The Olympians: HoopsHD interviews Mechelle Voepel about 4-time Olympic gold medalist Sue Bird

Posted on August 25, 2020 by Jon Teitel

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 ESPN women’s basketball writer Mechelle Voepel about Sue Bird winning 3 WNBA titles and 4 gold medals. Today marks the 16th anniversary of Sue scoring 3 PTS in team USA’s 102-72 win over Greece in Athens at the 2004 Olympic quarterfinals.

Sue was a WBCA High School All-American and won a national championship at Christ the King High School: what made her choose UConn? She has talked a lot about how it was just the right fit for her. It was relatively close to home and the Huskies had already won a title so she saw herself as part of building something. She felt that Coach Geno Auriemma challenged her during the recruiting process and said that she could become 1 of his greatest players: it was down to earth and matched her personality.

In the 2001 Big East tourney title game she made a half-court shot at the end of the 1st half and a coast-to-coast drive for the game-winning jumper at the buzzer in a 2-PT win over Notre Dame: why was this game more than just another fantastic finish? There were a lot of things that all came together. They were considered the top-2 teams in the nation and had a conference rivalry throughout the season. There was a lot of attention/drama and the extra drama of her teammate Shea Ralph tearing her ACL for the 2nd time after being named Final 4 MOP the previous spring. 1 thing that has been consistent throughout Sue’s career is her ability to rise to the occasion at the biggest moments. People think of 2 games that stand out: this game (due to her 2 big shots at crucial times) and the 2018 WNBA semifinal Game 5 that she basically won by herself after putting the team on her back and scoring some huge baskets.

She was a 2-time All-American/2-time NCAA champ/2002 national POY: what did it mean to her to receive such outstanding honors? It always feels good to be individually recognized but as a PG she really measures herself by how well the team does. As great as that 2001 Big East title game was, what she remembers is that Notre Dame ended up winning the NCAA title. It remains her mindset today and I have never heard her talk about winning awards out loud because she only cares about what she did for her team.

She remains the Huskies’ all-time leader with 45.9 3P%/89.2 FT%: what is her secret for being a great shooter, and do you think that anyone will ever break her records? The key is that she is such a fundamentally sound player and does not take bad shots. She is not looking to score a certain amount of PTS: she is looking for who has the best percentage shot. Every record will be broken at some point but it would have to be someone with the same level of preparation/discipline. FT shooting is the same: get in your routine and stay mentally focused with your execution.

In the 2010 playoffs for Seattle she scored 16 PTS including the game-winning 3-PT shot with 2.8 seconds left in the decisive Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals to beat defending-champ Phoenix after erasing a 19-PT deficit, and in Game 1 of the Finals she scored 14 PTS including the game-winning jumper with 2.6 seconds left to beat Atlanta: what makes her such a clutch player? She has the ability to understand what the moment is: not everyone does and many people get overwhelmed by it. She wants to be the person to come through and is hard on herself when she does not. That 2010 Phoenix game is another “Sue Bird Game” where she beat her good friend Diana Taurasi by digging deep.

She is a 3-time WNBA champion (2004/2010/2018) and 1 of 4 players to win multiple NCAA titles/WNBA titles/Olympic gold medals (along with Swin Cash/Maya Moore/Diana Taurasi): what is her secret for winning championships? The ability to help everyone on the team do what is best for the team. She tells a story that dates back to her sophomore year at UConn. Geno pulled her aside and said that everything that goes wrong is her fault because she is the PG. You cannot say that to a lot of players but Sue understood that she was responsible for everyone and she was okay with that. All of her teammates can depend on her, which is really freeing for other players to know that she is their safety net and will bring the team together. Some teams win titles without great chemistry but Sue makes that chemistry happen.

Her 2831 career AST is the most in WNBA history and in 2011 she was named 1 of the 15 greatest players in WNBA history: where do you think that she ranks among the greatest PGs in women’s basketball history? I think that she is the great PG in women’s basketball for a few reasons. Her longevity is amazing, as is her ability to win championships at every single level both in the US and overseas. She is a great athlete and can put herself in the position where she needs to be all of the time. I have never covered anyone who is better.

