Former Gamecocks return for Team USA Exhibition

They’re baaaaaaaaaack!

Former Gamecocks and current WNBA stars A’Ja Wilson (Las Vegas Aces), Allisha Gray (Dallas Wings) and Tiffany Mitchell (Indiana Fever) will return to the Colonial Life Arena to take part in a Team USA Basketball intrasquad (Team Red vs. Team White) exhibition game.

This is one of three domestic exhibition games before Team USA travels to Europe to participate in the FIBA Women’ s World Cup on September 20.

Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images

At the time of this article’s publication, Wilson is currently the presumed favorite to be named the 2018 WNBA Rookie of the Year after an impressive rookie season in which she averaged 20.7 points and 8 rebounds per game. The Clinton, SC, native was the number one overall draft pick in the 2018 WNBA Draft and was part of the Gamecocks’ 2017 NCAA Women’s Basketball National Championship team. Wilson swept all 2018 National Player of the Year honors. She is also the only female player to win the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Player of the Year three times.

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Allisha Gray has built upon her 2017 WNBA Rookie of the Year award with a strong second-year performance as a member of the Dallas Wings. Gray, who was selected as the fourth overall pick in the 2017 WNBA draft, averaged 9.2 points and 3.4 rebounds per game this season and even started some games this season. She helped propel the Wings to their second consecutive playoff appearance before being eliminated in the first round by the Phoenix Mercury.

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Tiffany Mitchell was the ninth overall pick in the 2016 WNBA draft and was selected by the Indiana Fever. She is considered a significant piece moving forward as the Fever continues to regroup in the post-Tamika Catchings era and serves as a mentor to the younger players on the team, particularly rookies Kelsey Mitchell and Victoria Vivians. Mitchell played all 34 games this season and averaged 9.1 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.

Team USA Women’s Basketball is led by Gamecocks’s women’s basketball head coach Dawn Staley. Staley was a three-time Olympic gold medalist with Team USA and carried the United States flag in the opening ceremony of the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece.

Tickets are still available for the Red/White exhibition game on Wednesday, September 5 at 7:00 pm ET in the Colonial Life arena. Tickets range from $15-$18 and can be purchased either through USA Basketball or Ticketmaster, or by calling 1-800-745-3000. For South Carolina residents, tickets may also be purchased in person at the Lexington Medical Center box office in the Colonial Life Arena.

Come out and support the Gamecocks FAM! #GamecockNation has had the highest number of attendees for women’s basketball regular-season games nationwide for the past four seasons; let’s show Connecticut and Washington, DC how it’s done. #DefendTheCup #USABWNT #ForeverToThee #Gamecocks