SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, Spain – Former Golden Bear standout Layshia Clarendon will represent the United States on the world stage, USA Basketball on Wednesday morning. Clarendon was one of 12 players named to the U.S. roster for the upcoming FIBA Women's World Cup of Basketball in Tenerife, Spain, which tips off this Saturday. The full roster and release from USA Basketball can be found here. Other finalists for the team include 2018 WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart and longtime Team USA veterans Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi.

The first player in program history to represent the U.S. senior national team at the FIBA World Cup, Clarendon graduated from Cal in 2013 after leading the Bears to the Final Four. A two-time All-American during her time in Berkeley, Clarendon was drafted by the Indiana Fever with the ninth overall pick in the 2013 WNBA Draft. The San Bernadino native was named a WNBA All-Star in 2017 and currently plays for the Connecticut Sun, helping the Sun reach the playoffs this past season.

"We are so incredibly happy for, and proud of, Layshia," said Cal head coach Lindsay Gottlieb. "To see a former player and incredible woman achieve one of her dreams is almost overwhelming, and just an amazing experience as a coach. Layshia was a worker, a leader, a giver, and a winner here at Cal. It's clear she's bringing those qualities to the senior national team, and the Cal community will be proudly cheering for Layshia and the red, white, and blue as they go for gold in Tenerife."

The FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2018 consists of 16 teams divided into four preliminary round groups. In addition to Group D in which the USA, China, Latvia and Senegal will compete; Group A includes Canada, France, Greece and South Korea; Group B is comprised of Argentina, Australia, Nigeria and Turkey; while Group C features Belgium, Japan, Puerto Rico and Spain. The tournament tips off on Saturday, September 22, with the United States' taking on Senegal a 1 p.m. EDT/10 a.m. PST to begin group play. All three of the USA's preliminary games will be televised on ESPN+, while the quarterfinals and semifinals will be on one of the ESPN channels to be determined and the finals will be carried by ESPN. 

The winner of the FIBA Women's World Cup of Basketball will earn an automatic berth to the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. The United States is nine-time World Champions and is in the hunt for a third-straight FIBA World Cup gold – a feat it has never before accomplished.

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