She sat out the entire 2013/2019 seasons while recovering from surgery: how has she been able to accomplish so much despite having 6 left knee surgeries? She was very quick as a young player, which some people do not realize, but as you get older your mind has to do more of the work as your body ages. She has used the mental edge to her advantage but 2013 was a real crossroads in her career. She realized that she had to get into the best shape of her life in terms of diet/exercise…and she did. As your car gets older you need to take care of it to squeeze every last mile out of it, which is similar to what great athletes do.

She is a 4-time Olympic gold medalist for team USA (2004/2008/2012/2016): what does it mean to her to represent her country, and do you think that we will see her win gold medal #5 next summer in Tokyo? The US national team has been able to maintain a fierce loyalty among its players for decades. Teresa Edwards was a great PG who passed the torch down to Dawn Staley, who then passed it along to Sue. They all believe that representing their country is so important. What is hard to predict about 2021 is that she will turn 40 this October and it is hard to say if she will feel okay physically…but if there is anyone who can do it then she is the 1. When you are THIS close to #5, she would cherish it as a crowning achievement.

Her girlfriend is Olympic/World Cup gold medalist Megan Rapinoe: what kind of stature do they hold within the LGBTQ community, and who is the best athlete in the relationship?! They are rock stars: there is no doubt about that! Sue has been out to her friends/family for a long time but did not come out publicly until 2017. Megan and Sue have had positive impacts on each other. I think they have a friendly competition but they are both great athletes in their own respects. I might lean toward Sue since I cover basketball but they are both super-high-level athletes. They are inspirational to the community as 2 well-loved athletes who seem so happy together.

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The Olympians: HoopsHD interviews Aram Goudsouzian and Alan Paul about 1956 Olympic gold medalist Bill Russell

Posted on August 24, 2020 by Jon Teitel

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 Aram Goudsouzian, author of “King of the Court: Bill Russell and the Basketball Revolution”, and Alan Paul, 2-time New York Times best-selling author, about Bill Russell winning a gold medal in 1956 and then 11 NBA titles from 1957-1969 . Today marks the 12th anniversary of team USA beating Spain 118-107 to clinch a gold medal in 2008…but since I cannot get any of those guys on the phone I figure that today is a great day to celebrate Russell’s winning ways.

After walking onto the basketball team at San Francisco Russell averaged 20.7 PPG/20.3 RPG during his 3-year varsity career, was named a 2-time All-American, and won 55 straight games (including back-to-back titles in 1955/1956): where does he rank among the greatest college basketball players of all-time? Aram Goudsouzian: To most people who have assessed his legacy Russell’s college career seems almost an afterthought…yet he was the central player on 1 of the greatest dynasties in the history of college basketball! As some realized at the moment, he was also revolutionizing the sport by leaping to block shots and altering the texture of typical basketball offenses, but we forget about his college career for a number of reasons. For one, the New York journalists who shaped national perceptions barely saw him play, as it was an age before nationally-televised games. For another, USF did not continue as a basketball powerhouse so Russell never got promoted as a program’s key star for future generations like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar did at UCLA. Finally, Russell’s professional career was so impressive that it rendered his college career secondary. Alan Paul: I am not a big believer in absolute rankings because different eras are so different, but by any standards Russell was one of the great college players ever, excelling both in personal statistics/team wins. He is in a rarefied group with Lew Alcindor, Michael Jordan, and a few others.

He served as captain of team USA at the 1956 Olympics: what did it mean to him to represent his country, and what did it mean to him to win a gold medal? AG: Russell would later express disillusion with the US Olympic Committee and in 1968 he supported the Olympic Project for Human Rights, which sought to have athletes boycott the Games to protest racial injustice. However, in 1956 he was intensely patriotic and exceptionally proud of his role as an Olympian. In fact, he willingly delayed his pro career since the Melbourne Olympics were held in November-December of 1956, which meant that he did not join the Boston Celtics until just before Christmas.

