Cash, Fowles, Parker, Catchings headed to Olympics

Two members of the Chicago Sky and two WNBA veterans with suburban ties will play for the 2012 U.S. Olympic Women’s Basketball Team.

Among the 11 USA Women’s National Team members are the Chicago Sky’s Sylvia Fowles and Swin Cash, plus Naperville native Candace Parker and former Stevenson High star Tamika Catchings.

The U.S. squad will be compete for the USA’s fifth-consecutive Olympic gold medal in London this summer. The player selections were made by the USA Basketball Women’s National Team Player Selection Committee. One slot remains for the eventual 12-member U.S. squad and the final athlete will be selected at a later date.

The other athletes selected are Seimone Augustus (Minnesota Lynx), Sue Bird (Seattle Storm), Tina Charles (Connecticut Sun), Angel McCoughtry (Atlanta Dream), Maya Moore (Minnesota Lynx), Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury), and Lindsay Whalen (Minnesota Lynx).

In Beijing, China, the 2008 team dominated their opponents on the court, winning by an average of 37.5 points per game.

The Olympic basketball competition will be held July 28-Aug. 12 in the Olympic Park Basketball Arena (preliminary round and quarterfinals) and North Greenwich Arena (semifinals and finals).

The draw to determine the two preliminary round pools of six teams each is scheduled to be held April 28 at the FIBA Central Board meeting in the Ivory Coast.

The preliminary round, played July 28-Aug. 5, will feature a round-robin schedule and the top four finishing teams will advance to the Aug. 7 quarterfinals. The semifinals are scheduled for Aug. 9 and the finals will be played on Aug. 11.