Morgan Tuck was a fixture on USA Basketball's youth teams while in high school and in her first year at the University of Connecticut. It was then she set a goal -- to someday play for the United States Olympic Team.
But knee injuries with the Huskies and at the start of her career with the WNBA's Connecticut Sun had her wondering if she'd ever had a chance. She had also seen contemporaries like USA and UConn teammate Breanna Stewart emerge to stardom.
Even with her issues, though, she was named to the 2017-20 national team pool a year ago and her first healthy season with the Sun followed. Following two weeks of camp, the 24-year-old was named Wednesday to her first senior national team that will take part in the FIBA World Cup starting Saturday in Tenerife, Spain.
"When I was told I made it, it was so exciting because it's always been a goal and important to me to play on the national team and play against the best competition in the world," Tuck said. "It just made me feel that everything I've been through -- particularly these last couple of years -- had been worth it. I did question it, sometimes, if I would be able to get there and if I would get that opportunity. After having five knee surgeries, you have to wonder.
"But when I was named to the national team pool last year, it re-lit a fire inside of me that, yeah, I can play for them and I can do this. Everything that I had worked for was leading towards this. Ever since I started playing for USA Basketball with its youth teams, playing in the Olympics has been a goal of mine. This isn't the Olympics, but it's close. I'm so happy and excited to be here playing for USA."
Team USA opens Group D pool play Saturday at 1 p.m. against Senegal and faces China Sunday at 1 p.m. It wraps up pool play Tuesday at 1 p.m. against Latvia.
Tuck owns gold medals playing for USA Basketball from the 2010 U-17 world championships, the 2011 and 2013 U-19 world championships, and the 2012 FIBA Americas U-18 championship.
While she was able to get past a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee suffered at the 2009 U-16 trials (she was named to the team, but did not take part in the competition), knee problems cost her most of her sophomore season at UConn and were a concern her final two seasons with the Huskies. After being taken with the third overall pick by the Sun in the 2016 Draft, the knee issues continued and she missed eight games as a rookie and 12 games in 2017.
But this summer she played in all 34 games and averaged 5.9 points and 2.3 rebounds in 13.6 minutes off the bench as the Sun finished with the fourth-best record in the league, though they saw their season end for the second straight year with a second-round loss to the Phoenix Mercury.
She arrived at the USA camp confident she could earn a roster spot. In two domestic exhibition games and three games in a tournament in France, Tuck averaged 9.2 points and 3.4 rebounds, and shot 62.5 percent from the floor, 50.0 percent from 3-point land, and 90.9 percent from the foul line. With her size and athleticism, she can be play most anywhere.
"They expect me to be versatile," Tuck said. "If they want me to play in the post or on the perimeter, I'm going to do that. If they want be to defend a big inside or a wing outside, I'm going to do that. I need to be able to play more than one position. If they want me to score, or if they want be to just defend and rebound, I'm ready to do anything that I can.
"I thought, during camp, I did well in a lot of areas and maximized the versatility I have. I thought I was able to play well on both sides of the ball."
With Team USA, Tuck is reunited with her former college teammate Stewart, the reigning WNBA Most Valuable Player for the Seattle Storm who this month became the 11th player with NCAA and WNBA titles and Olympic and world championship gold medals.
In their four winters playing together in Storrs, they won four national championships. In their four summers playing for USA Basketball (2010-13), they won four gold medals.
"It is awesome," Tuck said. "When you get another chance to play with someone you spent four years in school with it will always be special. We don't get to see that much of each other anymore and I think we're both going to really enjoy this experience."
There are five former Huskies on the Americans' roster as Tuck and Stewart are joined by Tina Charles, Diana Taurasi, and Sue Bird.
Bird is the first American to play in five FIBA World Cup tournaments and already holds the record for most medals with four (three gold, one bronze). Taurasi is taking part in her fourth World Cup. It will be the first time Tuck has teamed with the future Naismith Hall of Fame backcourt.
"That means a lot to me," Tuck said. "Being around them, they are such great leaders and they're always making sure that we're doing the right things. They are so focused. They take the pressure off of us and keep things simple.
"They have four Olympic gold medals, two or three world championships gold medals. They're just winners. They've lived my dream, over and over and over."
While at training camp, Tuck did get to play alongside her former UConn teammate Napheesa Collier, who was the lone collegian to accompany Team USA to the tournament in France and was among the final 16 candidates for the 12-player roster.
Before she left, the Huskies' senior forward left an impression.
"The biggest thing she can take away is the experience of playing against older professionals," Tuck said. "It's a big step to go up against players who are bigger, faster, stronger, and be confident. Napheesa played well and competed throughout and I thought she could have easily been on this team. I think she's going to go back to UConn and take this experience, take what she learned, and build on it to have a great senior year."
Team USA is seeking its third consecutive World Cup gold. After pool play concludes, the winner of each of the four groups receives a bye into the quarterfinals Sept. 28. The semifinals are Sept. 29 with the bronze and gold medal games Sept. 30. The World Cup champion clinches a spot in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.