Women's Hoops Guru

(Guru's note: Besides Doug Feinberg's ongoing coverage of the USA women's team in China for the Associated Press, here are two other stories from other media organzations flowing into the Inquirer data base -- Mechelle Voepel's coverage for her home paper the Kansas City Star, and a column from the Fort Worth paper).

By Mechelle Voepel
McClatchy Newspapers

BEIJING — Fabulous as the Olympic opening ceremonies were for
spectators Friday, they really weren’t as much of a blast for the
athletes.

"As an athlete, you really don’t get to see much of it," U.S.
women’s basketball player Diana Taurasi said. "They have you in a holding
arena where you just sit there with 300 other countries and hang out.
Obviously the best part is walking into the stadium. That’s the biggest
rush.

"(But) they’re l-o-n-g. It’s a long process. "I think we left the
hotel at 5:30 and didn’t get back until 1:30 in the morning. It kind of
throws your schedule off."

Indeed, the U.S. women looked a little sluggish at the beginning
of their Olympic opener against the Czech Republic, but that didn’t last
long. They ended up with a 97-57 victory in which they shot 52.1 percent
from the field and everybody scored.

"Everybody" is a key word for this group, because of how they plan
to play defense. You could call it "Tennessee" style because three Team
USA members — Tamika Catchings, Kara Lawson and Candace Parker — competed
for Pat Summitt’s program, which has won eight NCAA titles and is built on
defense.

"The press we ran at Tennessee – the 1-2-1-1 — we run that here,
too," Lawson said. "Candace is used to being on the top of that, and Catch
is used to being in the interceptor role. Our man-to-man full-court
pressure is also very similar.

"In the first quarter, when there was that lull, Candace was huge
in shadowing the ball, getting steals and helping us pick up the tempo.
Catch was the same way."

The Americans, who are going for their fourth consecutive gold
medal, trailed 13-2 early on. But a 20-4 run that closed the first quarter
put them in control.

"Sometimes in games, you have to ease your way it ... but 13-2 is
not easing your way in," said Diana Taurasi, who finished with a team-high
17 points. "It’s a good feeling we know we can call time out and regain
our poise.

"I think our greatest strength right now is we’re 12 deep and can
bring in players to bring you more energy. Kara and Catch, especially, did
that the minute they stepped on the floor."

President George W. Bush, wife Laura and daughter Barbara all
attended the game, as did the members of the U.S. men’s basketball team.
They are wildly popular with the Chinese fans, who scrambled to get their
pictures as they sat in the stands. The president, meanwhile, spent time
chatting with former WNBA president Val Ackerman while watching a matchup
that was close only for a little while.

Sylvia Fowles and Cappie Pondexter, playing in their first
Olympics, had 16 and 12 points, respectively, for the Americans. Team USA
held the Czech Republic to 36.4 percent from the field.

"We’re picking up (on defense) so much more than we have in the
past," U.S. coach Anne Donovan said. "And players know it’s 3-4-5 hard
minutes, and then you’re out. If you’re not doing that, you don’t get back
in the rotation.

"This is a deep team; you’ve got to stay in that rotation or
you’ll get buried. In 10 days together, I couldn’t ask for one thing more
from this group than how hard they’ve worked at that end of the floor.
Forcing 27 turnovers is exactly what we’ve been trying to accomplish."

By Charean Williams
McClatchy Newspapers

BEIJING — The Dream Teamers were there — J Kidd, King James, Kobe and
the others. So, too, was President Bush. The Beijing Dream Dancers
provided the halftime entertainment.

But the stars were Diana Taurasi, Sylvia Fowles, Cappie Pondexter
and the rest of the Dream Queen Team.

They (still) are as good as it gets in the Olympics.

Despite a slow start Saturday night, the U.S. women’s basketball
team plastered the Czech Republic, 97-57. It wasn’t that close, even
though the Americans fell behind 8-0 and 13-2.

"Not every game is going to be like that," said Fowles, who scored
16 points. ". . . We have to take every game as we go, and we can’t take
anybody lightly, because everybody has something to prove against the
USA."

The Americans will tell you the rest of world has closed the gap
on them. They say anybody can beat them on any given game day. After their
40-point victory, it was hard not to laugh and call them Lou Holtz.

Sure, Russia and Australia are capable of beating the United
States but only on a very bad day by the Americans.

The Australians won the FIBA World Championship in 2006 and have
the best player in the world in Lauren Jackson. The Russians beat the
United States, 75-68, in the 2006 world championship semifinals and have
the traitor, U.S. citizen Becky Hammon.

But the United States didn’t have its best post players, including
starting center and team captain Lisa Leslie, against Russia two years ago
in the world championship. And, only a few days ago, the Americans beat
Australia, 71-67.

The gold medal is the Americans’ to lose.

"We’re always expected to win gold," Leslie said. "Anything less
is failing. It’s a lot of pressure to do it, but it’s what we have to do."

The Dream Team sitting in the stands got more applause, more
stares, more chants, more pictures taken of them and needed more security
than their women counterparts. That was nothing new.

But what they saw on the court might not have looked all that
familiar.

For one thing, on one basket, the U.S. women had eight passes
before Fowles scored. For another, Tina Thompson returned from halftime
with freshly applied lipstick.

Then, there was the victory.

The 2004 men’s team was the bronze bust, losing three times on
their way to third place.

The U.S. women have won three consecutive Olympic medals. They
entered the 2008 Games with a 39-1 record over the previous six Olympics,
with the only loss a 79-73 loss to the Unified Team in 1992.

"Our goal," Katie Smith said, "is another gold medal."

They’ll tell you this isn’t going to be easy. They’ll talk about
the need to take it "one game at a time."

For the U.S. women, winning the gold medal is going to be easier
done than said.