The Olympians: HoopsHD interviews 1992 Olympic bronze medalist Clarissa Davis-Wrightsil

The NBA Finals date back to 1947 (when they were known as the Basketball Association of America Finals) and the very 1st NCAA tourney was held in 1939. Olympic basketball competition is even older: it debuted as a demonstration event in 1904 and the men’s version became a medal sport in 1936, with the women finally getting their chance to go for the gold in 1976. The United States has dominated Olympic basketball competition from the start: the men have won 15 gold medals in the 18 tournaments they have participated in during the past 84 years, while the women have won 8 gold medals in the 10 tournaments in which they have competed during the past 44 years. Those of you who were looking forward to the 2020 Olympics opening ceremonies in Tokyo on July 24, 2020 will have to wait an extra 364 days, as the coronavirus caused a postponement until July 23, 2021. Due to the absence of college basketball since mid-March, HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel decided to fill the void by trying to interview as many prior Olympic players/coaches as possible so that you have something to read this summer while not watching the Summer Games. We continue our coverage by chatting with Clarissa Davis-Wrightsil about winning the 1986 NCAA title at Texas while going undefeated and winning a bronze medal in 1992. We also wish her a very happy birthday today!!

As a senior at John Jay High School in San Antonio you scored a career-high 75 PTS while playing only 3 quarters in a 100-19 win over Edgewood: was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot you put up seemed to go in because you were “in the zone”? I think that game was against Memorial High School because they were in our district. I was the dominant scorer on my team anyway but obviously you need your teammates to feed you the ball. I did not know what the record was: it was not until my coach took me out that I realized I had broken the record. I thought it was cool that everyone helped to facilitate that and was all in with me.

Take me through the magical 1986 NCAA tourney as a player at Texas:
You were the only newcomer on the Longhorns as a freshman: how were you able to fit in with all of the veterans, and how much pressure was there on the team after going undefeated during the regular season? My background helped me prepare to play with the veterans. Prior to that I had played weekend pickup games against military servicemen. My aunt is 5 years older than me and was a collegiate athlete so she would being me along to play against other collegiate female players. Once I arrived in Austin I realized that I could compete at the D-1 level. I do not think that we felt any pressure: we had been upset by Western Kentucky at the buzzer in the 1985 NCAA tourney so the entire team was focused on winning a title. We were not surprised because we were supposed to win. We competed very hard in practice: it was even tougher than our actual games. We had so much depth that we had All-Americans/Olympians who came off the bench but we were all in great shape and shared the ball.

In the title game you were named tourney MOP after getting 24 PTS/14 REB off the bench in a win over USC to complete the 1st undefeated season in NCAA women’s history: what did it mean to you to win a title? I also had 32 PTS/18 REB in the semifinal against Western Kentucky. USC was 1 of my top college choices when I was in high school but I realized that to be the best you have to beat the best. I told my mom that I wanted to play on TV and win a title so it was crazy to have the opportunity to do just that 1 year later. I was not even the 6th man: I was more like the 3rd player off the bench and just did whatever I could do during whatever time was given to me. It was like a dream come true and to cap it off by helping our selfless seniors win a title and lift me up as MVP and share what we had all been working toward said a lot about our team. It was the true meaning of a team: there were no agendas and we just all played to win.

After entering the 1987 NCAA tourney with only 1 regular season loss you had a 4-PT loss to Louisiana Tech in the Final 4 after they shot 73.9 FG% in the 2nd half: how much of a home-court advantage did you have while playing on your home court with a crowd of over 15,000 people (the largest in history of the sport), and where does that rank among the most devastating losses of your career? We gambled on that game that Teresa Weatherspoon would not be a scorer and used her man to double in the post, but that day she shot the ball very well and hurt us. Home court does not mean anything when your opponent treats it like their own gym. It was just not meant to be: the best team will usually win a series but in a single-game elimination tourney anyone can win on any given night. We were poised to repeat and definitely should have but you have to take every loss as an opportunity to get better.

Your 19.9 career PPG remains #1 in school history: what is the key to being a great scorer, and do you think that anyone will ever break your record? It is surprising that it has stood for this long. I had some foot/knee injuries as a sophomore and junior so it is incredible for any of my records to still be standing. The key is never settling and always striving to be better by working on your game. I spent my offseason expanding my game, especially on the offensive end.