He won 5 MVP awards with the Celtics from 1958-1965: what did it mean to him to receive such outstanding honors? AG: Privately, one would assume that Russell took great pride in his MVP awards. In college he felt slighted when less-deserving players captured honors that were rightfully his but he never bragged about individual honors. He funneled his competitive desires into team success. AP: He has consistently said that team wins meant more than any individual honors but it is impossible to imagine that as a proud man such honors did not validate him. The great Celtics teams are revered for their teamwork/lack of selfishness/playing as a unit. The MVP awards are a form of acknowledgement that despite everything above it was Russell who made the team go.

He won 11 titles during a 13-year stretch from 1957-1969 (including 8 in a row from 1959-1966) and remains 1 of a handful of players to win an NCAA title/NBA title/Olympic gold medal: what was his secret for being 1 of the greatest winners in the history of sports? AG: On top of being a superlative athlete Russell channeled all of his energy into team success. His focus on defense/rebounding/passing made his teammates better. He always played his best in the most important moments as well. His teammates constantly noted their faith in Russell as they headed into critical games, and opponents such as Jerry West talked about how if they had to win 1 game they would rather have Russell on their team than anyone else. AP: I am unsure whether there is a secret per se but he had a unique set of skills and personality traits. He combined intelligence/hard work/athleticism/indomitable drive/a will to win/pure leadership as well as anyone ever. No great player can be unbalanced or lack one of these skills/traits.

He won his final 2 rings as player-coach after Red Auerbach retired in 1966: how big a deal was it for him to become the 1st African-American head coach in NBA history, and how did he balance being a player with being a coach? AG: Becoming the first African-American head coach of a team sport in a major league was certainly a factor in Russell’s decision to accept the position, but the decision was also a way for him to maintain the winning culture of the Celtics. Winning 2 titles as a player-coach is another incredibly underrated aspect of his legacy. AP: He himself has downplayed being the first African-American coach, not just in NBA history but in American major team sports…but I doubt that he really believes that. I do not believe it: I think it was a huge deal. It is a shameful part of American history that a brilliant man like Russell who had already proven himself as one of the greatest/most dedicated players would have anything to prove or have doubters anywhere, much less in Boston. That he did so, while also starring on the court, is almost unthinkable. I think it is actually one of the greatest, most remarkable, and most consequential achievements in American sports history…and he had no assistant coaches: think about that for a minute!

He played in 11 winner-take-all games in his career (10 Game 7s and 1 Game 5) and won all 11 of them: how was he able to play his best when it mattered the most? AP: I am unsure if there can be a simple answer to this 1. I believe that he would say he did not play his best: he just played the same as he did in every game, which was the best. In other words, he was great and met the challenges that came his way. He did not shy away from big consequential moments. I am sure that applies to the above question as well, about being the first African-American coach and a player/coach. Some people rise to the biggest stage while others shrink: he always rose. Somewhere along the way his opponents’ intimidation had to come into play as well.

He had a career-high 51 REB in 48 minutes in a win over Syracuse on February 5, 1960 (which remains #2 in NBA history), led the NBA in RPG 5 times from 1957-1965, and his 22.5 career RPG remains #2 all-time to Wilt Chamberlain’s 22.9 RPG: what made him such a great rebounder? AP: Amazing statistics! I think the same things come into play here: athleticism/smarts/will. He knew how to be in the right place at the right time. I think what really separated him was his outlet passes coming off of those rebounds. As he told me himself, “To me, I was a better offensive player than a defensive player. By the end of my first year I always put the offense in motion, and after a year or two almost all the plays went through me. In fact, John Havlicek said after I left that he missed me more on offense than on defense.”

