STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford All-Americans Nneka and Chiney Ogwumike were named to the 29-person 2017-20 USA Basketball Women's National Team pool on Thursday. The 2017-20 USA National Team pool, from which the 2018 USA World Cup Team is expected to be selected, was chosen by the USA Basketball Women's National Team Player Selection Committee.
In continuing its preparations for the 2018 FIBA World Cup of Basketball and future USA Basketball Women's National Team events, available members of the USA pool will participate in a minicamp Feb. 9-11, 2018, at the University of South Carolina. A 12-member roster will represent the USA Basketball Women's National Team in the 2018 FIBA World Cup (Sept. 22-30 in Tenerife, Spain) and, if the USA qualifies, the 2020 Summer Olympic Games (July 24-Aug. 9 in Tokyo)
Stanford is one of five institutions with multiple alumnae named to the pool.
The sisters, who were All-Americans together at Stanford in 2012 and both No. 1 picks in the WNBA draft, have excelled at the next level. Nneka, the 2016 WNBA MVP, was named to her fourth All-Star game this past season and led the Sparks to their second consecutive league finals appearance. She ranked sixth in the WNBA in scoring (18.8 ppg), eighth in rebounding (7.7 rpg), third in steals (1.85 spg) and tied for fourth in field goal percentage (56.1).
Chiney, who was sidelined all of 2015 after recovering from microfracture surgery in her right knee, was named the Associated Press Comeback Player of the Year in 2016 after bouncing back in a big way for the Connecticut Sun. That season she averaged 12.6 points on 58.7 percent shooting and 6.7 rebounds. Owgumike was the league's 12th leading scorer over the final 10 games of the season following the Olympic break, scoring 16.5 per outing and grabbing 8.6 rebounds.
She missed the 2017 WNBA season after injuring her Achilles tendon playing basketball in China in November 2016.
The Ogwumikes were three-time All-Americans for the Cardinal and are two of six members of the 2,000-point, 1,000-rebound club at Stanford along with Jayne Appel, Candice Wiggins, Nicole Powell and Val Whiting. They are the only players in the top six in both scoring and rebounding in Pac-12 history.