(March 6, 2002)

Stiles Selected To Train With World Championship Team

The Rookie of the Year is one of six athletes invited to compete for a

roster position on the USA Women's Senior National Team

PORTLAND OR (March 6, 2002) Six athletes boasting of prior USA Basketball experience have been selected to train with the six previously named members of the 2002 USA Basketball Women's World Championship Team during its March 18 – April 10 spring training in hopes of securing one of the remaining six roster spots. The selections were made by the USA Basketball Women's Senior National Team Committee and approved by the USA Basketball Executive Committee. The 14th FIBA World Championship for Women will feature national teams from 16 nations competing in nine cities in the People's Republic of China Sept. 14-25 and the U.S. will face Russia, Lithuania and Chinese Taipei in preliminary round play Sept. 14-16.

The six players vying for a spot on the 2002 USA World Championship roster include Jackie Stiles (Portland Fire), Tamika Catchings (Indiana Fever); Tamecka Dixon (Los Angeles Sparks); Shannon Johnson (Orlando Miracle), Merlakia Jones (Cleveland Rockers); and Betty Lennox (Minnesota Lynx). The athletes will contend for roster spots to be determined by the Committee, which will also use a portion of the WNBA season to evaluate these six and other WNBA standouts. The athletes will contend for roster spots to be determined by the Committee, which will also use a portion of the WNBA season to evaluate these six and other WNBA standouts.

"I don't think there's a doubt that any of these players would be a good addition to the team," said 2002 USA Basketball World Championship Team and Houston Comets head coach Van Chancellor. "This will give us the chance to get a look at a several players who can do different things on the court. I've always thought that we should give a number of players a shot to make this team and that's what we're doing."

Both Johnson and Dixon will participate in the entire USA Basketball Women's National Team spring training, while Catchings, Jones and Stiles will attend training camp March 18-31 in Houston and San Antonio, Texas, and Lennox will join the USA squad for its April 1-10 training sessions in the New York area and Colorado Springs, Colo.

The first six members of the eventual 12-member 2002 USA Basketball Women's World Championship Team were announced on Jan. 10 and included Olympic gold medalists Chamique Holdsclaw (Washington Mystics); Lisa Leslie (Los Angeles Sparks); DeLisha Milton (Los Angeles Sparks); Dawn Staley (Charlotte Sting) and Sheryl Swoopes (Houston Comets); Natalie Williams (Utah Starzz).

Stiles has been a member of five USA Basketball squads and the all-time NCAA Division I scoring leader earned 2001 WNBA Rookie of the Year honors, while also being selected to the 2001 WNBA All-Star Game West Team. She was a teammate of Catchings on the 1997 USA Junior World Championship and 1996 USA Junior World Championship Qualifying teams. Returning the following summer as a member of the 1998 USA Select Team, Stiles averaged 9.4 ppg. and helped the U.S. post a 71 record against national teams from Puerto Rico, Poland and Spain. In 2000 Stiles averaged 6.8 ppg. for the gold medal winning USA R. William Jones Cup Team and then competed with the 2000 USA Select Team that loss an exhibition game to the 2000 USA Basketball Women's National (Olympic) Team on Sept. 9.

Catchings, an All-American at Tennessee who sat out the 2001 WNBA season due to an injured right knee, was selected by the Indiana Fever as the third pick in the 2001 WNBA Draft and has claimed two gold medals and one silver on three USA Basketball squads. Averaging 13.2 ppg. and 7.2 rpg. as a member of the gold medal winning 1997 USA Junior World Championship Team that claimed the United States' only medal ever at a Junior World Championship, Catchings averaged 6.4 ppg. and 3.8 rpg. for the 1998 R. William Jones Cup that earned the gold medal in Taiwan and was part of the silver medal winning 1996 USA Junior World Championship Qualifying Team.

Dixon, a three-time WNBA All-Star and 2001 All-WNBA first team selection, who in 2001 helped the Sparks capture the WNBA title, competed for USA Basketball as a member of the 1999 USA Women's National Team. The '99

U.S. squad, which included 2002 USA World Championship Team members Leslie, Milton, Staley and Swoopes, finished 4-1 during a five-game Winter European Tour against teams from France, Hungary and Slovakia. Dixon averaged 3.7 ppg. during the tour. She was also a member of both the 1994 and 1995 U.S. Olympic Festival East teams that earned bronze and gold medals, respectively.

