COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The USA Basketball Women’s National Team Player Selection Committee made its decision for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, as two former Notre Dame players were announced on Monday morning. Both Skylar Diggins-Smith and Jewell Loyd will be making their first Olympic appearance for the six-time defending Olympic gold medalists Team USA.
Prior to today’s announcement, Notre Dame had only one Team USA representative at the Olympic Games in Ruth Riley-Hunter. The 2001 NCAA national champion, and teammate to current Karen & Kevin Keyes Head Coach Niele Ivey, went on to win the gold medal in Athens in 2004.
2014 graduate and most recent Ring of Honor inductee Natalie Achonwa was the other prior Olympian. Hailing from Guelph, Ontario, Achonwa represented Canada in both London 2012 and Rio 2016, reaching the quarterfinal round in each.
Diggins-Smith ranks second all-time in scoring at Notre Dame with 2,357 career points and was a four-time All-American. She’s still the only player with 2,000 points, 500 rebounds, 500 assists and 300 steals in her Irish career. At the pro level, Diggins-Smith is a four-time WNBA All-Star and four-time All-WNBA selection.
Loyd ranks seventh at Notre Dame in career points with 1,909. She was a consensus two-time All-America selection and the 2015 ACC Player of the Year. At the pro level, she’s a two-time WNBA champion and two-time WNBA All-Star.
The XXXII Olympic Games women’s basketball competition will be held July 26-Aug. 8 at the Saitama Super Arena, Saitama, Japan.
— ND —