You were a 2-time All-American/2-time national POY: what did it mean to you to win such outstanding honors? It means a lot but I always valued hard work and as a freshman I had to claw for every second of playing time on the clock. It was tough to go from the top recruit in the country to a place where I came off the bench but I learned that I had to perform at an extremely high level both in practice and during games. I am extremely thankful because there are people who played 4 healthy years and never won any titles/individual awards. My faith in God and the discipline and structure of the program made me the player that I was.

You played pro basketball for 10 years: what is the biggest difference between college basketball and pro basketball? I was finally able to showcase all of my skills as a pro after only playing PF at Texas. My natural position was SF so I got to shoot the ball more from the 3-PT line and handle the ball more after graduating. It helped that I could play with my back to the basket and defend kids who were 6’5” but I could flip it around on offense and play the role of a big guard. I had fun as a pro and enjoyed a very productive career. When I was growing up I was very athletic and the sport came naturally to me, but after I got injured I developed a new sense of appreciation for the kind of work it would take to remain a good player: if you want to be successful as you mature you have to work on both your offensive/defensive skills. I also learned a lot about leadership and versatility: when you are 1 of only 2 foreigners on a team overseas you have to try to be the best at everything and instill confidence in your teammates.

After a knee injury forced you to be an alternate on the 1988 Olympic team that won a gold medal, you won a bronze medal with the 1992 Olympic team: how frustrating was it to miss out on the gold, and what did it mean to you to win the bronze? It was tough to miss out in 1988. It was a phenomenal journey to go through all of the tryouts but then I bumped knees during a scrimmage the day before they made the final cut. It was like a fairy tale that took a terrible twist because I was supposed to make that team and win a gold medal. I remember that night: it was a flood of emotions and I just could not understand why I could not control things, but it gave me the determination to become even better than I was before. I still have 5 screws and a scar on my knee, but post-surgery I was a statistically better player and ended up playing for another 10 years. I was excited to make the team in 1992 because by that time I was a full-time guard. I wanted to make it as a 6’1” SF vs. playing with my back to the basket as a PF even if I ended up getting cut from the team: it was a big accomplishment for me to play the game from the outside in. It was unfortunate to not win the gold medal because we were such a talented team: we just did not perform well in the semifinals against the Unified Team. Making that team as 1 of the best players in the world was a feat in itself. It used to just be a 2-week training camp but after that year they changed it so that the players would be together all year long.

After retiring you worked for the San Antonio Spurs from 1999-2002 and later served as Chief Operating Officer for the WNBA’s San Antonio Silver Stars from 2002-2006: how did you like working for the Spurs, and what were your duties as COO? It is a great organization and I learned a lot. I had the opportunity to observe everything from the ground floor. I oversaw the business operations which involved everything from ticket sales to marketing, and also oversaw basketball operations like coaching and staffing and who to draft. The Spurs trained me for a couple of years before I joined the Silver Stars, which was also a great experience. When you are a player you do not realize everything that happens in the front office but there are a lot of people working tirelessly to create a product that the fans will enjoy.

In 2000 you founded a non-profit sports-based mentoring organization for girls in San Antonio called TeamXpress: why did you create it, and what have you been able to accomplish so far? My husband and I started it as our way to give back. You see many players accrue a lot for themselves but they do not always help those around them. It is not good enough to just have a team: I wanted to show the girls what I accomplished via every aspect of my career, from playing in college to playing overseas to the business side of the game. I want to empower these young women to make the right choices and improve their skills. I do a lot of teaching and incorporate some terminology and plays from the pros. We have helped about 100 girls get scholarships to schools like Tennessee/Baylor and even had several McDonald’s All-Americans. For some kids it is their only way out of a tough situation and allows them to pursue higher education. It is very rewarding to me and is my way of giving back with no strings attached: my reward is seeing them do the things that I was able to do.

In 2006 you were inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame: where does that rank among the highlights of your career? That is right up there. Being able to come back from a major knee injury and end up being honored by people who have been there and done that allowed me to take my little place in history. It is a part of who I am and I am definitely thankful for it. I retired on my own terms while I was still in great shape because I wanted to go out on top. I cherish those memories and it was great to have my family/friends/past coaches experience that very special day with me.

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