Johnson was selected as a 2000 U.S. Olympic Team alternate and two-time WNBA All-Star has helped USA Basketball teams capture gold medals at the 1997 World University Games (2.3 ppg. and 2.5 apg.), 1996 R. William Jones Cup (4.8 ppg. and 2.3 apg.) and 1993 U.S. Olympic Festival, in addition to earning a bronze medal at the 1995 Jones Cup. (4.3 ppg. and 1.3 apg.). Johnson has also competed on a pair of USA Basketball Women's Senior National teams. She averaged 5.0 ppg. and 1.0 apg. with the 1998 USA Senior National Team that posted a 2-3 record against host Australia in the Australian Goldmark Cup and compiled averages of 5.8 ppg. and 1.6 apg. during the '99 USA National Team's Winter European Tour. Additionally, Johnson participated in the 1999 USA National Team Spring Training Camp.

Jones averaged 3.7 ppg. and earned a silver medal with the 1995 USA World University Games Team. She also toured Israel and France as a member of the 1994 USA Select Team that also played an exhibition game against the 1994 USA Basketball Goodwill Games Team. Additionally, she was a participant in the 1993 U.S. Olympic Festival and 1992 USA Junior National Team Trials. As a six-year veteran of the Cleveland Rockers, Jones earned 2001 All-WNBA first team honors and is a three-time WNBA All-Star.

Lennox, who participated in the 1997 USA Women's National Team Trials, was selected the 2000 WNBA Rookie of the Year and also listed on the 2000 All-WNBA second team. Six games into the 2001 season Lennox suffered a strained left hip versus Detroit on June 17 and she did not return to the court until Aug. 5 for the Lynx' final five games.

Chancellor will lead the U.S. in its defense of its 1998 World Championship title at the 2002 FIBA World Championship and he will be assisted by three-time Olympian and Charlotte Sting head coach Anne Donovan. The remaining assistant coaches will be announced at a later date.

On Jan. 21 the draw to determine the 2002 FIBA World Championship Preliminary Round Groups took place. Competing in Group A in Wuzhong will be Argentina, 2000 Olympic silver medalist and 1998 World Championship bronze medalist Australia, Japan and Spain; placed in Group B, which will compete in Taicang, were 2000 Olympic bronze medalist Brazil, host China, Senegal and Yugoslavia; Lithuania, 1998 World Championship silver medalist Russia, Chinese Taipei and the United States make up Group C and will compete in Zhangjiagang; while Cuba; 2001 European champion France; Korea and Tunisia have been assigned to Group D and will play in Changshu.

Held every four years, the 14th FIBA World Championship format will feature a round robin competition in preliminary round play Sept. 14-16, and the top three teams from each preliminary group advance to form two groups consisting of six teams each. Each team's results against teams advancing from its preliminary group carries over to the preliminary second round standings and each team will play the other three teams in the second round group whom they have not faced previously. The Preliminary Second Round, which will be contested Sept. 18-20, will be held in Suzhou for the top three teams in Group A and Group B, and Changzhou for the top three teams in Group C and Group D. The top four teams from those two groups’ will then advance on to Nanjing for the medal round quarterfinals, scheduled for Sept. 23, followed by the Sept. 24 semi-finals and the gold medal game will be played on Sept. 25.

The United States at the 1998 World Championship in Germany earned its sixth gold medal with an unblemished 9-0 record. All told, the USA owns a 71-20 overall record (.780 winning percentage) in World Championship play and has won six golds, one silver and one bronze medal in the 12 previous FIBA World Championships in which the U.S. competed.

The USA Basketball Women's Senior National Team Committee, which is charged with the selection of the team and coaching staff, consists of nine members and a non-voting chair. WNBA Vice President of Player Personnel Reneé Brown serves as chair of the Committee, which includes Portland Fire Vice President of Business Operations Sandi Bittler; New York Liberty Senior Vice President and General Manager Carol Blazejowski; Indiana Fever Chief Operating Officer Kelly Krauskopf; Sacramento Monarchs General Manager Jerry Reynolds; Phoenix Mercury Vice President of Operations Seth Sulka; Los Angeles Sparks General Manager Penny Toler; and Stanford University head coach Tara VanDerveer, who piloted the 1996 U.S. Olympic Team to a gold medal. Serving as athlete representatives are Staley, 1996 and 2000 Olympic and 1998 World Championship gold medal winner; and Lynette Woodard, a 1984 Olympic and 1990 World Championship gold medalist.

[Source Jill Wiggins, Fire Director of Communications, Ph. 503-797-9929 www.firebasketball.com.]