U.S. hoops team gets late start

All 12 players are in the WNBA, and didn't join the Olympic team until Aug. 1.
ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- Basketball player Janeth Arcain left the WNBA's Houston Comets this season just to make sure the entire Brazilian Olympic team could train together before the Summer Games.
Then there are the Russians. They've been together for most for the year. Ditto for the Czech Republic and several other teams.
All of which is a major worry for the U.S. women, which had barely more than a week together before landing in Athens on Wednesday. Still, there's one key area where the Americans feel they hold the edge.
"Definitely we're going to be the most talented team to take the court," said guard Dawn Staley, who carried the flag for the U.S. delegation in Friday night's opening ceremony. "We just have to make sure we're on all cylinders when we do that."
Challenge for team
Therein lies the challenge for this team heading into today's opener against New Zealand. All 12 U.S. players are in the WNBA and could not join the Olympic team until the league began a month-long break Aug. 1. Nine of the players trained together for part of the spring, so it's not like they're starting from scratch.
Only five, however, appeared in all 13 exhibition games during that period. Then they separated for three months.
"It is a concern," assistant coach Anne Donovan said. "But we had good training in the spring and now we've been together for a week. We haven't come together yet, and I think there's good and bad in that.
"We'd like to see every day we get better, but hopefully a week from now we'll be starting to peak at the right time."
Staley said the coaches -- and fans -- will have to be patient. All teams will play five games in the preliminary round. The top four in each group advance to the medal round.
"We may not beat teams in the first quarter or the first two quarters," Staley said. "We just have to stay strong. The coaches have to understand we're not going to beat teams in the first half. It's going to take maybe three, almost four quarters to beat teams.
"But we certainly will use our talent advantage."
Here's a look at the field for the Olympic tournament:
Contenders
Russia: The Russians have bounced back after failing to medal in the 1996 and 2000 games. They finished second to the United States in the 2002 world championships, losing 79-74, and won the 2003 European championship -- their first major title since the breakup of the Soviet Union. At 6-feet-8, Maria Stepanova is the tallest player in the women's field.
Australia: Disappointed after losing the gold medal game to the Americans in Sydney, the Opals return with a talented group led by the Seattle Storm's Lauren Jackson and the Phoenix Mercury's Penny Taylor.
Brazil: Arcain alone makes Brazil dangerous. The Brazilians also have veteran guard Helen Luz and good size, including 6-7 Alessandra Oliveira. Brazil won the silver medal in 1996 and took the bronze in Sydney.
Potential spoilers
Czech Republic: This team would have been better if U.S. pro Kamila Vodichkova were playing. She chose to stay with the Seattle Storm this summer instead of training at home and wasn't named to the team. There's still plenty of talent, including former Vanderbilt standout Zuzana Klimesova.
Japan and Korea: Both play a similar style that features snappy passes, drives to the basket and then kick-outs to the 3-point line.
Copyright 2004 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.