How does his role as the NBA’s 1st African-American superstar on the court compare to that of Jackie Robinson in baseball, and what impact did he have on racial justice off the court? AG: Unlike Robinson, Russell did not desegregate his sport. The NBA had Black players dating back to 1950, when Russell was still in high school. Like Robinson, Russell was the first African-American star in his league and galvanized public attention. His status as a superstar/champion, combined with his intense devotion to justice, fueled his outspokenness on racial matters. For instance, he rejected segregated accommodations on road trips, accused team owners of maintaining informal quotas for White players, blasted any form of racial hypocrisy, and participated directly in the civil rights movement (both on a national level and within Boston). He might have rankled conservative writers and fans but also earned their respect. AP: Without downplaying what he went through (because it was long-term/awful/intense), I do not think that it compares to Jackie Robinson, only because Jackie was literally the first to do it and because baseball had such a prominent role. Off the court he was very important, refusing to stay in hotels or eat in restaurants that denied service to Blacks who lacked his celebrity status. He was not interested in leveraging his position for better treatment of himself but for improving society. He faced a lot of blowback/negativity for this but played a giant role in our nation’s long and very much ongoing battle for racial equality.

Coach John Wooden called him “the greatest defensive man I have ever seen” and fellow Olympic gold medalist Bill Bradley called him “the smartest player ever to play the game”: what made him such a great defender, and what made him such a smart player? AP: You cannot separate the smartness from the great defense. Such a big part of playing great defense is playing smart defense, i.e. understanding the game, positioning oneself, feeding opponents towards teammates, etc. He combined athleticism and smarts into being an all-time great defender. He also revolutionized the game by leaping to block shots and keeping them from going out-of-bounds, which was previously considered bad form. That is hard to believe but it is true.

In 1975 he was inducted into the Hall of Fame, in 1980 he was voted the Greatest Player in NBA History by the Professional Basketball Writers Association of America, and in 2011 he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom: when people look back on his career, how do you think that he should be remembered the most? AG: Since the turn-of-the-century Russell has more consciously marketed himself as the ultimate winner in American sports…and that is a status that he richly deserves. However, it also threatens to obscure how he forced the sports public to deal with racial injustice and how he compelled people to understand him as a complicated individual rather than “just an athlete.” AP: Russell was one of the all-time greatest basketball players because he had it all: athleticism, smarts, intensity, indomitable drive, a hunger for winning, and the ultimate respect of his teammates/opponents. He was an offensive and defensive force and understood the game so well that he won his last two championships as a player/coach with no assistants.

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The Olympians: HoopsHD interviews 2-time Olympic gold medalist Gail Goestenkors

Posted on August 23, 2020 by Jon Teitel

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 Gail Goestenkors about winning a pair of gold medals in 2004 & 2008. Today marks the 12th anniversary of team USA beating Australia 92-65 to clinch a gold medal.

(photo credit: usab.com)

As a player at Saginaw Valley State you were an NAIA All-American/conference MVP, went 114-13 in 4 years, and remain #2 in school history with 348 STL/469 AST: how good a player were you back in the day, and what is the key to being a good PG? I was not the best player on the team but I was the most valuable. I walked onto the team but was a really hard worker with great passion for the game. I would do whatever it took for us to be the best team that we could be. We went to 4 NAIA national tourneys and made a couple of title games. People saw that I made everyone else better, which is something I loved to do.

In 1992 you were hired by Duke as the youngest head coach at a major D-1 program: did you feel ready to run the show at age 29, especially at a school where the men’s team was coming off back-to-back titles? I actually did for 2 reasons. Lin Dunn was the head coach at Purdue and really helped prepare me to be a head coach: I was in charge of almost every different aspect of the program during my time there (budget, speaking engagements, etc.). Being very well-rounded gave me the confidence to be a head coach. I was naïve and doubted myself going against some of the best coaches in the business in the ACC but was ready to jump in.

In the 1995 NCAA tourney your team’s 120 PTS vs. Alabama was the 2nd-most ever scored in an NCAA tourney game: where does that 121-120 quadruple-OT loss rank among the most devastating of your career? It is not 1 of the most devastating because it was our 1st time in the tourney so we were happy to get in. We put our heart/soul/spirit into everything but Alabama had an All-American in Niesa Johnson and was coming off of a Final 4 appearance. 1 FT could have made the difference but we were still learning/building.

