2012 U.S. Olympic Women’s Basketball Roster Finalists Include Lindsay Whalen, Maya Moore

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Minnesota native Lindsay Whalen was one of four Minnesota Lynx players named a Team USA finalist for their entry into the 2012 Olympics. The final roster will be named at a later date.

Feb 13, 2012 - The 2012 London Olympics aren't far away, meaning quite a few of the rosters are being finalized in the next couple of months. 21 women were named Team USA finalists on Tuesday including quite a few athletes with ties to the Minnesota basketball community.

The Minnesota Lynx had four players named finalists with Lindsay Whalen, Seimone Augustus, Rebekkah Brunson and Maya Moore with Augustus being a holdover from Team USA in 2008. Whalen and Moore both participated in the 2010 World Championships, picking up the win and allowing the team to qualify for London.

Geno Auriemma, the head coach of the Connecticut Huskies, is also the head of Team USA this summer. He was quoted at length in the press release, but his thoughts on constructing the team are particularly interesting.

"When you're trying to pick a team," said Auriemma. "It's important that you don't just say, ‘ok, well, we're just going to get the best player and that's all there is to it.' You're trying to put together the Olympic team. So, you're trying to find players that fit together very well, that are very compatible, they complement each other's strengths, hide each other's weaknesses.

The only college player named a finalist, by the way, was Baylor's Brittney Griner.

For more women's basketball, be sure to visit Swish Appeal.