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On Wednesday, USA Basketball announced an 11-player roster who will play a three-game tour against professional teams in Europe. One familiar face will be on the roster:
| Player | Team |
| Sue Bird | Seattle Storm |
| Tina Charles | New York Liberty |
| Elena Delle Donne | Chicago Sky |
STEFANIE DOLSON!!! |
WASHINGTON MYSTICS!!! |
| Candice Dupree | Phoenix Mercury |
| Brittney Griner | Phoenix Mercury |
| Angel McCoughtry | Atlanta Dream |
| Candace Parker | Los Angeles Sparks |
| Danielle Robinson | San Antonio Stars |
| Breanna Stewart | University of Connecticut (still in college) |
| Courtney Vandersloot | Chicago Sky |
Of the 11 players on the roster, Mystics center Stefanie Dolson will be playing on the team, which is stacked.
It includes current WNBA MVP Elena Delle Donne, two-time MVP Candace Parker, Defensive Player of the Year Brittney Griner, and Sue Bird, who's the most decorated player in USA Basketball history. And we didn't even get to Breanna Stewart yet. She will be the presumptive number one pick in the 2016 WNBA Draft.
I get that there are some star players who are not on the roster. This is because their WNBA teams are in the Finals. They include Lynx stars like Maya Moore, Lindsay Whalen, Seimone Augustus, and Sylvia Fowles as well as Fever star Tamika Catchings. Of the players listed, Fowles is the only player who is a center. If all of them, especially Fowles were on this roster, there's a chance that Dolson may not be here. But that's a moot point.
Regardless of who is and who isn't on the roster besides Big Mama Stef, this is the bottom line for Mystics fans. Dolson's on the team, she's an All-Star and has an all-around game that could fit in very well with some of the other players who many would consider locks for the Olympic team next year in Rio de Janeiro.
I'm not saying that Dolson is a lock to have an all-expenses paid trip to Copacabana and Ipanema beaches next summer. But this is one hell of an opportunity for her to make that case (and earn that trip).
Team USA starts practicing on October 2 in Barcelona. They will play Uni Girona in Spain on October 4, face Team Italy on October 7 in Rome, Dike Naples on October 8, and USK Praha on October 9 in Prague.
Go get 'em Stef!