In the 1999 NCAA tourney you had a 6-PT win over 3-time defending national champion Tennessee to advance to your 1st Final 4, then beat Georgia before losing to Purdue in the title game: how on earth did Chamique Holdsclaw miss her 1st 10 shots, and was it weird to face the Boilermakers since you were a former assistant there and 2 of your own players had transferred from Durham to West Lafayette? Chamique is 1 of the greatest players of all-time but we were fortunate that she had 1 of her worst games of all-time against our triangle-and-2 defense. It was going to be their 4-peat year but we learned a lot from facing them in the regular season. That win kind of put us on the map. We played really well against Georgia but were really tight during our 1st title game. I think it was difficult for those 2 transfer players and it was a tough situation for everyone involved.

In 2002 you became the 1st ACC team to go 19-0 after winning the regular season title/conference tourney: how did you do it with only 8 players after losing 2 transfers during the season? That was a difficult year for us but 1 of our best years as far as our record. I also had an assistant coach named Joanne Boyle who was in the hospital with a brain tumor but it really brought us together. It was 1 of the tightest teams I have ever been a part of and we all pulled together. Everyone was happy and knew that they would get to play out of necessity. We played with such a degree of confidence because everyone felt very needed.

In January of 2003 you trailed UConn by 17 PTS before Jessica Foley made a 3-PT shot at the buzzer in a 1-PT win in Hartford: did you think the shot was going in, and how big a deal was it to break the Huskies’ 69-game home-court winning streak (which is tied for the 4th-longest in women’s basketball history)? I give credit to the players, specifically Alana Beard who led by example. We could hear her in the locker room telling the team that it was not going to happen. If you watch the end of that game it was 1 of the best endings you will ever see. Lindsey Harding pushed the ball up at the end and our bench stood up because we knew that Jess’s shot was going in. She got fouled but the refs did not call it. Anytime you can beat UConn at home it means a lot.

You were an assistant coach for team USA at the 2004/2008 Olympics: what did it mean to you to represent your country, and what did it mean to you to win a pair of gold medals? It was an incredible gift: if you are passionate about the game then you dream of playing in the Olympics. I was not good enough so my dream changed to coaching in the Olympics: it was a great honor. Anne Donovan and I were assistants in 2004 and she asked me to be her assistant in 2008.

You swept Maryland twice during the 2006 regular season by double-digits (your 14th straight win over the Terps), had an 8-PT loss to them in the ACC tourney semifinals in Greensboro, and in the NCAA title game Kristi Toliver scored 16 PTS including a 3-PT shot with 6 seconds left in regulation en route to a 3-PT OT win and the program’s 1st-ever national title: what are your memories of playing them 4 times in a 3-month span? It became a great rivalry. The ACC was the hottest conference back then as UNC was also in the Final 4. That title game is 1 that I will probably never get over. We were up by 13 PTS at halftime and I felt pretty good about it but I could feel us tightening up a little bit. As a coach you go through all of the things you would have done differently. We had 6’7” Alison Bales switch out on Toliver, who made a lot of daggers in her career: we might have been her 1st 1. We were deflated and it gave them so much confidence.

In 2007 you became the 1st ACC team to finish the regular season undefeated but had a 1-PT loss to Rutgers in the Sweet 16 in Greensboro: how were you able to keep your team focused for 30 straight games, and what does it take to go undefeated? It takes a great coaching staff that can help the players stay focused and players who are driven to succeed. We always wanted our practices to be more difficult than our games so that we would be accustomed to having a winning mindset. We were focused on being efficient with the basketball and having players who were motivated to be successful at everything they did. The more you win, the more confident you become, so we felt that we would win even if the game was close.

You were a 5-time national COY at Duke from 1999-2006 and were inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015: when people look back on your career, how do you want to be remembered the most? That I was a hard worker/good person who did things the right way. I was an exceptional teacher and helped make people better. I have been out of coaching for a while but hopefully I am not done yet!

