Kahleah Copper scored 15 factors in Staff USA’s 97-79 win over France in Sunday’s FIBA Girls’s Basketball World Cup remaining. A day later, she was not on USA At the moment’s projected roster for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Mitchell Northam listed the Phoenix Mercury guard amongst 10 gamers to observe as an alternative. He wrote that leaving Copper off after her World Cup could be a tough name, and that the identical was true of Sabrina Ionescu and Kelsey Plum.
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Northam additionally wrote that after shut video games in Berlin, managing director Sue Chicken and coach Kara Lawson may lean on veterans and take Copper over USC guard JuJu Watkins. His projection contains Watkins.
Kahleah Copper Makes Case for 2028 Olympic Roster
The U.S. beat Italy by three factors in pool play and Spain by 10 within the semifinals. Towards France, the People trailed by 14 within the first half earlier than outscoring France 30-12 within the third quarter.
Copper made her Staff USA debut on the 2024 Paris Olympics and received gold. That was her first season in Phoenix, and she or he averaged a career-high 21.1 factors. In 2025, she averaged 16.6 factors and 6.6 rebounds.
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On the World Cup qualifying event in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Copper led the U.S. with 12.8 factors per sport.
A number of Staff USA Veterans Left Outdoors Projection
Plum, Copper’s teammate in Phoenix, made the unique World Cup roster however withdrew with an harm days earlier than the event. She was averaging 21.5 factors per sport on the time. Plum received two World Cup gold medals earlier than this one.
“I did the whole lot I may to be again on the courtroom, however simply ran out of time,” Plum wrote on Instagram on Aug. 31.
Ionescu was not on this 12 months’s World Cup roster after enjoying at the newest Olympics and World Cup. Jewell Loyd and Alyssa Thomas have been additionally left off after enjoying in each occasions.
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Washington Mystics teammates Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen changed Plum and A’ja Wilson on the World Cup roster. Northam listed each amongst his gamers to observe. Citron made her senior nationwide group debut after incomes her second straight All-Star choice.
JuJu Watkins Will get Nod in Early Projection
Northam additionally listed UConn’s Sarah Robust, and he named Citron and Robust as defenders overlooked of his 12. Rhyne Howard, who averaged a team-high 2.3 steals in Berlin, made the projection.
Watkins was the nationwide participant of the 12 months earlier than she tore her ACL in March 2025. She attended a Staff USA camp below Lawson however didn’t take part on the courtroom whereas she recovered.
Northam’s different gamers to observe have been Shakira Austin, Mikayla Blakes, Hannah Hidalgo, and Rickea Jackson.
The WNBA common season resumes Thursday and ends Sept. 24.
