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 Carla McGhee about winning a pair of NCAA titles at Tennessee and a gold medal in 1996. Today marks the 24th anniversary of Carla scoring 2 PTS in a 108-93 win over Japan in the Olympic quarterfinals.
You played for Hall of Fame coach Pat Summitt at Tennessee: what made Pat such a great coach, and what was the most important thing that you ever learned from her? Her knowledge/dedication to detail/ability to hold everyone accountable (including herself). She was always prepared and always followed the rules. She had an “it” factor so we were scared to disappoint her and wanted to make her proud. The most important thing I learned was accountability: it makes you behave a certain way whether people are looking at you or not. She was big on character and taught me to be mentally tough: there is nothing that can break me.
In the 1987 NCAA title game you beat Louisiana Tech to clinch the 1st title in school history: how were you able to dominate a Louisiana Tech team that had beaten the Volunteers in 11 of their last 12 meetings, and what did it mean to you to win a title? Our staff had us prepared and Pat willed us to win. Even though we were not ranked high she had us believing that it was us against the world. Nobody worked harder than us and we felt like a tribe: we were so pumped both mentally/physically. We ran more than our track team and were in the weight room more than our football team. Pat’s big thing was that if you played defense you would be in the right place to win a championship and we bought into it. People talk about the “stare” in her eyes: it was a window into her soul and she was a winner. We would just not be denied.
Later that year you were in a car accident that broke almost every bone in your face and left you in a coma for almost 48 hours, and after waking up your doctors told you that you would never play basketball again: how scared were you, and how were you able to eventually make it back onto the court? I do not know if “scared” is the right word because I did not know how bad it was. I did not look at myself in a mirror until about 2 months after the accident. 1992 Olympian Daedra Charles would jog 5 miles from campus each way to visit me every day and Pat promised me that I would get my degree even I never played basketball again. My doctors said that I might never run/speak again so I just prayed to God to help me become a better person. Before the accident I was gifted athletically so I was a little cocky/lazy and had some attitude issues. God held up his end of the bargain so I held up mine. It was 1 of the best things that ever happened to me because I learned how to be a better teammate/sorority sister/person. Pat’s belief in me made me feel like more than a basketball player: before the accident I was just a player.
In the 1989 NCAA title game you beat SEC rival Auburn to win your 2nd title: how did title #2 compare to title #1? Title #1 was probably the best because Tennessee had been to a lot of Final 4s but had always come up short. I came from Peoria and joked that the Lady Vols needed some Midwestern flavor to get over the hump! It was a huge monkey on our back and was similar to how LeBron felt when he won an NBA title for Cleveland. We were not ranked as high so nobody really expected the 1st 1 but we were supposed to be in the ballpark for title #2: we were ranked in the top-5 of the polls all season long and felt that we were supposed to win. We did not just want to make the NCAA tourney: we wanted to win a title. The 1st 1 made us hungry for the 2nd 1 even though we had a target on our back. We were the new chicks that were going to take over women’s basketball.
As a member of team USA at the 1994 World Championships you had a 3-PT loss to Brazil in semifinals: where does Hortencia Marcari (32 PTS) rank among the greatest players that you have ever seen? She and Paula were 2 of the best. She could come down and take a regular jump shot from halfcourt. She was like a female John Paxson with more flair/athleticism. She had incredible vision/superior ball-handling and was just so tough. You never knew what you would get with Brazil: it was pick your poison…and they could be a little dirty on defense. I missed a big portion of that game after getting elbowed and we were devastated after that loss. After we lost, which was a huge letdown, we shifted to the “Dream Team” model of using professional players in international competition. We lived/trained together in Colorado and traveled the world as sponsors poured in money to help pay us. Rebecca Lobo was the only 1 coming out of college: the other 11 of us were pros, and 6 of us from that 1994 team made the Olympic team in 1996. Moving forward the teams would just train together at minicamps because they all played in the WNBA. People viewed us as trailblazers but looking back I never knew what kind of impact we would have.
You played in the ABL/WNBA as well as several years in Germany/Italy/Spain: what was the biggest difference between basketball in the US vs. basketball in overseas? Basketball overseas was hard: you would not get any calls and would be traveling to games by bus/car. The fans would be smoking/drinking in the stands and the cops would have plastic shields just in case. There were club teams and the diehards would pack the gyms. It was very physical and we would be there for 7-8 months each year. The money was great but you would have to adapt to different kinds of weather and language barriers. It gave me a chance to embrace different cultures and when you are the foreigner the expectations are high: when your team lost the blame was on you so it made me a tougher athlete.
You played for team USA at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta: what did it mean to you to win a gold medal, and why did you later decide to donate your medal to a community center in your hometown of Peoria, IL? Winning a gold medal was everything. We trained for a year and a lot of us took huge pay-cuts because we wanted to restore our country’s faith in our team after losing in 1994. What better time to win when the Games are in your home country?! It was great to play in front of family/friends and was an awesome feeling. We had fun parties and hard practices: all of the memories still flood through me. We went through a war together and won and then went our separate ways: it was huge and we felt so much pride. People had put so much money into that team: housing, 1st-class travel, cars, etc. We had worked our butts off and would not be denied.
After retiring as a player you became an assistant to your Olympic teammate Dawn Staley at Temple/South Carolina: how happy were you when she won the 2017 NCAA title, and how did you like working for the 2020 national COY? Dawn and I go WAY back: we played on every team possible with USA Basketball and she denied me a title in double-OT as a senior. We are more than teammates: we are sisters. We were at a Final 4 in a VIP box several years ago and she said, “Big Red, I want to be down there coaching for a national title”. I said, “Little Bit, if you have good resources and a supportive administration then it will happen”. She told me to try it for 1 year and I liked it. I met back up with her in South Carolina and loved working for her: she is a little Pat Summitt! They might lose some games but she does it the right way: her will is contagious and her kids believe in her. It is hard to explain what she means to women’s basketball: she eats/sleeps/drinks basketball just like Pat and they are both so selfless. Dawn is the epitome of a winner: determined, passionate, etc. I learned a lot working for her, especially the importance of paying attention to details, but she is a little more laid back now. I feel that she deserved every bit of being national COY. I expected it from her because she went out and got it… and I expect her to win it a couple more times before she is done. She is not that funny in general but is hilarious on Twitter!
You currently work for Up With Kids Sports in Georgia: what has the organization been able to accomplish, and what do you hope to do in the future? I did that for a year and then started my own business called More To Hoopz. I do grassroots athletics in Alpharetta, GA, and do AAU/personal training. I used to do a lot of camps before COVID-19 showed up but I still have that hunger to keep it going in the future. I just want to be a vessel to help the kids understand that sports can help pay for your education or just allow you to meet some great mentors. Sports has a way of teaching you discipline. Some of my kids have received scholarships to great schools like Notre Dame/Stanford/Tennessee. I want to continue to develop my little babies and help the older ones take their skills to another level. I will also go to colleges with new staffs and help them mentor the kids they have. I am blessed to share my expertise as a player/coach/businesswoman in this sport and help people become better. When the parents tell me that their children have become more confident that is my greatest reward: I just try to be the best person that I can be.
When people look back on your career, how do you want to be remembered the most? She was a hard worker and a teammate that you could depend on. I had a tenacity that oozed into every aspect of my life: sometimes I came up short but I would always give you the shirt off my back. I was not perfect but would try to make it right. I want to make sure the sport is in great hands and as long as Dawn is at South Carolina I am not worried about it. I was a kid from Peoria with a terrible work ethic but am thankful to all of the people who helped me become a better person.