Atlanta Dream guard/forward Angel McCoughtry has been named to the USA World Championship Team by USA Basketball, the organization has announced. It marks the second World Championship appearance for McCoughtry, who was part of the 2010 U.S. squad that won gold.
McCoughtry, who was also part of Team USA's gold-medal-winning squad at the 2012 London Olympic Games, is one of 12 players who will represent the United States at the 2014 FIBA World Championship, which will be held Sept. 27-Oct. 5 in Ankara and Istanbul, Turkey. The team was selected by the USA Basketball Women's National Team Player Selection Committee, chaired by USA Basketball women's national team director Carol Callan.
McCoughtry is just one of four Dream players who will participate at the FIBA World Championship. Centers Erika de Souza and Nadia Colhado will compete for Brazil, while guard Céline Dumerc will represent France.
McCoughtry was Team USA's second-leading scorer at the 2012 Olympics, averaging 10.9 points per game. She led all players at the Olympics with a field goal percentage of 62.0 (31-of-50) and was second in the field averaging 2.5 steals per game. In addition to her Olympic and World Championship gold medals, she has also won international gold medals at the 2009 UMMC Ekaterinburg International Invitational and the 2007 Pan American Games.
McCoughtry recently completed her sixth season in the WNBA, all of the Dream. Since being selected as the No. 1 overall selection out of Louisville in 2009, she has led the Dream to six consecutive playoff appearances, including three trips to the WNBA Finals. The two-time league scoring champion ranks third in WNBA history with a career scoring average of 19.4 points per game, and finished third in MVP voting and was Second Team All-WNBA in 2014 after averaging 18.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.4 steals per game.
McCoughtry was also named to the WNBA's All-Defensive First Team this season after leading the league in steals, marking her fourth career All-Defensive First Team honor. In addition, she was elected to start at the All-Star Game for the third time in her career.
McCoughtry will be part of a USA team that owns a record eight gold medals, one silver medal and two bronze medals in FIBA World Championship play, while compiling an all-time 97-21 record at the event. In 2010, the most recent World Championship, the U.S. finished with a perfect 9-0 record and the gold medal.
Other members of the team include Seimone Augustus (Minnesota Lynx), Sue Bird (Seattle Storm), Tina Charles (New York Liberty), Candice Dupree (Phoenix Mercury), Brittney Griner (Phoenix Mercury), Maya Moore (Minnesota Lynx), Nnemkadi Ogwumike (Los Angeles Sparks), Odyssey Sims (Tulsa Shock), Breanna Stewart (University of Connecticut), Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury) and Lindsay Whalen (Minnesota Lynx).
