LAS VEGAS (FIBA World Championship for Women) - Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi have been in the United States program for many years.
Each understands the importance of every training session with the national team because unlike the sides they will face at the 2014 FIBA World Championship for Women in Turkey, the USA have not taken part in a senior team competition this summer.
When the Americans captured the gold medal at the Olympics in London, they qualified for next year's big event in Istanbul.
Over the weekend, at a mini-camp in Las Vegas, USA coach Geno Auriemma and numerous invitees, including veterans Bird and Taurasi, launched their preparations for the World Championship.
"It's huge to be together," Taurasi said on the USA Basketball website.
"We don't have a lot of time.
"Every camp that we have, time that we have together, we have to use it, get better."
It helps the USA that Auriemma agreed to remain at the helm.
The long-time boss of the NCAA powerhouse University of Connecticut, where both Taurasi and Bird played, Auriemma led the Americans to titles at the 2010 FIBA World Championship for Women in the Czech Republic and at the 2012 Olympics.
His presence ensures continuity in the USA set-up.
"The advantages - we have the coach back," Taurasi said.
"We're familiar with him, what he wants us to do, a lot of us."
In addition to Bird and Taurasi, Tamika Catchings, Seimone Augustus, Sylvia Fowles, Candace Parker, Tina Charles, Angel McCoughtry, Maya Moore, Lindsay Whalen, Jayne Appel and Candice Dupree have all worn the USA shirt in international competition with Auriemma as their coach.
That experience will be important in Turkey, where there are expected to be some tough games for the Americans.
"The World Championship is probably harder (than the Olympics)," Bird said.
"There are more talented teams just based on how everybody can get in.
"It's a difficult tournament. We have to be ready.
"We'll play a lot of games in a little (amount of) time. The margin for error is very, very small."
Taurasi has faced many of the national teams before, and she also knows many of the opposing players from her time as a professional in Europe.
"If you watched the European Championship this year, France (runners-up), Spain (winners) played really well," Taurasi said.
"They have a lot of talent. And then obviously Australia (2006 world champions), if healthy, that makes it one of the best teams in the world already.
"So we have to go out there and be on our game from game one to the end."
Invitees Whalen, Moore, Augustus (Minnesota Lynx) and McCoughtry (Atlanta Dream) are playing in the WNBA Finals, along with Monica Wright (Lynx) and weren't able to attend the mini-camp.
Others to attend the mini-camp to have been coached by Auriemma at UConn are rising stars Bria Hartley, Breanna Stewart, Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis and Stefanie Dolson.
The top three picks in this year's WNBA Draft - Brittney Griner (Phoenix Mercury), Elena Delle Donne (Chicago Sky) and Skylar Diggins (Tulsa Shock) - attended the camp in Vegas, as well as Cappie Pondexter (2008 Olympic champion), DeWanna Bonner, Lindsey Harding, Briann January, Glory Johnson, Jantel Lavender, Kayla McBride, Nnemkadi Ogwumike, Danielle Robinson, Odyssey Sims, Alyssa Thomas, Courtney Vandersloot and Sophia Young.
"Making this team isn't going to be easy, which is obviously a good thing," Bird said.
In all, 16 teams will play at the FIBA World Championship in Turkey.
The tournament will run from 27 September to 5 October.
