FIBA World Cup 2022 – Alyssa Thomas making most of U.S. national team debut

SYDNEY — U.S. women’s basketball coach Cheryl Reeve called Alyssa Thomas last December hoping she’d want to be part of the national team pool.

Thomas, who was overseas competing in the Czech Republic during the WNBA offseason, had long ago taken her name out of consideration. She had found that, as a longtime overseas player, national team commitments typically occurred during her only break of the year.

“I wasn’t too focused on playing for Team USA, but she called me and explained her vision and talked about the defense and the passing, and I think that’s my identity and role,” Thomas said Friday. “So for me, it was a no-brainer to give it a try.”

Reeve, who had been named USA Basketball’s head coach that same month, told Thomas she’d be frank if things weren’t going in the direction she hoped. Thomas committed on the spot to giving it a go.

Less than a year later, Thomas and the U.S. national team have been a perfect pairing in the 2022 FIBA Women’s World Cup. In her first major international competition with Team USA, Thomas has been “the Engine” — her nickname in the WNBA with the Connecticut Sun — of the United States’ run to the gold-medal game against China on Saturday (2 a.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN+). The U.S. women seek their fourth consecutive and 11th overall gold medal in the tournament.

Reeve called Thomas because she suspected the 6-foot-2 forward “might be one of the most important people that we add to this.” A three-time WNBA All-Star and…