Additional Quotes >> Eight Olympic Gold Medalists Named to the 2009-12 USA Basketball Women's National Team

Aug. 17, 2009 - Colorado Springs, Colo.

Seimone Augustus (Minnesota Lynx)
2008 Olympic gold medalist, 2006 World Championship bronze medalist, 2003 U21 World Championship gold medalist
What does it mean for you to be named to the USA Basketball Women's National Team again?
It feels great to be named to the team, especially after everything I've been through in the last few months. To know that people still have me high on their charts and to be able to represent the USA is a great thing.

Are you excited about getting back together with some of your 2008 Olympic teammates?
Yes, of course. It was a different experience for me at the Olympics because I never really get to sit down and talk with Candace, Lisa, Tina, and all those players. It was exciting to be able to be around them, hang out and form those relationships that we now have. So it'll definitely be a good experience.

I know you're injured now, but what can you contribute to the team when you're back on the court?
The same thing that I contributed when we won the gold medal: being a team player, doing what I have to do to help the team. Whether it be defense, whether it be motivation, going after more points, whatever coach Geno asks of me, I'm going to make sure I do it.

Does failing to win the gold medal at the 2006 Worlds motivate you more to strive for gold in 2010?
Of course. I think it was a big letdown. Everybody understood that we didn't play our best basketball (against Russia in the semifinal game). Russia's a great team, but we felt like we should have beat them. This is our opportunity to redeem ourselves and show people that we are the best team in the world and like I said, we want to come back and redeem ourselves.

Tamika Catchings (Indiana Fever),
2008 & 2004 Olympic gold medalist, 2002 World Championship gold medalist, 2006 World Championship bronze medalist, 1997 U19 World Championship gold medalist.
What does it mean for you to be named to the USA Basketball Women's National Team again?
What an awesome opportunity. I am so honored to be a part of the USA Women's National Team and look forward to representing my country again.

You've been playing for USA Basketball since high school. What motivates you to keep coming back?
The thing that motivates me to keep coming back is being able to wear the red, white and blue, and compete for my country. Plus, the chance to play with the best players in the world is something that no one would turn down.

When you were on your first USA National Team in 2002 at the '02 World Championship, you were the youngest player. Now you're going to be the most tenured on the list. What have you learned from some of the now-retired veterans that you can pass along to some of the younger players and how do you see your role changing as the veteran of the team?
I have learned a lot about leadership, about what it means to represent your country, sacrificing for the team, and being able to put aside your own individual accomplishments to put forth the best for the USA. I know for me being able to come in and watch the vets such as Lisa Leslie, Sheryl Swoopes and Dawn Staley helped me along my road to becoming a vet on this upcoming team. The biggest thing I see myself bringing is that leadership aspect. I think that the players that I have been able to play with, along with the player that I am becoming can help bring the best out of each other, and allow us to continue the tradition of USA Basketball.

Are you excited about getting back on the court with some of your 2008 USA teammates?
Excited is not even the word to describe how I feel about getting back on the court with some of my 2008 USA teammates. I can't wait to get everyone together, and to start putting together the next team that will carry the torch on from here.

Sylvia Fowles (Chicago Sky)
2008 Olympic Gold Medalist
What does it mean for you to be named to the USA Basketball Women's National Team again?
First of all, it's a blessing. To get one opportunity is a chance of a lifetime for me. Then to be named again to the national team, I was very excited the first time. I don't know if it's going to keep happening for me, but I'm very excited. I have butterflies right now just thinking about it.

Are you looking forward to playing with some of your 2008 Olympic teammates again?
Yes, most definitely. I had fun with those girls. They taught me a lot that helped me throughout my overseas season and my season this year in the WNBA. I'm looking forward to it because they taught me things that I needed to know and things that I wanted to learn.

Did you grow as a player last year, playing alongside veterans Lisa Leslie and Tina Thompson?
Dramatically, because I know my strengths, but I don't know all my strengths to a certain extent. They were on me day in and day out, telling me what I needed to do and how I needed to do it, just to dominate the paint. Ever since then I've just been trying to keep up with all that they taught me and I've been holding my part down for the most part.

What are your thoughts on playing for Geno Auriemma?
I'm looking forward to it. I'm excited about it because I've seen what he can do on the college level and I just know that he's going to take it to another level with the national team. So I'm very excited about getting out on the court with him.

Kara Lawson (Sacramento Monarchs)
2008 Olympic Gold Medalist
What does it mean for you to be named to the USA Basketball Women's National Team again?
I'm excited for another opportunity to get a chance to play for a spot on the team. It's an honor to be chosen, and to have the chance to compete for a position for a competition (FIBA World Championship) I've never had the chance to play in before. That's exciting. It will be a new experience for me.

Are you excited about getting back together with some of your 2008 Olympic teammates?
Oh yeah. That was a lot of fun. The chemistry our group had together and the way we really sacrificed to come together as a group, to play with one another, we had a lot of fun. Over the last couple of years it was a lot of fun every day to get in there and practice with the greatest players in the world.

After your experience in Beijing, are you more motivated to try and make the 2010 World Championship and 2012 Olympic teams?
Absolutely. It's addicting. You get that chance to be a part of a special group of people. You don't get that opportunity very often in your career. To get another shot at it, to get another chance is something I'm really looking forward to. The pool, as we grow together, work together, as we continue to improve, the whole process is something that is really exciting. It was really fun to be a part of the last time. From where we started to where we ultimately got to was great to see.

What are your thoughts on playing for Geno Auriemma?
I've had the opportunity to obviously play against his teams in college and I've had the opportunity to work with him in the stuff I've done with ESPN. I'm excited to be a part of a group of players with a coach who has been so successful in whatever he's done. He's shown a great ability to motivate players and to get great players to play very well together. I'm excited to be under his tutelage and continue to grow and learn as a player.