Stewart Looks to Seize Team USA Chance

Team USA made their way to Paris Wednesday ahead of three exhibition games with Australia, China and France. Coach Geno Auriemma, in only the way he can, talked about the team's preparation for the upcoming games.

"We sat around a lot on the bus trip yesterday,” Auriemma said, via USA Basketball. “We sat around a lot on the plane. Then we got here and we were stuck in traffic. So there was a lot that can make you sluggish and stale a little bit. We came out here today to get our legs back, and I thought they were great. Everybody really wanted to move. Lindsay Whalen just said that, ‘It was good to get our bodies moving.’ And we got some things done. We got a little better as a team, and tomorrow we’ll get a couple new guys in, throw them into the mix. We’ll get a little better tomorrow and then we’ll play Friday.”

One player very familiar to Auriemma trying to make the national team is the 2014 collegiate player of the year, Breanna Stewart. She arrives in Paris after scoring nine points in Team USA's 76-51 win over Canada.

“I’m much more comfortable,” Stewart said at the time, via SNY.com's Carl Adamec. “We’ve been with each other for a week and each day you can tell in practice or like tonight when we’re in a game that the chemistry is growing.”

Meanwhile, Stewart leaves behind her UConn teammates, who have started the fall semester.

“I’m keeping up pretty well so far," Stewart said of her schoolwork. "I’m making sure I get things in by the due date. I met with my academic advisor in Bridgeport and she helped me stay organized. I think the biggest thing is making myself do the work. There’s no one else here making sure I do the work besides me.”

It also doesn't hurt to have the ear of someone who's been through this all before: Former Huskies great Maya Moore.

“The advice Maya has given me is basically making sure you stay on top of it,” Stewart said. “Once you get behind, you’re always going to be behind in your schoolwork.”

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