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The Olympians: HoopsHD interviews 3 people about 2016 Olympic gold medalist Cheryl Reeve

Posted on August 22, 2020 by Jon Teitel

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 David Berri (sports economist/professor at Southern Utah), Pat Borzi (sportswriter for MinnPost), and Jim Souhan (sports columnist for the Star Tribune) about Cheryl Reeve winning 4 WNBA titles and a gold medal in 2016. Today marks the 10th anniversary of the final game of Cheryl’s 1st season as head coach of the Minnesota Lynx…which was subsequently followed by 7 straight trips to the Western Conference Finals and a quartet of championships.

 

 

Cheryl started at PG for 4 years at La Salle and her 420 career AST remains #4 in school history: how good a player was she back in the day? Pat Borzi: I never saw her play in college but you have to be pretty good/smart to start at the point for 4 years. Jim Souhan: I never got to see her play, but from conversations with her and others over the years I believe that she was a good/smart college PG with excellent ball handling skills.

She was also nominated to be a Rhodes Scholar and received an NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship in 1988: how smart a player was she back in the day? David Berri: She told me once that she studied computer programming so she was a very smart person. JS: I have no doubt that she was a smart player but I would be hesitant to equate academic intelligence with basketball intelligence. The smartest guards in basketball history are not necessarily those who got the best classroom grades.

She is a 2-time WNBA COY: what did it mean to her to receive such outstanding honors? DB: She does not seem to care very much. Coaches tend to focus on their players so you will not find very many who talk about things like that. Professors work very differently! PB: Reeve likes to say that those are really team awards. She credits her players/assistants/staff for buying in and executing the game plan. She was really fortunate: Seimone Augustus was already here, then GM Roger Griffith acquired Lindsay Whalen/Rebekkah Brunson and drafted Maya Moore, which became the nucleus of their 4 championship teams. JS: I am sure that those awards were gratifying but as a leader she is always careful not to celebrate her individual accomplishments: she credits her players/organization. This is both humble/smart: she does not need to call attention to herself to receive accolades and she knows that in her position she needs to demonstrate selflessness.

She was an assistant coach for team USA at the 2016 Olympics: what did it mean to her to represent her country, and what did it mean to her to win a gold medal? DB: I think that it meant a lot to her. PB: As Reeve herself will tell you, representing your country is something special. That gold medal is as meaningful to her as all of her WNBA championship trophies: maybe even more so. JS: I covered her at the 2016 Olympics. I think that she was proud to represent her country and loves working with elite players. I think what made the experience particularly gratifying was the ability to coach 4 of her own Lynx players (Seimone Augustus/Sylvia Fowles/Maya Moore/Lindsay Whalen), as well as winning the gold medal.

She won 2 titles as an assistant coach in Detroit and 4 titles as head coach in Minnesota: what is her secret to winning championships? DB: She would claim that it is the players but if you look at any pro sports league there is nobody from the past decade with a better record than Cheryl. She told me that not a single NBA team has called her for an interview. I do not think that she would accept an NBA assistant job but would at least talk to them about a head coaching job. PB: Her emphasis on defense/rebounding, as well as unselfishness/commitment to the team and a willingness to do whatever has to be done, even at personal sacrifice. JS: She is an excellent strategist who tries to stay ahead of the analytics curve. She surrounds herself with good people, works like crazy, and connects with her key players. However, no basketball coach wins without talent. Her personnel moves have been the key: trading for Lindsay Whalen, getting lucky enough to draft Maya Moore, acquiring Sylvia Fowles, etc. Without great players she would not have won all of those championships.

In the decisive Game 5 of the 2016 WNBA Finals Nneka Ogwumike scored 12 PTS and grabbed an offensive rebound and made the game-winning shot in a 1-PT win by LA: where does that rank among the most devastating losses of her career? DB: Some coaches dwell on their losses but I have never talked to her about that. PB: That was the toughest loss of her career: I am unsure if she has even watched the full video of that game. JS: That would probably be the hardest loss for both her and the franchise. If they had won that game then they would have won 5 titles in 7 years, including 3 in a row!

