scrimmage against the USA National Team.
“It’s always a great honor to be included with USA Basketball in any way,” said Ryan. “I think the world of the program and I’ve always been very, very proud to say that I’ve been able to coach for USA Basketball in my career.
“Obviously having the opportunity to be alongside Dawn is a tremendous honor and opportunity as well. I think Dawn has become the face of women’s basketball in so many ways. I’m very proud of all she’s accomplished and I think we’ll have a lot of fun doing this together.”
Staley was an All-American under Ryan at Virginia in 1989-1992. During that time, UVa compiled a 110-21 record, appeared in four NCAA Tournaments, including three Final Fours (1990, 1991, 1992) and finished as the NCAA runner-up in 1991.
Members of the 2010 USA Select Team include: Kalana Greene (Connecticut), Kelsey Griffin (Nebraska), Allison Hightower (LSU), Jantel Lavender (Ohio State), Jacinta Monroe (Florida State), Nneka Ogwumike (Stanford), Andrea Riley (Oklahoma State), Danielle Robinson (Oklahoma), Jasmine Thomas (Duke) and Wright.
Following the 2009-10 season, Wright was selected a first team All-American by the Associated Press, the WBCA/State Farm Coaches and the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. She was the WBCA National Defensive Player of the Year, the ACC Player of the Year and the ACC Defensive Player of the Year.
“I had a chance to work with a select team years ago when Tara (VanDerveer) was coaching the Olympic team,” said 2009-12 USA Basketball Women’s National Team head coach Geno Auriemma of the University of Connecticut. “I thought it was a great opportunity for those young kids to get a feel for what USA Basketball is and what it entails to be part of that special group. I couldn’t be happier that Dawn and Debbie have agreed to do this. Dawn has had such a long and distinguished career with USA Basketball and had so much success on the playing side winning goal medals, on the coaching side winning gold medals, she’s a natural. And then having Debbie, who’s been doing this for so long, who coached Dawn and who I have tremendous respect for and I’m so fond of, is great I think it’ll be a great learning experience for the two of them, as well as for me to be around the two of them.”
Auriemma was an assistant coach under Ryan from 1982-85.
While Ryan and Staley will serve as court coaches, the USA Select Team will be directed by the USA National Team coaching staff, which also includes DePaul University head coach Doug Bruno and Los Angeles Sparks head coach Jennifer Gillom.
The 2010 USA Select Team coaching assignment is Ryan’s sixth USA Basketball head coaching nod. Most recently Ryan headed the 2003 USA Pan American Games Team, a squad comprised on the nation’s top collegiate players. Ryan and the U.S. posted a 5-2 slate and earned the silver medal.
She was also the head coach for the 2001 USA World University Games Team that won the gold medal, finished in seventh place at the 1989 U19 World Championship, earned a gold medal at the 1988 FIBA Americas U18 Championship and began her USA Basketball coaching career at the helm of the gold medal winning 1987 U.S. Olympic Festival West Team.
For her efforts at the 2001 World University Games, which included a hard-fought 87-69 gold medal victory against host China, Ryan earned USA Basketball Developmental Coach of the Year honors.
In addition to her USA Basketball coaching stints, Ryan served as a member of the USA Basketball Games Committee for Women and the USA Basketball Women’s Player Subcommittee during the 1988-1992 quadrennium, helping to select athletes for numerous competitions including the 1990 World Championship and 1992 Olympic teams.
A 2008 Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, Ryan owns a 720-308 record in 33 years at the helm of UVa. She is a seven-time recipient of the ACC Coach of the Year award.
“It’s going to be a tremendous honor working with Debbie,” said Staley. “I have so much respect for her, for what she’s done for my career and what she continues to do for young people who come through the UVa program. I was with her at uVa and I had a couple of opportunities to coach against her, going down to Virginia when I was at Temple, but coaching with her is something I never thought would happen. I’m glad it’s going to happen on USA Basketball soil.”
The appointment marks Staley’s second as a head coach as she previously headed up the 2007 USA Pan American Games Team. She also served as an assistant coach for the 2006-08 USA Basketball Women’s National Team and aided the U.S. to gold at the 2008 Olympic Games.
A two-time USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Year (1994 and 2004), Staley was voted by all U.S. team captains in 2004 to carry the United States flag and lead the USA’s delegation into the Athens Olympics Opening Ceremonies.
She was a member of the historic 1995-96 USA National Team that rolled up a 60-0 record, captured the 1996 Olympic gold medal and was named the 1996 USA Basketball and U.S. Olympic Committee Team of the Year.
She has been the head coach of South Carolina for two seasons, following eight seasons as the head coach of Temple.
2010 USA Basketball Women’s Select Team
NAME POS HGT WGT YOG SCHOOL HOMETOWN
Kalana Greene G 5-10 165 2010 University of Connecticut Saint Stephen, SC
Kelsey Griffin F 6-2 165 2010 University of Nebraska Eagle River, AK
Allison Hightower G 5-10 144 2010 Louisiana State University Arlington, TX
Jantel Lavender C 6-4 210 2011 Ohio State University Cleveland, OH
Jacinta Monroe F 6-5 166 2010 Florida State University Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Nneka Ogwumike F 6-2 188 2012 Stanford University Cypress, TX
Andrea Riley G 5-5 135 2010 Oklahoma State University Dallas, TX
Danielle Robinson G 5-9 130 2011 University of Oklahoma San Jose, CA
Jasmine Thomas G 5-9 135 2011 Duke University Fairfax, VA
Monica Wright G 5-11 165 2010 University of Virginia Woodbridge, VA
Court Coach: Debbie Ryan, University of Virginia
Court Coach: Dawn Staley, University of South Carolina
2010 USA National Team & USA Select Team Spring Training Schedule
Date Time Event Location
April 11 5:00 p.m. USA National Team Practice Gampel Pavilon, University of Connecticut
April 12 10:00 a.m. USA National Team Practice Gampel Pavilon, University of Connecticut
April 13 10:00 a.m. USA National Team Practice Gampel Pavilon, University of Connecticut
April 14 10:00 a.m. USA National Team Practice Gampel Pavilon, University of Connecticut
April 15 10:00 a.m. USA Select Team Practice Gampel Pavilion, University of Connecticut
April 16 10:00 a.m. USA National Team Practice Gampel Pavilon, University of Connecticut
12:30 p.m. USA Select Team Practice Gampel Pavilioin, University of Connecticut
6:00 p.m. Scrimmage Chase Arena, University of Hartford
April 17 10:00 a.m. USA National Team Practice Chase Arena, University of Hartford
12:30 p.m. USA Select Team Practice Chase Arena, University of Hartford
6:00 p.m. Scrimmage Chase Arena, University of Hartford
April 18 TBD Practice TBD