WNBA puts spin on annual All-Star game

Mohegan - Geno Auriemma isn't sure if there are financial rewards for winning the 2010 WNBA All-Star game, but he all but guaranteed what his USA Basketball women's national team will receive if they win.

"They might get a little more service and a little more food (at my restaurant) than the losers get," he said with a grin.

Auriemma, coach of both UConn and the national team, attended Wednesday's announcement that Mohegan Sun would play host to the All-Star game on Saturday, July 10 at 3:30 p.m. The event will be televised on ESPN.

This year's All-Star game features a twist — the national team will play a team of WNBA all-stars.

The participants will be decided by fan voting with the top 10 vote-getters automatically being involved in the game.

USA Basketball will decide which of those 10 players would be on its national team. Those not chosen would play for the WNBA team.

Theoretically, if Diana Tauarsi was a fan selection, she would play for the national team because she's one of the eight players currently on the 2010-12 national team roster.

"All of the members of both teams, probably except one, will be WNBA All-Star selections," WNBA president Donna Orender said.

The inference was that UConn junior Maya Moore would be the exception. She, along with current teammate Tina Charles, took part in last fall's national team training camp. Charles, a senior, will be playing in the WNBA by then.

A vote among WNBA coaches will fill out the rest of the rosters. Each team will have 12 players.

The game gives the national team invaluable time with one another prior to 2010 FIBA World Championships in the Czech Republic, which begin Sept. 23.

The WNBA season precludes the national team from having an extended training camp that other countries will have.

"I don't know what the absolute right amount of time is (to train together)," Auriemma said. "We lost in the world championships last time and there's a lot of reasons for that, but I can assure you one of the reasons was we didn't have our whole team.

"Are we going to have our whole team for two weeks, or 10 days, before the world championships? I don't know. But we have the best players in the world on the USA team, so I don't care if we have five days — we're going to have enough time to win the whole thing. That's the way I look at it."

Auriemma noted that pairing Team USA against the WNBA sets up some interesting subplots.

"I certainly think it'll be competitive because you have a lot of different factors at work," Auriemma said. "You've got one group representing ideally their status on the national team.

"You've got another group who may be players on the national teams from other countries. (Australians) Lauren Jackson (and) Penny Taylor. ... Becky Hammon, who plays for Russia.

"You're going to get some players playing in the game (for the WNBA) who feel, maybe rightly so, that they should be part of that (national team) and why aren't they. 'Here's my opportunity.' So you have a lot of factors at work here that could make it a pretty interesting afternoon, I think."

It is the second straight year that the game will be held at the Mohegan Sun Arena and third time overall.

"This is the perfect place for the game," Mohegan Sun Chief Executive Officer Mitchell Etess said. "The ability for us to have everything under one roof makes this a great experience for the fans, for the sponsors and for the players. And to have this unique opportunity with the world championships in the fall, to do this and have it be on national TV against the WNBA All-Star team makes this event this year even more special."

n.griffen@theday.com