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March 18, 2004
• Gdynia, Poland
Katie Smith has returned
to one of her second homes - Gdynia. A member of the Lotos VBW Clima team
for a year and a half, Smith was excited to see her old friends, and everyone
has welcomed her back. Her former coaches and teammates, the team's administration
and Gdynia's local media all gave Katie big smiles and hugs upon her arrival.
Thus showing that the old adage, you can never go home again, rings false.
At least along the Baltic Sea in Poland. And while it's good for Katie
to be back ‘home,' where she got into her first fender-bender, she
still wishes she could be with the Ohio State Buckeyes as they make their
push in the NCAA Tournament this weekend. USA Basketball.com caught up
with Katie after the team's first practice in Poland to see what she had
to say about Gdynia, her friends and what she thinks OSU needs to do to
advance.
When did you play for the Gdynia squad and
how did the team fare with you as a member?
We went to the EuroLeague Final Four in my first season (2001-02),
we finished runner-up in the EuroLeague, which was the highest we've ever
finished. And this year they're back in the Final Four again, which will
be in April. And the EuroLeague is the top league here and everyone was
fired up that year because we finished second.
Why did you leave the team?
I played from October through December in the 2002-03 season. My
back was bothering me, I was coming off the World Championships and the
(WNBA) season, I was felling tired and physically not feeling good and
just needed some time off. So I decided to come home for Christmas and
stay there. But they were all cool about it. The people here take care
of you, it's kind of like a family. Once you play here, you're always
part of their group.
What's it like to be back?
It's fun. I had a really good time when I was here. The people
were great, my teammates were great, there's a lot of stuff to do, there's
good food, the fans ... in general it was a really good time. It was a
pleasant experience, they'd do anything for you.
Are you going to be the USA's tour guide over
the next few days?
Oh yeah! If we actually get out and do anything. There's a movie
theater I visited quite frequently. Coffee shops, a little internet café.
There's a lot of things to do right here in Gdynia. I'm going to hang
out with some of the Polish girls, catch up with them a little bit. Just
enjoy the few days we have here.
What's your favorite memory of Poland off
the court?
I got into my first car wreck, a little fender-bender, of my whole
life. Also, driving a stick, I learned how to drive a stick when I was
here. But that wasn't why I had my accident, I just wasn't paying attention.
What were you looking forward to most about
returning to Gdynia?
The people. Just to see Kashka (Dydek), Margo (Dydek), Pezak, Biba
(Agnieszka Bibrzycka), the president and all those guys. Being here and
seeing them, and the trainer Jannik. They're all good people and they
really took care of me when I was here. I don't know how many times I'll
get to come back here, so this is really nice.
That said, how was it seeing them all tonight?
It was good. Margo's crazy (laughs). I see her in the summer (during
the WNBA season), but when I came here we obviously bonded a little bit.
They saw me in rare form, being overseas. The rest of them, Pejak ...
I'd always go to Pejak's apartment, her and her boyfriend - fiancé
now - but I'd bring movies over and we'd hang out. They were kind of like
my surrogate brother and sister. It was great, they laughed at me all
the time, but I had a lot of good memories, because we had a lot of fun.
They never understood what I was saying, so I just kept talking! (laughs)
What do you hope to get out of this trip?
I think this is going to be good competition. With Lisa not being
here and Swoopes leaving on Monday, it'll allow some of us to step up
and not necessarily prove ourselves, but carry a little more of the load.
Because when Lisa's here and Sheryl's here, obviously it goes through
them mostly, because that's just the way it is. But now it'll be nice
for us to gel, work on some things and maybe give us more confidence in
going into our next trip when everybody gets back together.
I expect these games to be tough. The referring will be similar to what
we'll get in the Olympics, I don't think we'll know what we're going to
get, especially playing in their home arenas. I just think this is a great
test for us, it'll be a lot better than Cuba play-wise. We'd better be
on our toes because they're not going to let us just walk in and beat
them. I think it's going to be a good challenge. But I think we'll learn
a lot from them.
And lastly, with the NCAA Tournament starting
this weekend, what are Ohio State's chances and how do you think the tournament
will go overall?
I'm mad that we can't see it! But I'm excited for Ohio State, I'm
biased. I'm excited to see them play and I think they'll do well on the
women's side. I'm picking them to go a little ways. But, I think UConn's
women have a great shot of doing it again. For the men, I'm not sure.
I think Oklahoma State, I picked them in my bracket that I gave Sue (Bird),
so I'm going to have to say Oklahoma State.
Do you want to give a shout out to Ohio State,
anything to say to the team?
Go Buckeyes. Play hard, play smart and don't turn the ball over! Now I
sound like coach Foster (laughs).
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