You know the WHB has hit the big time when USA Basketball gets cranky that you haven't written about them. (Kidding! I'm KIDDING!!) So, here we go, rectifying that omission.

The USA Basketball Women's Select team competed in the FIBA World League Tournament in Ekaterinburg, Russia, Oct. 22-27. The tournament featured seven professional club teams from around the globe, including teams from Australia, China, Cuba, Hungary, Lithuania and Russia.

The team opened with a 93-49 win over the Canberra Capitals, then were defeated by TEO Vilnius, 79-76, behind Nykesha Sales' 21 points.

They moved into the semis, and defeated UMMC Ekaterinburg (a team featuring Bibi, Kristi Harrower and Suzy Batkovic) 97-79 and advanced to the FIBA World League Title game. (photos, additional quotes). DT led the way with 25 points, and Taj snagged a double-double.

The team fell to CSKA Moscow 75-65 in the Championship game. Janel McCarville did well (18pts, 9 rebs) but the rest of the team shot poorly (DT: 2/12, Taj 2-10). Lots of familiar players going up against'em: Becky Hammon, Nicole Powell, Ann "does the Lib still own your contract" Wauters, Maria Stepanova, Ilona Korstin, Amaya Valdemoro, an Edwidge Lawson-Wade. (additional quotes)

I'm guessing that the team will be a tad cranky as they move in to their college tour. And, depending which uniform you're, there's some good news and some bad news: Lisa Leslie is back.

"I have been looking forward to getting Lisa back in the program for a long time now," said USA National Team and Seattle Storm head coach Anne Donovan. "Knowing that she's going to be joining us for the college tour gives me a real sense of excitement in seeing more of our post game develop and take shape.

The USA roster is up to a nice round 29 players: Feenstra and Janel McCarville have been officially added. Also, look for Loree Moore. And speaking of the Liberty, a USABBall piece, "J-Mac Attack" spotlighted Janel McCarville's "Whoa, I get to play for the USA. I had to say no to the first offer, won't to number two... so how do I get out of my international contract" story.

Speaking of the college tour:

Oct. 31: Maryland
Nov. 2: UConn: Game will be streamed by CPTV. You can sign up for the game, month or season.
Nov 4: Tennessee
Nov. 6: Baylor: You can pay for audio/video. Not sure if they're broadcasting the game.
Nov. 8: Arizona State
Nov. 11: Texas A&M: Looks like you MIGHT get some kind of free coverage here.
Nov. 13: USC
Nov. 15: Stanford: Looks like you MIGHT get some kind of free coverage here.