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 Hall of Fame coach Leon Barmore about his former player Venus Lacy winning an NCAA title in 1988 and a gold medal in 1996. Today marks the 24th anniversary of Venus getting selected by Seattle in the 1st round of the 1996 ABL Draft.
Venus led Brainerd High School to a state title in 1984 and then started her college career at ODU: why did she decide to transfer, and how did you get her to come to Louisiana Tech? She just had a falling-out with her coach. She reached out to us and we were happy to have her.
In the 1988 NCAA title game she scored 4 PTS in a 2-PT win over Auburn: how were you able to beat 3 #1 seeds in a row (Texas/Tennessee/Auburn), and what did it mean to her to win a title? We had to beat Texas on their home court just to reach the Final 4. We trailed Auburn by double-digits at halftime but Teresa Weatherspoon shut down Ruthie Bolton in the 2nd half. Venus did not score much but she had a presence.
On February 18, 1989, she scored 35 PTS (including a trios of threes during a 3-minute stretch, the only ones of her college career) in the 1st half of a 126-25 win over Texas Pan American: was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot she put up seemed to go in because she was “in the zone”? No: I think that it was just a lack of height by Pan American. She dominated due to her physical strength.
Auburn got their revenge by beating you in the 1989 NCAA Final 4 and then ruining your 32-0 season in the 1990 NCAA tourney: how intense was the rivalry back in the day? For a stretch there Auburn coach Joe Ciampi had some very good players/teams. Our conference was pretty weak in 1990 so it was not a total upset but give them credit. Venus got 2 fouls in the 1st few minutes of that game and it just took us out of our rhythm.
She went 98-7 during her 3 years in Ruston and was named All-American/national POY as a senior: did it reach a point where you just expected to win every time that she stepped onto the court? No, but we had a good team. I was proudest of her because she developed some offensive moves and became a great player.
Her 20 PPG remains #1 in school history: what was her secret for being a great scorer? She is 1 of the best scorers in our school’s history, which shows her progression during her 3 years at Tech. I give her a lot of credit for sticking with it because she put a lot of effort into it.
She was cut from the 1992 Olympic team but was the last player added to the 12-woman roster for team USA at the 1996 Olympics: how pissed was she to miss out in 1992, and what did it mean to her to win a gold medal in 1996? In 1992 team USA had some players who were much more advanced at the time than she was. In 1996 they needed some size and she was chosen due to her physical ability.
She was the 1st player selected by Seattle in the 1996 ABL Draft but was seriously injured in a car accident on February 4, 1997: how bad was the accident, and what impact did it have on her pro basketball career? I know that she had some ups and downs in the pros and also played in the WNBA. I am sure that the accident was bad but she never had the pro career that I thought that she could have had.
In 2011 she was inducted into the Louisiana Tech Athletic Hall of Fame and in 2014 she was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame: where do these rank among the highlights of her career? I would think that she would rank being a national champ and winning a gold medal up there at the top, with the Hall of Fame a close 3rd.
When people look back on her career, how do you think that she should be remembered the most? Based on her domination as a senior she is definitely 1 of the best post players in school history.