ROAD to ATHENS

"When I got the call I was going to be the Olympic coach, my wife and my oldest grandson were with me. he asked his grandmother why Granddaddy was crying," says Van Chancellor, head coach of the four-time WNBA Champion Houston Comets and head coach of the U.S. team that won gold at the 2002 World Championships.

"I did cry, because it's one of the most exciting times of my life," he adds. "I sometimes get up and pinch myself to realize I am the Olympic coach. I feel so blessed in my life."

On Oct. 8, USA Basketball named seven players who will be the nucleus of the U.S. Women's Senior National Team. Five additional players will be added prior to their officially being named as the U.S. Olympic team.

Six of the seven selected, Lisa Leslie, Dawn Staley, DeLisha Milton-Jones, Katie Smith, Tamika Catchings and Shannon Johnson, were members of the 2002 World Championship team. The seventh, Tina Thompson, has played for Chancellor on the Comets for seven seasons.

Chancellor's gratitude and appreciation at the selection are being equaled by his focus and preparation. he knows he does not have the extended preparation time utilized for the 1996 and 2000 Olympic campaigns. The group plus invitees will have their first training camp in February.

"We will meet and practice and try to play some foreign competition in that period of time," Chancellor says. "We'll take a break and then come back and do it again.

"We need to practice and see who can actually make this team, because we still have five players to pick," he adds. "At the same time, we've got to get ready to play this summer."

Staley, a member of the 1996 and 2000 Olympic teams, must balance her Olympic preparations with not only her playing duties with the Charlotte Sting, but also with her job as head coach at Temple University. She says she gave herself little downtime after the 2003 WNBA season, and started her preparations of stretching and cardio workouts ahead of her usual schedule.

"Considering this will probably be my last Olympics, for me it's a farewell tour," she says.

What does she feel she brings to the team?

"My experience, for me, pays big dividends," she explains. "It is my duty to kind of pass the baton, pass the knowledge, the experience and the tradition of USA Basketball point guards to the next one.

"Your job calls for you to do much more than just dribble the ball," she adds.

"Your job is not just to set plays up. Your job is to make sure that on and off the court we stay focused on a common goal."

Chancellor agrees communication is key.

"I'm constantly talking to them about what to expect," he says. "Do they think we'll see a zone? Will they press much? When we started preparing for the World Championships, everybody said we could not press. We think the press really helped us win the World Championships. We look at things differently. I talk to all of them."

He says he expects the players will be concentrating 100 percent on practice, and even on Olympic game days there will be teaching. It is a great advantage that many of the players have previous experience on other USA Basketball teams. Also, as the Comets coach, he has seen many of the top foreign players - Lauren Jackson, Elena Baranova and Margo Dydek - firsthand. But there are definite concessions due to time constraints.

"We won't do nearly as much as they did offensively in the last two Olympics," Chancellor says. "We'll keep it very basic and very simple. Learn a few things but learn them really well."

"Coach Chancellor is a really fun guy who makes the game interesting and understandable," notes Leslie.

Anne Donovan, head coach of the Seattle Storm, has been named as an assistant coach. Two additional assistant coaches will be named at a later date.

Selections will be made by the USA Basketball Women's Senior National Team Committee with Chancellor's input. he says, "I want people who really love players and who are going to help me see after our players and help me win a gold medal."

For more on the core members of the team, log onto www.WBmagazine.com.

Copyright Ashton International Media, Inc. Feb 2004
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved