What's Next for Courtney Paris?

NORMAN, Okla. -- Following a two-week training camp that saw the USA Basketball Women's Senior National Team capture a pair of victories over 2006 FIBA World Champion Australia, the roster for the FIBA Americas Championship Team was announced with OU junior Courtney Paris making the squad.

"Being named to the squad was a great birthday present," said Paris, who turned 20 Friday en route to Valdivia, Chile, "but the celebration is over and it's time to focus on helping this squad bring home a gold medal and qualify for the Olympics."

Paris joins seven members of last year's World Championship team -- Seimone Augustus, Sue Bird, DeLisha Milton-Jones, Candace Parker, Katie Smith, Diana Taurasi and Tina Thompson -- and Rebekkah Brunson, Swin Cash, Kara Lawson and Cappie Pondexter. Candice Wiggins will serve as an alternate.

The selections were made by the USA Basketball Women's Senior National Team Committee.

"We feel that we have a veteran core group of players who understand how to win the big games, and we're confident that we've selected a team that has the experience, confidence, skills and will to win," said selection committee chair Reneé Brown, the WNBA chief of basketball operations and player relations.

What They're Saying about Courtney Paris...
	Candice Wiggins, Stanford University Senior Guard "She's so dominant and she's such a special player. There's no one else in women's basketball like her. What can you say about Courtney? She's a great person; she's fun to be around; she makes everyone around her better; and I enjoy my time every time with her."

The squad will compete in the FIBA Americas Championship, slated for Sept. 26-30 in Valdivia, Chile, in hopes of earning the lone Olympic berth from the FIBA Americas zone. Only the gold medalist in the eight-team tournament will advance to the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

Host China and Australia, by winning the 2006 world championships, are the only teams with automatic berths to the Olympics. The United States has won the last four Olympic gold medals, but has not had to play in an Olympic qualifier since 1980.

The U.S. opens against Cuba on Sept. 26, followed by Jamaica on Sept. 27 and closes preliminary round play against Canada on Sept. 28. The top two teams in preliminary Group A, which includes Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Mexico, and Group B advance to the Sept. 29 medal semifinals. The gold medal game is Sept. 30.

The U.S. team is coached by Anne Donovan, head coach of the WNBA's Seattle Storm, and is being assisted by 2006 WNBA Coach of the Year Mike Thibault of the Connecticut Sun, Gail Goestenkors of the University of Texas and Temple (Pa.) University's Dawn Staley.

2007 FIBA Americas Tournament
Preliminary Round Standings
Group A	Win-Loss	Group B	Win-Loss
Brazil Argentina Mexico Chile	0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0	United States Cuba Canada Jamaica	0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0
Preliminary Round
Wednesday, Sept. 26
Pool A		Pool B
Brazil vs. Argentina Chile vs. Mexico		United States vs. Cuba Canada vs. Jamaica
Thursday, Sept. 27
Brazil vs. Chile Argentina vs. Mexico		United States vs. Jamaica Cuba vs. Canada
Friday, Sept. 28
Brazil vs. Mexico Argentina vs. Chile		United States vs. Canada Cuba vs. Jamaica
Semifinals
The first two finishing teams from each preliminary round group advance to medal round semifinals and play for first through fourth places, while the teams placed third and fourth in each preliminary round group will play for fifth to eighth places.
Saturday, Sept. 29
Game 13: A3 vs. B4 Game 14: B3 vs. A4		Game 15: B1 vs. A2 Game 16: A1 vs. B2
Finals
Sunday, Sept. 30
7th Place Game: Loser 13 vs. Loser 14 5th Place Game: Winner 13 vs. Winner 14		Bronze Medal Game: Loser 15 vs. Loser 16 Gold Medal Game: Winner 15 vs. Winner 16

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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