University of Delaware Athletics
Former Delaware All-American Elena Delle Donne Selected to U.S. Olympic Basketball Team
4/29/2016 9:24:00 AM | Women's Basketball
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NEW YORK -- Former University of Delaware women's basketball All-American Elena Delle Donne checked another incredible accomplishment off her impressive list this week as she was selected to the United States Women's Basketball Olympic Team that will compete at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil this summer.
Delle Donne, a four-year standout who set numerous records and scored 3,039 points in 2009-13, was a three-time All-American at Delaware, led the Blue Hens to two conference titles and a berth in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16, and earned Most Valuable Player honors in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a standout for the Chicago Sky.
The 6-5 Wilmington, Del. native will become the first University of Delaware athlete to compete in the Olympic Games for the United States.
“It's so hard to even put it into words,” Delle Donne told USA Basketball. “When Carol [Callan, from USA Basketball] told me, it was emotional. Just to think this entire basketball journey I've been on has been absolutely incredible, but this has been by far the pinnacle of my career and the best news I've ever heard. It's absolutely a dream come true. I've just been soaking it up today and it's amazing and a humbling experience as well, with how special and talented this pool of players is.”
In just two days, Delle Donne will be back on campus as she joins her Chicago Sky teammates in an exhibition game against the New York Liberty on Sunday, May 2, at 2 p.m. Great tickets still remain and can be purchased online at www.Ticketmaster.com, by phone at 1-800-745-3000, or in-person at the Delaware Ticket Office located at the Bob Carpenter Center, 631 South College Ave, Newark, DE 19716 between 8:30-4:30 Monday-Friday.
Led by head coach Geno Auriemma, head coach at the University of Connecticut, the U.S. will enter the Olympics as the five-time Gold Medalists. The team was selected by the USA Basketball Women's National Team Player Selection Committee and is pending approval by the USOC.
Delle Donne will be joined by three-time gold medalists and tri-captains Sue Bird, Tamika Catchings, and Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury), two-time Olympic gold medalists Seimone Augustus and Sylvia Fowles, 2012 Olympic gold medalists Tina Charles, Angel McCoughtry, Maya Moore, and Lindsay Whalen, and first-time Olympians Brittney Griner and Breanna Stewart.
“Obviously it's always incredibly difficult to try to identify 12 players from a group of so many great players,” said Auriemma, who has directed the USA National Team to an overall 23-0 record and gold medals at the 2012 Olympic Games and the 2010 and 2014 FIBA World Championships. “The committee had a really difficult job this year, because it's the first time in a long time that a lot more than 12 players could easily have been named to that team. But the 12 that were named are a great combination of Olympic gold-medal experience, multiple gold medal winners and great leaders.
“There is also an influx of young players, which not only is going to be a great benefit to us this year, but I think it will set the stage going forward in two years for the (FIBA) World Championship and then in four years in Tokyo,” said Auriemma. “They will be the future of the USA Basketball Women's National Team.”
The 2016 Olympic Games will be held Aug. 5-21 in Rio de Janeiro. A total of 12 nations will compete in the Olympic women's basketball competition. In addition to host Brazil and the USA, which earned its berth by virtue of winning gold at the 2014 FIBA World Championship, the gold-medal winning teams from each of FIBA's five zones have qualified for Rio, including Australia (FIBA Oceania), Canada (FIBA Americas), Japan (FIBA Asia), Senegal (FIBA Africa), and Serbia (FIBA Europe).
“This was an incredibly difficult decision for the selection committee, but a very positive challenge given the talented athletes in our pool,” said Carol Callan, USA Basketball Women's National Team Director and chair of the USA Basketball Women's National Team Player Selection Committee. “If you combine the returning 2012 Olympians with the 2014 world champions, you have 15 very qualified candidates. Add to that an emerging group of young athletes and the decision becomes that much harder to settle on a final 12-member roster. The good news is that we have developed a deep, talented pool of athletes at each position through our national team program. We are grateful that the very best athletes in our country want to play and push each other to be better whenever our team gathers to train.
“This team has all of the areas necessary for success covered – talent and depth at each position, flexibility to play several positions, leadership on and off the court, international experience, demonstrated teamwork and a blend of veterans and youth. They understand their roles and the responsibility of representing the U.S. in Rio, and we look forward to watching their journey as they work toward a sixth-straight gold medal.”
IBA on March 11, 2016, held the draw to determine the Aug. 6-10 preliminary round groups, and the United States (2014 FIBA World Championship gold medalist) was placed in Group B along with Canada (2015 FIBA Americas gold medalist), Senegal (2015 FIBA Africa gold medalist), Serbia (2015 EuroBasket gold medalist) and two teams that will earn their berths at the 2016 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament, June 13-19, in Nantes, France. The top five finishing teams from the Olympic qualifier will earn a berth to Rio, with the second and fourth best teams included in Group B.
The U.S. will open play against Senegal on either Aug. 6 or Aug. 7 (all game times to be announced by FIBA at a later date), followed by the No. 4 team from the Olympic qualifier on Aug. 8, Serbia on Aug. 10, Canada Aug. 12, and the USA concludes preliminary round play on Aug. 14 against the No. 2 team from the Olympic qualifier.
Auriemma will be assisted through the 2016 Olympic Games by DePaul University's Doug Bruno, the Minnesota Lynx' Cheryl Reeve and University of South Carolina's Dawn Staley.
The 2016 U.S. Olympic Women's Basketball Team was selected by the USA Basketball Women's National Team Player Selection Committee. Chaired by Callan, the committee includes: WNBA appointees Reneé Brown, WNBA chief of basketball operations and player relations; Dan Hughes, head coach and general manager of the San Antonio Stars; and Chris Sienko, vice president and general manager of the Connecticut Sun; and three-time Olympic and two-time FIBA World Championship gold medalist Katie Smith, who played in nearly 200 games for USA Basketball from 1993-2008 and serves as the athlete representative.
U.S. Olympic women's basketball teams have earned a record seven gold medals, one silver medal and one bronze medal, and are 58-3 all-time in Olympic competition. The 2016 U.S. team will enter Rio riding a 41-game Olympic winning streak that dates back to the 1992 Barcelona Olympics bronze medal game.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Scott Selheimer | selheime@udel.edu | Office: 302-831-8007 | Cell: 302-562-5129
