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 Jennifer Gillom about winning a gold medal as a player in 1988 and winning another gold medal as an assistant coach in 2012. Today is her birthday so let us be the 1st to wish her a happy 1!
You graduated from Lafayette County High School with 3006 career PTS and were named 1982 Mississippi high school POY: what made you choose Ole Miss, and how did you like playing for Hall of Fame Coach Van Chancellor? My sister Peggie was an assistant coach there, which was the main reason I ended up there. I liked Coach Chancellor and had been to basketball camps there in the past. It turned out to be a great decision.
In the 1983 NCAA tourney you had a 7-PT 3-OT loss to Tennessee: where does that rank among the most devastating losses of your career? It might be in the top-5 but that did not stay in my mind as long as some of the others did. The freshest 1 is my mind is the loss to Texas when they were 34-0. We had a team that was capable of making some noise in the Final 4 so that 1 was more heartbreaking.
In the 1986 NCAA tourney you had 25 PTS/10 REB in a 3-PT loss to eventual champion Texas: how close did you come to ruining their undefeated season? It was 1 of the biggest crowds I have ever played in front of and it was amazing to get a standing ovation. We had the ball with about 8 seconds left and our coach told us to clear out and just let our PG bring the ball up. For some odd reason she picked up the ball while we were all farther down the court, and the Longhorns stole it and made a layup to win the game.
In 1986 you were named SEC Female Athlete of the Year/All-American: what did it mean to you to win such outstanding honors? Sometimes you win awards and wonder whether you were that good: I never considered myself a top athlete but that was the moment that I realized that I had accomplished something. I was presented the award along with an Auburn football player named Bo Jackson and it was just like “Wow, I have really done something here”!
You were a 4-time 1st-team All-SEC selection: how were you able to remain so dominant throughout your college career? I have to give a lot of credit to my teammates as well as to Coach Chancellor. He always emphasized that we had to get the ball to the star of the team. I had some great teammates but they made the sacrifices to get me open and then get me the ball.
You graduated as the #2 all-time leading scorer in school history with 2186 PTS: what made your sister Peggie (2486 PTS) such a great player and what was it like to have her as your assistant coach? They used to call her the “Black Hole” because once the ball went into her it never came out! She was a go-to player and I always admired her as a great shooter. She set the bar very high and the fact that I wanted to be better than her made me play even better.
You played for team USA at the 1988 Olympics and were an assistant for them 24 years later at the 2012 Olympics: what did it mean to you to win a pair of gold medals? That was always a dream of mine dating back to junior high school when 1 of my coaches asked me what I wanted to be. I was not aware that women could play pro basketball so the main goal I thought that I could reach was the Olympics. When it finally came true I could not believe it because it was an honor just to be considered as 1 of the best players in the world…but winning it all was even better!
In 2000 you created the Gillom Sports Center for Women’s Athletics at Ole Miss that was named for you and your sister: why is it so important for female athletes to have such a place on campus? It shows that if you put your mind to achieving a dream then anything can happen. We never thought that we would have a building named after us, especially knowing the history of the school: it is 1 of the biggest honors that could ever happen to us. Most people do not get to see such a thing while they are alive and I hope it sets a standard across the country. For 2 small-town country girls it is simply incredible.
In 2009 you were inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame: where does that rank among the highlights of your career? That probably ranks highest of all. I thought it might take a couple of decades before I was mentioned in that company so it came as a surprise to me.
You previously worked as an assistant coach of the Connecticut Sun: how did you like the job, and what do you hope to do in the future? It is a great organization: I love my career and getting to help develop a lot of young players. It is a very professional group and they gave us whatever we needed to succeed so I was grateful for the opportunity. I do not know what will happen in the future but Connecticut was 1 of the best teams that I ever worked for.