NEW YORK -- Tina Charles says she is excited to have a chance to play in the United States after competing overseas during the WNBA offseason for the past decade.

She has decided to join Athletes Unlimited, the 5-on-5 basketball league that will play its games in Nashville, Tennessee, again this winter.

"It was a chance to take advantage of an opportunity to play at home," Charles said in a phone interview. "I heard great things from players that were active in AU. More importantly, the camaraderie and friendships and opportunity to make an impact playing in AU serves where I'm at in my career."

The charity component of Athletes Unlimited also was something Charles said she liked. She's spent the last 12 years raising awareness for sudden cardiac arrest through Hopey's Heart Foundation.

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