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Press Conference Quotes
August 12, 2004
• Athens, Greece
Sue Bird (Seattle Storm)
Have you seen anything that would concern you
regarding security here?
Honestly, I haven't noticed anything and I think that's a good thing.
What do you think of this team?
I think we have a great team. We have three-time Olympians, they've
been here, they know what to expect. Everybody has their great points.
Everybody loves to hang out and have a good time, playing cards on the
back of the bus. Then you add in all the younger kids like myself, Diana
(Taurasi), Swin (Cash), who haven't been here before, (Tamika) Catchings.
It's fresh faces, new people for all the older kids to mess with. It's
a lot of fun. It's a really good atmosphere and it starts with the coaches.
Van Chancellor is back there playing cards with them. He knows when to
keep it light, knows when to make it serious.
The Americans have always walked in kind of
loose, hanging out in a general crowd. But now they're talking about six-row
formations. What are your thoughts on that?
I don't really know. I've watched the Opening Ceremonies on TV before
and I've seen that. But I don't have anything to compare to. This is my
first one. I'm going to do whatever they told me to do. I'm going with
the flow on this one.
The Greeks are calling you the Dream Team, that
you should be dominant in these Games, how do you feel about that?
I think it's great that someone outside the USA would say that. I
think we deserve it. Not just because we've won the last two Olympics,
but also because we have those expectations for ourselves. It's great
that the media and certain people in America expect us to win. But we'll
be disappointed if we don't win the gold medal. That's what everybody
here is doing. That's why we're working every day - to win a gold medal.
To have those expectations from other people is an honor.
Swin Cash (Detroit Shock)
Some people who are playing on Saturday
aren't going to march in Opening Ceremonies, have you thought about that
since you play on Saturday?
Oh no. I wouldn't do that. This is my first Olympics, I'm going
to be at every single thing I need to be at and experience it. Maybe someone
who's been there three or four times. But not me, I'll be there.
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Tamika Catchings (Indiana Fever)
How have the younger players and veterans
come together on this team?
Some of the younger players have played a lot on USA teams in college.
Going to college, playing against each other and now we're in the WNBA
playing against each other. That's kind of our first relationship with
each other. The older players have set the tone for the team. When you
come on the Olympic you look to the veterans, you look to the older players
to let you know what you need and what they need from you. But the younger
players, we just kind of do what we do and do it well. For me it's playing
defense and rebounding and if I get the ball, scoring.
You're probably as well known for being a
defensive stopper as you are for being a capable scorer. Is that going
to be part of your role here? Are you comfortable doing that?
Yeah, I am. I'm going to work my butt off to do whatever needs
to be done for this team. If that means playing defense and not worrying
about scoring for this team. Because I want to win a gold medal. I don't
know if I'll ever be invited again, if I'll ever get this opportunity.
I'm going to take advantage of it.
During the WNBA season your scoring has been
down. Is that something you've been able to work on?
When I'm out here I'm not really focused on that. I'm practicing
shooting after practice, before practice. But like I said, my role on
this team is not to really score. We have so many scorers on this team.
I'll put the ball in the hole if I get it, but what the Fever needs me
to do is totally different than my role out here.
Have you lost any confidence in your shooting?
I haven't lost confidence. It's just a matter of getting more shots
off in the gym and spending a lot more time with it. I get some time to
shoot. Like I said, I've been spending time shooting before practice and
after practice so hopefully I'll get it turned around.
This is a shift for you. You come from the
Fever as one of the top players and here you're just another one of the
great players:
Yes, but that's where you just get into your role. On this team
we have so many great players. We have 12 players and each one of us is
a star on our team. Everybody knows we have a lot of great players and
there are not enough balls out there. But we share the ball really well,
which is part of the reason why we have so many turnovers. At the same
time we know what we're all capable of doing.
Do you have any security concerns?
As far as security goes, I didn't have any concerns. We wouldn't
be here if we had any security concerns. I can tell you one thing, we've
all played plenty of games with USA Basketball. The one thing that we're
always sure about is that they will put us in the best situation that
they can possibly put us in.
Lisa Leslie (Los Angeles Sparks)
Why is Dawn such a worthy candidate
to carry the flag?
She has done a lot for her community. She's got the Dawn Staley
Foundation where she helps kids with an after school program, she's just
done so much for her community. So when you talk about a person who's
done a lot for their country in giving back, Dawn Staley is the best candidate
for that.
What kind of qualities do you see in her?
She is our general. She's the floor leader. She's obviously a leader
out there on the court. She makes people around her better. I think it's
amazing that other Olympic athletes can see that about her without even
playing with her. Obviously I've been in contact with her for many years
so I've seen it for years. This is going to be her last Olympics and it
couldn't happen to a more deserving player. When coach (Van) Chancellor
came up to me and Sheryl (Swoopes) to talk about Dawn. He thought he was
going to have problems trying to decide between the three of us who should
be the captain. But it's hands down. For one, Dawn's older than us (laughs).
She's the floor general. She's gotten us two gold medal thus far and we're
happy to have her here to lead us to a third.
