Additional Quotes >> USA 89, Czech Republic 69 (Gold Medal Game)

Oct. 3, 2010 • Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic

Auriemma

Geno Auriemma, University of Connecticut
On tonight's game:
First of all, their emotions, of the Czech team, they just played so well …. And I knew it was going to be difficult. They got into a nice rhythm on offense, and we had a hard time. Score forty and we are up five, so at halftime we talked about doing something to disrupt their offense, get their timing off. So we extended our pressure a little bit. We got ourselves in more transition because of that. We sped up the game, and I think that was the turning point.

On Diana Taurasi:
I‘ve been fortunate. I’ve been around a lot of those (championships) with Diana. She never stops amazing me. There are things that Diana does on the basketball court that most people don’t even recognize. But I knew when that run was going to happen coming out of the locker room that she was going to be the one in charge.

How would you describe the personality of this team?
They are a fun bunch. They enjoy being around each other. It’s like a college team. They are all young, and they all had something to prove. We were not the defending World Champions, and now with this win I think they feel some bond. They’ve grown together over a period of time, and I loved every minute of it. Every one of the players, being around them and coaching them was a great of an experience as I hoped it would be.

On playing the final game against the Czech Republic:
I thought, the last couple of days at this tournament were truly unbelievable. You have the probably the number two- and three-ranked teams in the world, Russia and Australia, and they get knocked out in the quarterfinals. I don’t think anyone could have predicted that. I thought the Czech team played with so much heart and so much passion and they’re so smart. Every time you make a mistake, they make a basket. I can’t tell you with how I’m impressed I am with coach (Lubor Blazek) and his style of play. That was the best team we played in the entire tournament, without question. We’re fortunate to be world champions. I know my players worked really, really hard. To do it here, in the Czech Republic, against the Czech national team, in front of an unbelievable crowd. The crowd last night was incredible and tonight was just as good. I think it makes this win even more rewarding because of who we had to beat and where we had to beat them.

Bruno

Doug Bruno (USA assistant coach, DePaul University)
What will you take away from this experience?
The coaching staff was great. The players were great. Everybody just got along so well and worked so hard together. These players were just so good to each other and everybody around them.

What did it feel like on the medal stand?
Next to watching the anthem play for someone who has lost their loved one in war, there’s nothing like hearing that anthem when you’ve won gold. It’s the best anthem there is.

Gillom

Jennifer Gillom (USA assistant coach, Los Angeles Sparks)
What will you take away from this experience?
I had flashbacks to memories of my time as a player. The spirit of the game and all of that came back into my mind. It was an awesome moment, and I’m glad that I had a chance to be on the sideline and see it from a different perspective. And to coach players of this caliber has been a wonderful experience for me.

My gosh, I think the feeling is even better now than it was as a player because I was able to enjoy it more I think. As a coach looking on, you are able to see things you don’t see as a player. This whole experience has been just momentous.

Meadors

Marynell Meadors (USA assistant coach, Atlanta Dream)
What did it feel like on the medal stand?
I feel fantastic. To be able to coach these special athletes that are just great players and have them all come together and win a championship for the USA, it’s just a great feeling for all of us. I think everybody checked their egos; I’m not sure we even had egos. But we worked really hard together as a group, and this is the outcome. So, it’s a great win for USA Basketball and the country.

What will you take away from this experience?
I think just the opportunity to work with Geno and the rest of the staff, and to work with these great players. They were all giving of their time and effort. Anything you asked them to do, they worked really hard to do that, and I think it was just everybody coming together for our goal, which was to win the World Championship.

Appel

Jayne Appel (San Antonio Silver Stars)
What did it feel like on the medal stand?
It was awesome. It’s just a tremendous feeling, and I’m just so proud. Our team worked so hard to get here. We accomplished our goal, and we are world champions.

It was a moment you will never forget. It was just really, really cool.

Bird

Sue Bird (Seattle Storm)
On tonight’s game:
Obviously we have been winning by a lot of points, but we knew coming into this game it wasn’t going to be easy, and we all talked about it. They play with a lot of passion, a lot of energy and their crowd really ignites them. So for us, we just wanted to go out there and get off to a good start, which we did an OK job of. And the one thing about the first half that I can say is we had that 12 point lead and we could of pushed it ahead, but we kind of let them back in, and that’s what happened going into halftime. But we felt as if a lot of what was going on was under our control. So at halftime, we talked about those things, and we got that run and that was that.  