Where does she rank among the greatest coaches in WNBA history? DB: I think that she is #1. PB: She and Van Chancellor (former Houston coach) are the only coaches with 4 WNBA titles. However, she has the highest regular-season winning percentage and the most playoff wins in league history…so you tell me! JS: I believe that she is the greatest coach in league history. Van Chancellor won 4 straight titles early in league history, but the league is so deep/talented/competitive right now that I would elevate Reeve’s overall record above his.

How much of her success was based on Minnesota drafting Maya Moore 1st overall in 2011? DB: Cheryl would give a lot of credit to Maya but last year they had a winning record without her. My expectation this year is more positive than most other people. The team did not completely collapse when Maya left and Maya could not have won all of those titles by herself. PB: Maya was a big piece of it, and so was convincing Augustus (a relentless scorer) to become a lock-down defender. Augustus’ willingness to accept that role (which she was great at) made all of the winning possible. Had Augustus told Reeve to pound sand then we would not be having this conversation. JS: Without Maya, Reeve would have had to find another star to win titles. Without Maya, the Lynx probably would have been a good/consistent playoff team but they needed Maya or someone like her to win titles…and there are not many players like her.

In 2019 she was named WNBA Executive of the Year: how does she balance being a coach with being a GM? DB: It is hard to separate those 2 things out so that is a tough 1. Coaches are around their team all the time but as a GM you need to be detached so you can trade a player if it is not working out. I imagine it was hard for her to trade Seimone Augustus last year. I remember Coach Cotton Fitzsimmons saying once that he hoped Charles Barkley would not retire on his team because he did not want to hang onto him for too long. Even Bill Belichick got rid of Tom Brady because he felt it would be insane to give a big contract to a guy his age. It is really hard to play as a 40-year old against faster guys who are half your age. PB: Several other WNBA coaches serve in both roles. It is easier than doing so in the NBA because there is not as much player movement once the season starts. JS: I do not think that it has been a difficult adjustment. She always had a large say in personnel decisions and still collaborates with key people in the organization. Her eye for talent and fit has always been a key to the Lynx’s success.

When people look back on her career, how do you think that she should be remembered the most? DB: 4 titles in 7 years is pretty impressive, especially the way that she did it. They were not all in a row so she had a championship-contending team for 8-9 years, which is a long time. It is different than Houston winning 4 titles when the league was not as competitive so what she did the past decade means more. As the league grows it will become different with many more teams. Cheryl put together a team that dominated a league where everyone essentially had an All-Star team. If Milwaukee plays Detroit right now it is not a challenge for the Bucks, but the WNBA only has 12 teams and is the hardest league in America for a player to get into. PB: As a winner. I bet that she will want to be remembered as an advocate for women/social justice as well since that is a big part of who she is. JS: As someone who does a podcast with Reeve, I think that she should be remembered simultaneously as a great coach, a social justice champion, and an excellent basketball executive. She will probably be widely recognized as the best coach in league history and should get a chance to coach in the NBA someday.

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2020 NBA Mock Draft (Version 1.0)

Posted on August 21, 2020 by Jon Teitel

The NBA Draft is scheduled to take place on October 16th and until then we will do our best to predict where everyone will get selected. Some websites do their mock drafts based on “best player available” but we try to focus on team needs: for example, if a team like Minnesota already has Karl-Anthony Towns at the 5-spot then they are probably not selecting a center with the #1 overall pick. Please see our 1st round predictions below and then tweet us your comments regarding what looks good and what might need a re-pick.

