Filler B's: Team USA Welcomes Monique Billings, Rae Burrell to Fold

Team USA’s two newest star-spangled shooters reflected on their unexpected call as they prepare for a World Cup entry.

Rae Burrell has yet to register an official minute on the United States women’s national team’s senior ledgers. Yet, the Las Vegas native is already apparently setting star-spangled records.

Photo: Courtesy of Team USA

“They were like that was probably the quickest ‘yes’ we’ve ever got,” Burrell said with a smile, recalling the contact that Team USA made to invite her on the World Cup Qualifying Tournament team set to do battle in San Juan this week. “I was just super excited. I immediately called my parents and told them the news and my trainer. It was really exciting.”

Burrell is one of two late arrivals to the American affairs, as she and Monique Billings were called upon to serve as injury replacements for Aliyah Boston and Sonia Citron. In addition to weekend practices in Miami, the duo gets a prime opportunity to show off for American brass in Puerto Rico, beginning with a Wednesday tilt against Senegal (4:45 p.m. ET, TruTV).

Whereas Burrell found out about her patriotic promotion in the heat of battle, getting the call mere hours before she and the rest of Vinyl BC faced off against Phantom in the Unrivaled semifinals, the process was more peaceful for Billings. The California native, fresh off her own Unrivaled endeavors with expansion club Hive, was reflecting on recent endeavors when the stars and stripes came calling, leading to an equally unhesitant approval.

Photo: Courtesy Team USA

“I was in prayer when I got the call that I was going to join USA,” Billings recalled. “I think my faith is everything to me. I think that’s a big part of my process, my journey. I was sitting at a park, I was praying, I was writing in my journal, and just like reflecting on Unrivaled, reflecting on life, and then I get the call to come play for USA. I’m just like, wow, that was not on my 2026 bingo card, but I’m so excited and so grateful and happy to be here. I think staying grounded in my faith has really helped me with the mental side of staying ready for an opportunity like this.”

Billings and Burrell Have Been Warmly Welcomed by the USA Regulars

Both Billings and Burrell come in with decent momentum despite donning the red, white, and blue in only fleeting settings. Billings, who previously suited up for the Americans’ 23U team at the 2017 Four Nations Tournament, is fresh off serving as one of the new faces of the Golden State Valkyries, the WNBA’s newest franchise. Burrell followed up a career-best WNBA season in Los Angeles with a scorching conclusion to her Unrivaled tour with Vinyl BC, scoring 77 over her final trio (23 alone in the aforementioned Unrivaled final four match).

Their tardiness is far from their fault, but early comments from Billings and Burrell’s new teammates truly fulfill the axiom of “better late than never.”

“I’ve played against her since I was literally maybe 10 or 11, Southern California,” Kelsey Plum fondly recalled of her relationship with Billings. “When I saw her, I was just super excited, because I love her, and just excited to be her teammate.”

“I’ve kind of taken her under my wing as literally another child,” Dearica Hamby said of Burrell, her SoCal teammate in the WNBA. “Even in Vegas, she stays in my house overnight, she watches my kids for me. I’m just really proud of her, and I’ve seen her kind of transition through every phase of her basketball career at this point. I think just her resilience and her competitiveness, she’s definitely going to bring fire to this team. She’s a good teammate. She wants to learn. She has become super selfless. Just understanding the lay of the land when it comes to being a professional athlete and kind of waiting her turn, having people on the team like that, that understand that it’s about what’s best for the team, I think she’s going to fit right into that.”

KD really wanted to see Monique Billings finish this dunk pic.twitter.com/OKw8hGuE7T

— TNT Sports U.S. (@TNTSportsUS) February 27, 2026

Billings and Burrell Embrace Having A Little More to Prove

Billings and Burrell, approaching their late 20s and boasting at least four years of professional experience, could be viewed as outliers in the “young and turnt” core boasting fledgling entrants like Paige Bueckers, Caitlin Clark, Kiki Iriafen, and Angel Reese. If anything, it’s clear they might have little extra to prove over the five-game slate set to be broadcast on the networks of TNT Sports. It’s a challenge that the duo is more than happy to take on.

“I always like to play with a chip on my shoulder,” Burrell declared. “Anywhere I go, I’m always trying to make sure I’m proving what I can do and who I am as a player and person. This is an opportunity to do that and showcase what my capabilities are on such a grand level.”

“I want to be the most in shape. I want to go the hardest whenever my number is called,” Billings, who has ground out a second-round draft entry, said of her American role. “I want to just be ready to deliver in any way that I can. Gritty work, the things that people don’t want to do on the court, that’s my game. That’s what I bring and I bring it in the highest level possible.”

Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags