COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State senior guard Kelsey Mitchell is invited to participate in the USA Women’s Basketball National Team Training Camp Sept. 30 to Oct. 2 in Santa Barbara, California.
Mitchell, a 2014 Princeton High School graduate, is one of five current collegiate players to receive an invitation.
The invitation arrives after a busy summer for Mitchell, who helped to lead the USA Basketball Women’s Under-23 National Team to a gold medal in the Four Nations Tournament in Tokyo in August.
The USA Women’s National Team Training Camp this month will be utilized to help identify and prepare athletes for future USA National Team events, including the 2018 USA World Cup Team.
The other collegiate players invited to the camp include Napheesa Collier (Connecticut); Asia Durr (Louisville); Katie Lou Samuelson (Connecticut) and A’ja Wilson (South Carolina).
WNBA players expected to attend the camp include: Seimone Augustus (Minnesota Lynx); Sue Bird (Seattle Storm); Tina Charles (New York Liberty); Layshia Clarendon (Atlanta Dream); Elena Delle Donne (Washington Mystics); Skylar Diggins-Smith (Dallas Wings); Stefanie Dolson (Chicago Sky); Sylvia Fowles (Minnesota Lynx); Chelsea Gray (Los Angeles Sparks); Brittney Griner (Phoenix Mercury); Tiffany Hayes (Atlanta Dream); Jantel Lavender (Los Angeles Sparks); Jewell Loyd (Seattle Storm); Kayla McBride (San Antonio Stars); Maya Moore (Minnesota Lynx); Nneka Ogwumike (Los Angeles Sparks); Kelsey Plum (San Antonio Stars); Odyssey Sims (Los Angeles Sparks); Breanna Stewart (Seattle Storm); Kiah Stokes (New York Liberty); Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury); Morgan Tuck (Connecticut Sun); Lindsay Whalen (Minnesota Lynx); Sydney Wiese (Los Angeles Sparks); and Courtney Williams (Connecticut Sun).
The USA Basketball Women’s National Team will compete in the 2018 FIBA World Cup (Sept. 22-30 in Spain) and, if the USA qualifies, the 2020 Summer Olympic Games (July 24-Aug. 9 in Tokyo), as well as additional USA training camps and exhibition games.
The U.S. and Head Coach Dawn Staley (South Carolina) will look to capture the title at the 2018 FIBA Women’s World Cup of Basketball, with an automatic berth to the 2020 Olympic Games being awarded to the gold medalist. Should the U.S. not finish with the gold medal in 2018, it would have two additional opportunities to qualify for the Olympics: the 2019 FIBA AmeriCup (dates and site TBD) and the 2020 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament (dates and site TBD).
Mitchell, a three-time collegiate All-American, has an opportunity this upcoming season to become the first Ohio State women’s basketball player to earn that honor four times. She also has 368 career three-pointers and is 30 three-pointers away from the NCAA all-time mark, according to Gary Petit, Ohio State Assistant Director of Athletics Communications.
Mitchell helped lead the Buckeyes to 28 wins last season and their first Big Ten title since 2011. The team also advanced to the Sweet 16 for the second straight year -- the first back-to-back Sweet 16 appearance for the Buckeyes since the 1988 and 1989 seasons.
Mitchell was the catalyst for a Buckeyes offense that finished fourth in the country in scoring at 85.7 points per game and set a new OSU single-season points record.
Ohio State opens the season Nov. 5 against visiting Urbana. Ohio State plays host to Stanford Nov. 10 at St. John Arena and Louisville Nov. 12 at Nationwide Arena.
