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Sue Bird And U.S. Olympic Squad Face China In Key Arena Exhibtion

Seattle hosts a pre-Olympic training camp for the U.S. women's national basketball team. The U.S. will face China in an exhibition on Saturday night.

By Kevin Cacabelos

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In preparation for the London Olympics, Sue Bird and Swin Cash of the Seattle Storm will play for the United States in an exhibition game against China at the Key Arena on Saturday. Former WNBA MVPs Tamika Catchings, Candace Parker and Diana Taurasi will also be in action for the U.S.

The game tips off at 7:30 p.m. PT and is part of a three-day minicamp bringing together the U.S. women's national team together for the first time.

The closed training camp takes place from May 11th through May 13th at Seattle Pacific University. The U.S. will also face Japan in a closed exhibition game during the training camp.

U.S. head Coach Gene Auriemma on the minicamp:

I think Seattle is a perfect place for this. They've shown that they can do a great job supporting and promoting women's basketball. They have one of the best organizations in the entire WNBA. They've got great ownership, great fan support and I'm sure that they'll do a super job of promoting it. I'm sure the fans will come out to support the team. (Via: USA Basketball)

Exhibitions like this do not happen that often in Seattle or on the West Coast in general. The national team's last visit in Seattle was in 1995 against the UW women in preparation for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Tickets can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.