Bird said when she, Taurasi and Catchings were the rookies on the 2004 squad that won gold in Athens, “We knew were on that team to learn, to see what it mean to represent the United States at an Olympic event”. The trio drew even with United States of America legends Teresa Edwards and Lisa Leslie with the four gold medals.
Advertisement
The U.S. women, who haven’t lost a game in the Olympics since 1992, defeated Spain 101-72.
By extending Team USA’s streak of Olympic Gold in women’s basketball to six Olympics in a row, Catchings continues to cement her spot as one of the most decorated women’s basketball players of all time.
Storm forward Breanna Stewart scored 11 points in 11 minutes in to help earn her first gold medal.
Catchings has announced she will retire from WNBA and Olympic basketball after the conclusion of this season, closing the book on another noteworthy career for a former Lady Vol. “There are some question marks with the point guard spot, but I don’t think it will be an issue”. A Stewart 3-pointer put the Americans in triple figures for the sixth time in eight Olympic games. Men’s professional basketball is the 5th most popular sport in America, but that number becomes even more important to fielding a team when you consider that college and professional football (numbers three and one on that list) draw from the same talent pool and auto racing (number four) requires a very different build from basketball. “Every quarter that we stepped on the court, we respected the game, we respected each other and we did everything we needed to do to deserve this gold”.
No American team has been deeper with Catchings as its 12th player. The 2016 team had nine that won gold four years earlier in London. Four times, that is unbelievable.
In the end, US coach Geno Auriemma got Catchings in her final Team USA game with 2:17 to play in the third quarter and the Americans up 74-46.
“Wait!” said McCoughtry, one of the 2016 team’s blithest spirits, brightened and asked, “Who does that make me?” “So it kind of like crossed over”.
“It’s a very emotional time when you’re around these players – Sue, Diana and Tamika – and you know this may be their last”, said Auriemma. “I know because of the overlap that we’ve had, that hopefully we can keep it going”.
Before the women’s competition began, USA coach Geno Auriemma said, “They know exactly what’s in front of them”. And I think, hopefully, we’ve done them proud as well, because that’s exactly how we played each of the Olympics we’ve been in. The men, on the other hand, have made it their mission since 2000 to give every USA basketball fan a heart attack as they battle through global competition. “I think the attitude and example they set is probably one that the next group is going to benefit from more than anything else”.
“She’s an incredible person”, teammate Angel McCoughtry said of Catchings. She also added 2 rebounds and 2 assists. The trio cherished the moment afterward while waiting for the medal ceremony, Bird and Taurasi hugging while the entire group waved into the crowd.
Advertisement
“There’s just a lot of emotions running through our team and running through our locker room”.
