USA Basketball names Reeve, Agler, Hughes minicamp court coaches

All good things come in threes, which holds true for the triad of elite WNBA coaches, Brian Agler (Los Angeles Sparks), Dan Hughes (Seattle Storm) and Cheryl Reeve (Minnesota Lynx), who have been chosen to serve as court coaches at the USA Basketball Women’s National Team training camp.

The upcoming training camp will take place Feb. 9-11, 2018 at the University of South Carolina. The court coaches, picked by the USA Basketball Women’s National Team Steering Committee, will assist Dawn Staley, USA National Team and South Carolina head coach, with scrimmages and on-court drills throughout the camp.

“I’m extremely excited about working with Cheryl, Dan and Brian,” expressed Staley, head coach of USA Basketball. “They are some of the best basketball minds in the game. I’m looking forward to working with them, picking their brains about the style of play in the WNBA, and also just working with them and talking basketball. Obviously, I have a certain way that I want to play, and we’ll discuss that. But also, they have been connected to most of the players, especially the top players that they coach. I want to know what’s the best way of utilizing them in certain situations.

Staley is one of many who are enthusiastic about the trio selected. The USA Basketball Women’s National Team director and chair of the USA Women’s National Team Steering Committee Carol Callan is looking forward to having them at camp as well.

“When looking at who to ask to be a court coach for the 2018 USA National Team minicamp, these three coaches were the most obvious choices to assist Dawn at our upcoming camp,” voiced Callan. “They all know what it takes to win, they’re all successful coaches in the league and they’ve worked with many of the athletes we will have at the camp. I can’t think of three better coaches to assist Dawn Staley and the USA National Team in February.”

USA Basketball’s mincamp will be held Feb. 9-11 at South Carolina and the final roster will be announced at a later date. The minicamp will feature 29 available members of the 2018-20 USA Basketball Women’s National Team pool, which can be found here.

Katie Lou Samuelson, Asia Durr, Napheesa Collier, Kelsey Mitchell, and A’ja Wilson (all collegiate level) as well as Sylvia Fowles, Jewell Loyd, and Brianna Stewart (WNBA players currently competing professionally in Asia), will not be present at February’s minicamp.

The three legendary WNBA coaches selected as court coaches expressed their excitement to be a part of the USA Basketball Women’s National Team training camp.

“It’s an honor to be involved in any capacity with USA Basketball,” said Agler. “To be selected to be a court coach is going to be a tremendous experience and a great privilege and I’m looking forward to it.

“It’s an absolute joy and honor to be involved on the court with these players that represent the United States,” explained Hughes. “And it’s also really special to be on the court with Dawn Staley. When I got my first opportunity to be a head coach, she was my point guard for 20 games. To now be circling back and watching the coach that she’s become and to have a chance to step on the court and assist in any way possible, it’s pretty special.

“I’m excited about this opportunity,” said Reeve. “In working with Dawn and the last USA National Team staff at the World Cup and the Olympics, we were able to forge a coaching relationship. I had known her before, I was on the coaching staff (with the Charlotte Sting) and she was a player, but this was a chance to be on the coaching side and exchange basketball ideas, so I’m excited to be able to support her in her efforts as the USA National Team coach. As a court coach it’s exciting to say, ‘What do you want us to do and how do you want us to do it?’ And just soak up her vision for the team. So, I’m excited to help her do that,” stated Reeve.