#. TEAM: NAME, POSITION (SCHOOL/YEAR OR COUNTRY)
1. Minnesota: Anthony Edwards, SG (Georgia/FR)
2. Golden State: LaMelo Ball, PG (INTL)
3. Charlotte: Obi Toppin, PF (Dayton/SO)
4. Chicago: James Wiseman, C (Memphis/FR)
5. Cleveland: Deni Avdija, SF (Israel)
6. Atlanta: Onyeka Okongwu, PF/C (USC/FR)
7. Detroit: Isaac Okoro, SG/SF (Auburn/FR)
8. New York: Killian Hayes, PG (France)
9. Washington: Tyrese Haliburton, PG (Iowa State/SO)
10. Phoenix: Devin Vassell, SG (Florida State/SO)
11. San Antonio: Aaron Nesmith, SG/SF (Vanderbilt/SO)
12. Sacramento: Patrick Williams, SF/PF (Florida State/FR)
13. New Orleans: Precious Achiuwa, PF (Memphis/FR)
14. Boston: Cole Anthony, PG (North Carolina/FR)
15. Orlando: Theo Maledon, PG (France)
16. Portland: Saddiq Bey, SF (Villanova/SO)
17. Minnesota: Tyrese Maxey, SG (Kentucky/FR)
18. Dallas: RJ Hampton, PG/SG (INTL)
19. Brooklyn: Josh Green, SG (Arizona/FR)
20. Miami: Kira Lewis, PG (Alabama/SO)
21. Philadelphia: Jahmi’us Ramsey, PG/SG (Texas Tech/FR)
22. Denver: Jaden McDaniels, SF/PF (Washington/FR)
23. Utah: Nico Mannion, PG (Arizona/FR)
24. Milwaukee: Jalen Smith, PF (Maryland/SO)
25. Oklahoma City: Isaiah Stewart, C (Washington/FR)
26. Boston: Tyrell Terry, PG (Stanford/FR)
27. New York: Xavier Tillman, PF (Michigan State/JR)
28. LA Lakers: Vernon Carey, PF/C (Duke/FR)
29. Toronto: Tyler Bey, SF/PF (Colorado/JR)
30. Boston: Daniel Oturu, C (Minnesota/SO)

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The Olympians: HoopsHD interviews Duane Rankin about 2016 Olympic gold medalist Monty Williams

Posted on August 21, 2020 by Jon Teitel

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 Duane Rankin, Phoenix Suns Insider for the Arizona Republic, about Monty Williams winning a gold medal in 2016. Today marks the 4th anniversary of team USA beating Serbia 96-66 to clinch the gold medal.

In the summer of 1994 Monty was drafted 24th overall by the Knicks (2 spots ahead of Charlie Ward): did he see that as a validation of his college career, or the realization of a lifelong dream of reaching the NBA, or other? Coming from where he grew up in Virginia to make it to the NBA was special for him.

In 2005 he won an NBA championship as a coaching staff intern with San Antonio: what did it mean to him to win a title? He learned under Coach Gregg Popovich, who left his mark on him as both a coach and a person. That is his coaching mentor.

In 2010 he was hired by New Orleans and made the playoffs in his very 1st season: how was he able to come in as the youngest head coach in the NBA at age 38 and be successful right from the start? He learned from both Popovich and Nate McMillan. The key is having a good work ethic and never skipping any steps.

In February of 2016 his wife Ingrid died after her car was struck head-on by a vehicle that crossed lanes after losing control: how have he and his 5 children been able to deal with such a tragedy? Faith: he is all about faith and belief. It has been tough, very tough, but Coach is a true believer and that can pull you through even something that tragic.

That summer he served as an assistant to Mike Krzyzewski for team USA at the 2016 Olympics: how did he like working for Coach K, and what did it mean to him to win a gold medal? Just being part of that experience enabled him to build relationships with not only Coach K but also with those players.

Last year he was hired as head coach in Phoenix: what has been the best part of year #1, and what has been the not-so-best part? He was the best thing the Suns did last summer. The best thing he did was implement his style of play and get his players to buy in. Without that, Phoenix would not have ended the season the way it did (by going a perfect 8-0 in the bubble). The Suns had bad stretches of basketball but that is not all on the players. He did take ownership for not getting the team ready at times.

What has it been like for him to be an African-American NBA coach during this year of pandemic/police/protest? He is a natural competitor, a fighter, and a believer in truth so eventually he was going to say or do something. He felt like he was not doing anything at first and just watching from afar so he got involved and has stayed involved ever since.

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