Corrections and clarifications: An earlier version of this story incorrectly referred to Cheryl Miller as Cheryl Swoopes.
Women’s basketball is getting an unprecedented amount of publicity these days with the official announcement of the US Olympic basketball team roster this week.
From all indications, it won’t feature Indiana Fever rookie Kaitlyn Clark, who took the WNBA by storm this year — much like another player did when she entered the league 20 years ago.
Diana Taurasi knows the feeling of being the youngest player on a team surrounded by talented players. Shortly after graduating from the University of Connecticut, Taurasi made the 2004 U.S. Olympic team. He tells USA TODAY Sports that it was an incredible experience.
“I was by far the youngest on the team. Amazing players took me under their wing and showed me the ropes,” Daraci says of playing with all-time greats like Lisa Leslie, Sheryl Swoopes, Dan Staley and Tina Thompson. in Athens.
“Talk about the Mount Rushmore of basketball. I was watching their every move. The way they prepared. How serious they took it. I had to learn the ropes, too.”
He won gold at the 2004 Summer Games in Athens, starting an impressive streak of playing on five consecutive Olympic championship teams. He will move to No. 6 when the 2024 Olympics begin in Paris next month.
Diana Taurasi on Caitlin Clark’s Olympic snub
As for Clark, Taurasi says he’ll be fine in the long run, even though he’s disappointed not to make the Team USA roster.
“The game of basketball is about evolution. It’s about being comfortable with your surroundings,” says Taurasi. “College basketball is a lot different than the WNBA overseas. Each one is like a different dance that you have to learn. And if you learn the steps and the rhythm, you’ve got a high level of skill in everything. Otherwise, the place will fall.”
Taurasi says all the attention on women’s basketball shows how the hard work many put in decades ago is paying off.
“It’s a culmination of a lot of things – social media, culture, women’s sports – the impact they’ve had on this country over the last 4-5 years,” she says.
“Sometimes you need all those things in the perfect storm, and that’s what we have right now. And it couldn’t have come at a better time.”