What did it feel like on the medal stand?
It feels really good. Brazil has been a bad taste in a lot of people’s mouths for a long time now, so to put that to rest feels very good.

On playing with former teammates and her college coach:
That’s great. That makes it even better, even sweeter. I’ve only been here 12, 13 days, but it has been a lot of fun, one of the best groups. There is nothing better than winning with a good group of people.

What statement did this make to the rest of the world?
I think it really speaks to the talent, the amount of talent that we have in the U.S. I mean, here is a team filled with great players, and if you think back to the Olympics, we are missing two people who were in our top seven. When you look at some of the players that got left off this roster that could of made it, it just really speaks to our depth. I think that is why we are able to beat teams the way we did. We just kind of wear them down with our depth.

Cash

Swin Cash (Seattle Storm)
What did it feel like on the medal stand?
It felt amazing. It felt great to be there once again and to step up there, raise our hands together.

What will you take away from this experience?
I think the biggest thing I will remember is my time with the girls. This is an amazing group of women. The sacrifices and the selflessness that it took for the last 11 days to get the gold medal, and everyone was on the same page. It’s just an amazing feeling.

Catchings

Tamika Catchings (Indiana Fever)
What did it feel like on the medal stand?
We waited four years for this moment and to feel like this again. To come out with the group we had was absolutely amazing. The atmosphere was an amazing game. This is what we came here for, and we accomplished our mission.

Charles

Tina Charles (Connecticut Sun)
What did it feel like on the medal stand?
It means a lot. I’m speechless right now. I don’t even know how to feel, but I’m just happy for the opportunity that I got to play with this group of girls and experience this.

What will you take away from this experience?
It means a lot. I grew as a player. I knew what coach wanted on and off the court, and we all did a good job of doing what we came here to do.

Dupree

Candice Dupree (Phoenix Mercury)
What did it feel like on the medal stand?
For me, it’s probably the highlight of my career thus far, to win a gold medal with the national team at the World Championship. It’s a big deal. So, I’m a little nervous, but excited at the same time.

What will you take away from this experience?
Shoot, everything that coach Auriemma taught us, mostly defensive stuff. It was a great opportunity to play with such great players and some of the best players in the WNBA. But the biggest thing I will probably remember is friendships and the off-the-court stuff.

Jones

Asjha Jones (Connecticut Sun)
What did it feel like on the medal stand?
It was awesome. This is my first time being out there. So it was a new experience, and I was just really excited to be out there. I think our team did a good job of sticking with it and playing through everything that came our way. It was just great to win with this team.

What will you take away from this experience?
Probably when they brought out the medals. I’ve never been up close to one, never seen it before, so when they brought them out it really hit home.

Moore

Maya Moore (University of Connecticut)
What did it feel like on the medal stand?
It’s unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. I just can’t stop smiling. There was a few seconds left and I just started smiling, and I don’t think I’ve stopped since. Being a World Champion is the biggest stage that I’ve been on, so I’m just excited I was able to be a part of it.

As a college player, what was the experience like?
A lot of learning, a lot of challenges that I haven’t faced before, especially competition-wise. The competition was a lot bigger. I was usually guarding someone taller than me. It was just a tough situation sometimes, and balancing school. It was tough, but it was so worth it. I’m just glad I was able to be a part of it, and being the only college student made it even more special.

Taurasi

Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury)
Opening Comments:
Thank you for hosting this. The Czech Republic was amazing from the day we got here. Everything was taken care of. The sites were great, the fans were amazing. Today’s game was another display of a great, great crowd and two really good teams. We were just fortunate to have played really well. All the credit to the Czech team, they had an unbelievable run.

Does this help take the sting away from 2006?
That was a different team. If anything, that experience helped us in a setting like tonight where we knew it was going to be very hard. You have to play well. You have to stay composed throughout the game. Going into halftime coach was really good with us, just saying that we need to get back to doing what we had been doing all tournament. I think that settled us down and we came out in the second half and played a lot better.

Whalen

Lindsay Whalen (Minnesota Lynx)
What did it feel like on the medal stand?
To be on the podium just felt awesome. It was a great accomplishment for our team. This was something that you always dream about, and it’s just awesome to be a World Champion. To experience that feeling was amazing, and I’m just so happy that we won and had such a great tournament.

What will you take away from this experience?
I think I will remember how well we all came together. We played hard, and we played together from the start. It was an incredible experience, and I’m just so thankful the opportunity. To be on the team, and to be here in the Czech Republic where I have played for years, and to have us win, it’s a truly unbelievable feeling. I’m just so happy.