You and Dawn have played virtually every
competition together since you started playing for USA Basketball in 1989:
It's been amazing being with Dawn. She was my roommate when I made
my first USA team as an eleventh grader in 1989. Our first year we picked
up eighth place in Spain, which is probably the worse we've done since
we've been together. Since then I think we've won about 10 gold medals
if you count everything we've done, regardless of whether it was the Olympics,
and a bronze medal at the 1994 World Championship. We've done well out
there on the court playing together, making people around us better. I
think that has a lot to do with the fact that we're getting people who
understand what it takes to win. People who play unselfishly and those
are the types of teammates we like to have around us.
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Katie Smith (Minnesota Lynx)
Is your knee feeling better?
Uh huh, definitely. It's still achy, but can I play on it? No,
I just need to give myself a little more time to get adjusted to jumping
on it. It's only been two and a half weeks. I do feel good though, it's
getting better.
The 12-member team hasn't really been together
all as one in a game, is there any concern?
We're still getting it together. First of all the ball (is bigger)
and second of all the style of play (is different) when we were in Spain.
Just in general it takes a little time to get together, going from one
system with your WNBA teams. I think we'll still be okay, we have players
who can get it done. We have to work on our turnovers and be more patient
on our offense. We'll be fine once we get out on that floor.
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Dawn Staley (Charlotte Sting)
Is that why you have a foundation,
knowing you were one bad decision away from none of this happening for
you. (after growing up in the projects in Philadelphia)
That is why. Because I know that not everybody gets the opportunity
to live out their passion. Most importantly, we have to put our young
people into positions to find their passion. Because they don't know,
they don't know what it is. So we try to expose them to different environments
in order to let them live out their passion. Because once you're doing
something you love to do, it's easy to get up in the morning. It's easier
to share your experiences with other people. People see that.
Do you think you're a typical American success
story?
Typical? If that's typical. But I think more often than not, people
have the opposite. For me, I've taken advantage of some things throughout
my life and as it turns out, I made some good decisions.
What did your mother say about you being
a flag bearer?
I don't think my mother quite understands the magnitude of it.
But she is proud. Once I told it what it was, when I told her I was the
flag bearer for the Olympic team, she said ‘oh! Congratulations!'
I asked her if she understood. When the United States team comes into
Opening Ceremonies I'm going to be leading it. Then she let out her infamous
scream – she always screams. Then she said she was so proud of me.
That's my mother. That's how I stay grounded with what I do and what I've
accomplished.
You said this morning that she gave up her
needs for your wants. Do you have an example of this?
When I was growing up I knew that my mother couldn't afford the
type of basketball shoe that I wanted. But the thing is, I didn't care
what I looked like from the ankles up. She would balance that. I wanted
some kind of basketball shoe. Every time it was time for me to get a new
basketball shoe, I wanted the best out there. She sacrificed things. I'm
quite sure there were groceries to purchase, I'm sure she wanted a nice
Sunday outfit, but she sacrificed those things to give me my shoes.
How does carrying the flag add to your experience
here at your third Olympics?
It's different. My position changes. I'm not going to be just one
in the mix. I'm going to be the one leading our delegation and I think
I'm going to be nervous. More nervous than I would have been. Certainly
proud of the position of carrying the flag.
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Sheryl Swoopes (Houston Comets)
What motivated you to return for your
third Olympics?
To be able to come back to Athens where it all got started is very
special to me. I love playing with Dawn (Staley), I love playing with
Lisa (Leslie) and once I knew they were committed, that they were playing,
there was never a doubt in my mind that I was going to do it. To be able
to play for coach Chancellor, playing with Tina (Thompson), and then getting
a chance to play with all the younger players was also exciting for me.
Just the thought of me getting the opportunity to come. I knew this was
going to be my last one. I don't know if it is or it isn't, to be able
to come here, where it all got started, I was excited about. It's something
that's special to me.
I think it's an incredible honor, anytime you get asked to represent
your country. To put on anything that says USA Basketball, or anything
with USA on it, and come into an event as big as this is, it's a great
opportunity to show people what the USA is all about. I don't mean just
the competition. Given everything that's happened in our country, everything
that's happened in the past four years, I think this is a great place
for us to get rid of all the negative things that people think about the
U.S. This is the perfect opportunity for us to change that.
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Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury)
Who do you think will be tougher, Russia
or Australia?
Those are probably two of the best teams in the world right now.
We played Russia in the World Championship in 2002. I wasn't on that team,
but they gave us a really good game. In Australia you have Lauren Jackson,
Penny Taylor, Sandy Brondello, you have probably seven or eight players
who have played in the WNBA. Then there's Brazil. There's a lot of good
competition out there right now.
How do you feel about not starting?
I'm excited about it. A lot of people get upset, but it doesn't
bother me. The second unit's fine. Actually I like it, I want to do it
more often, those first five minutes are tough, sometimes it's hard to
get going. But the second unit, Sue (Bird) and Swin (Cash), who I played
with in college, and Tamika Catchings, we have some young guns. Hopefully
we'll be able to make a little bit of a difference. We're just learning
from the older guys.
What do you think of Athens?
It's a beautiful city. You can see all the culture, the buildings,
the way the city is set up is gorgeous with the mountains as a backdrop.
It's amazing. Once we get going, we might get to see some islands or something.
Have you ever been here before?
No, it's my first time in Greece. The only place I've ever been
(in Europe) was the Czech Republic.
With all the talk about security, how have
you felt the last couple of days?
Safe, as safe as you can be. Everywhere we go, there's a lot of
security. Everyone's got their eyes open. I'm not worried at all.
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