Jackie Young, Kah Copper lead USA basketball youth movement at Olympics

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PARIS — The future is now for USA Basketball. You can see it in an A’ja Wilson block, a Breanna Stewart mid-post bucket, and a Kahleah Copper take in transition.

But mostly, you can see it in the way that Jackie Young has blossomed in the last two games at the Paris Olympics.

The No. 1 pick in the 2019 WNBA Draft, Young is one of the best guards in the league, evidenced by her stats (18.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game in the first half of the 2024 WNBA season), accolades (three All-Star appearances), and Olympic success (one 3×3 gold medal, two starts on the 5-on-5 team).

But because of the firepower surrounding her on the Las Vegas Aces — she plays with MVP favorite A’ja Wilson, the league’s best point guard Chelsea Gray, and three-time All-Star Kelsey Plum, all Olympic teammates — she’s often lost in the conversation of game-changing players.

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The Olympics might change that.

In her second Olympic start Friday, Young scored 14 points in less than 20 minutes, helping Team USA to an 85-64 semifinal win over Australia. She also handed out five assists and snagged two steals. The Americans will meet either Belgium or France for gold Sunday. The U.S. has not lost at the Games since 1992 and is going for its eighth consecutive gold, an unprecedented run in Olympic team sports.

What was clear Friday is that no matter what happens Sunday, the Americans are in good hands going forward.

On the men’s side, older stars like LeBron James (39), Steph Curry (36), and Kevin Durant (35) have had to carry the U.S. On the women’s side, it’s been the A’ja Wilson (28) and Breanna Stewart (29) party each game. No one around the globe seems to have an answer for a tandem featuring the two best players in women’s basketball. On Friday, Stewart led the team with 16 points, six rebounds, and five assists.

Wilson remembers the first major tournament she played with USA basketball at the 2018 World Cup in Spain. Those games, she said, were when she realized “this is a space I can be.”

Now, it appears Young, 26, is going through the same metamorphosis.

“We’re also starting to see Jackie form into herself, build into herself, establishing herself in our league and our world,” said Wilson, who had 10 points, eight rebounds, and four blocks during the win. “I love watching her grow. I remember watching that young Jackie say to (former Aces coach) Bill Laimbeer, ‘You want me to run point guard? Absolutely not!’ To now, she’s running through point guards. I love watching her spread her wings in this space.”

Young swears the only advice she got from Aces coach Becky Hammon before she left for Paris was to “have fun,” and she’s been focused on that. They also connected after USA’s 88-74 quarterfinal victory over Nigeria, Young’s first start, and talked about the importance of being ready for a big moment. Young shined Wednesday night on both ends of the floor, but her play Friday hinted at the idea that this might be the Young we should all expect now.

“I think it’s a product of the coach not playing her enough in the tournament as we moved through our rotations. You put a great player out there and they play great. I do think there’s a confidence (boost) to her Olympic basketball,” USA basketball coach Cheryl Reeve said, adding that Young’s excellent play off the bench in pool play and then the other night as a starter is why the staff decided to keep her in the starting lineup vs. Australia.

“Hopefully in the gold medal game,” Reeve said, “she’ll be supremely confident.”

Young wasn’t the only one excelling. Kah Copper, 29, stuck on the bench for long stretches of this Olympics, showed off her versatility, scoring 11 points, grabbing six rebounds, and dishing out three assists. Her best moment came on a pretty step-through transition layup when she used her long, lanky frame to stretch around a defender and finish at the rim. She was also a pest on defense, deflecting numerous passes. She’s the future, too.

This group has a lot to brag about besides its Olympic winning streak. When Australia cut the lead to two late in the first quarter, the Americans reeled off a 14-0 run, permanently putting distance between the teams. The defense was so stingy, the Aussies only scored 11 points and 13 points in the second and third quarters, respectively. The U.S. won the rebounding battle by double digits again (plus-16 vs. Nigeria, plus-12 vs. Australia).

The stat Reeve loves the most: For the second consecutive game, the Americans tallied 31 assists on 34 field goals.

But they might most be defined by the fact that players who’ve spent more time on the bench than they’re used to — Copper being the latest example — haven’t pouted.

Everyone has been ready, Reeve said, to seize the moment. Friday night it led her to wonder, “the next game, who knows what it brings, and for who?”

Given the recent trend of young players shining the brightest, don’t be surprised if it’s another Olympic rookie. The newbies have made one thing very clear this Games:

This is their program now. And they plan to continue the streak.

Email Lindsay Schnell at lschnell@usatoday.com and follow her on social media @Lindsay_Schnell