The WNBA offseason is definitely one of the gifts that keeps giving. This offseason, Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers was named to the Team USA training camp for the first time, a unique feat to achieve all within a single year of going pro. Bueckers has definitely turned a few heads with her impressive performance, as evident from Jackie Young immensely praising the Dallas Wings star.
Bueckers was selected alongside several other renowned names such as Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese. However, it was she who caught the attention of three-time WNBA champion, Jackie Young. Speaking to the media in a press conference after the camp, Young said,
“It’s the best of the best, so everybody here can hoop. I mean Paige especially. Her Game is great. We had a great practice today, she hits her spots, she can play both ends of the ball, both sides of the ball.”
Of the 18 players invited to the Team USA training camp at Duke University over the weekend are making their senior national team debut. With the core set around Bueckers, the young hoopers have earned themselves a new moniker, ‘young and turn’ crew.
Though the moniker may contain a level of expectations and gravity to it, the young hoopers seem to carry a cool confidence. Some of the other rookies to the Team USA camp are Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Sonia Citron, Veronica Burton, Cameron Brink, Kiki Iriafen, Rickea Jackson, and JuJu Watkins.
Unlike last year, Team USA’s youth will be primarily at the point guard position, while most of the veterans seem to be the bigs. This realization dawned upon Team USA’s managing director, Sue Bird, who compared the team’s current cycle to “Lisa Leslie kind of years, where she was always, like, a vet, but she always had Dawn (Staley).”
Team USA is currently levelling up ahead of the upcoming FIBA Women’s World Cup on 4-13 September in Berlin. This year, the United States will be looking to defend their championship and secure their fifth consecutive gold medal.
Paige Bueckers is A Test For The Young Core to Uphold Team USA’s Dominance
Paige Bueckers and several young stars are joining the U.S. women’s senior national basketball team, but they already share a strong bond. Bueckers, Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston, and Cameron Brink played together at the 2019 FIBA Under-19 World Cup, where they won gold. She said it feels familiar because they have competed against each other for years in college and the WNBA. Bueckers added that being on the same side now is exciting and that Team USA pushes each player to bring out their best.
Veronica Burton recently won gold at the 2025 FIBA 3×3 AmeriCup and is now adjusting to the senior team. She said the approach remains the same — to compete hard, stay professional, and aim for gold. Burton described the experience of training and playing with the nation’s best as challenging but rewarding. She emphasized that the mindset of winning and excellence carries through every USA Basketball event.
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