by: Clay Kallam
Publisher
There's this feeling that the USA Women's National team is somehow preordained for greatness. After all, an American professional league beckons on the horizon, and what greater incentive could this powerhouse team need? Well, how about a home crowd? That, too. Teamwork? A year together, working for Tara VanDerveer, universally acclaimed as the top women's coach in the good old U.S. of A.
So, like the men, this female Dream Team needs only to show up, run over some hapless entries from nations where basketball is a distant second to field hockey, collect the gold and go on to greater glory on SportsCenter.
Not so fast. Don't forget that the United States hasn't won a world championship since 1988. Don't forget that other national teams have been playing together a lot longer than a year. And don't forget that the gap between American basketball and the brand the rest of the world is playing narrows every year.
``The teams that have beaten us have been really good,'' said Nancy Darsch, an Olympic assistant who has scouted for the USA internationally since 1984. ``Their post players are all ballhandlers. It's not like get to the block and work."
There's also the element of mystery. No one really knows who the Russians will bring to Atlanta, because the Unified team that won the gold in 1992 has fragmented with the Soviet empire. Zaire is also a complete unknown, but less frightening -- African teams have yet to make an impact on the international scene.
But the mysteries go deeper than just the rosters. "You can scout three or four games and three players won't play at all. The next game, those three players might start," said Darsch, who is used to a little more certainty when she prepares for opponents at Ohio State, where she's head coach.
One reason is strategy. International play is conducted in pools, which play a round-robin schedule. In the Olympics, for example, there are two six-team pools, which means each team will play five games. The top two teams will advance into single-elimination playoffs -- the first-place finishers in each pool playing the second-place teams from the other. The winners of those games then advance to the finals.
Obviously, the most important step is the first one: to make the medal round. But finishing first or second really doesn't make a lot of difference, so teams have been known to hide some of their playbooks, or even their players, until that semifinal game. Then, suddenly, new tricks are unveiled, or new three-point shooters unleashed, and the game changes dramatically. And, in the playoffs, there is no second chance, so there's no time to adjust.
"They understand the strategy of pool play," said Darsch. "The international teams will lay in wait for you."
Those tactics have worked against the United States since 1988, as have their during-the-game maneuvers. "Internationally they play a different style of defense," said Darsch. "They try to take away your favorite option. They want to make your two best players play against their five."
Still, the gold will eventually be won on the floor, and as any coach will tell you, talent is the key. And though the United States is loaded with athleticism, the Americans don't have a lot of height. Even the addition of 6-3 Venus Lacey won't make that much difference against 6-10 Zheng Haixia of China or 6-9 Marina Bourmitrova of Russia.
Does the United States have enough to do the job? It will start in Group B, in which the United States must place first or second to advance -- and here's a look at what to expect.
CUBA: Size, speed and three-point shooters make the Cubans one of the most exciting international teams. The Cubans are noted for their success in amateur sports, and women's basketball is no exception. There is a new coach on board, though, so it may be hard for Cuba to peak in Atlanta--but there's no team they'd rather beat than the Americans.
Cuba's strength is up front, where 6-3 Milaida Enrique, 6-3 forward Leonor Borrel Hernandez and 6-5 Yamilet Martinez Calderon score and rebound. Point guard Dalia Henry Hernandez started for the '92 Olympic team that finished fourth, and at 5-11, she's tough to contain. The Cubans were surprised by Canada in Olympic qualifying, but overlooking them could be fatal to any team's hopes of a gold.
UKRAINE: Some say 6-5 Loudmilla Nazarenko is reminiscent of America's Lisa Leslie, but she's a little more aggressive on the boards. The Ukraine can also call on 6-1 forward Marina Tkatchenko, who started for the Gold Medal Unified team in '92, along with a host of three-point shooting guards, led by Elena Jirko. The Ukraine is definite gold medal threat.
AUSTRALIA: Strong and fast. The Aussies want to run and they want to bang -- even though their post players are more agile than large. Because of the nationıs pro league, guards like 5-11 Shelly Gorman and 5-10 Robyn Maher play year-round, which gives Australia enough of an edge to consider them more than just a dark horse. The Aussies also feature a three-point shooter who's bound to be a crowd favorite: 5-5 Michele Timms. They're not real big, but their discipline and shooting make them dangerous.
SOUTH KOREA: Lack of size will doom Koreaıs medal hopes, though the Koreans are very athletic and very muscular. They like to drive and they like to play a physical game, but they just donıt have enough weapons to compete with the big girls. Their best inside player is 6-2 Eun Soon Chung, and that's awfully small for a college team, much less an Olympic one. Still, Joo-Weon Chun and Young-Joo Yoo can bury the three, and that's certainly an equalizer.
ZAIRE: One day, a team will come out of Africa and dominate the Olympics. That day isn't on the 1996 calendar. In fact, there may not be a winning day on the Olympic calendar for Zaire, though the team has been one of the most successful in Africa. Led by 36-year-old guard Kamanga Kasala, who has played in 161 international games, Zaire is a tall, slender and athletic team. Six-three center Tshijuka Muene Tanda is just 23, and though she's the tallest player, the only player under 5-10 is Kasala. Forward Ngoy Sunda has a lot of experience for a 24-year-old and 20-year-old Mwadi Mabika is a player to keep an eye on. But six-footer Mbuyi Mukendi will have to be very strong inside for Zaire to have any chance at all to advance to the medal round. In truth, just winning a game would be a triumph for Zaire -- but someday, rest assured the gold medal will wind up in African hands.
UNITED STATES: Sheryl Swoopes might be the best player in the world, and with the 6-5 Leslie as an inside option, it's tough to double-team Swoopes. And Ruthie Bolton averages just as many points as Swoopes, with Katrina McClain right behind. The United States has everything but overwhelming size -- and the late addition of Venus Lacey won't make that big a difference. With the home court advantage, most observers expect the United States should advance to the medal round. But it's not a lock.
And should the Americans make it that far, they will have only taken the first of three steps. They luckily are in a weaker group, but whoever survives the other pool will be playing at a very high level. The early line on Group A:
BRAZIL: The best backcourt in the world (5-8 Hortencia Marcari Oliva and 5-8 Paula DaSilva) and an extremely talented overall roster. The Brazilians play a lot of the NBA-style two-man game with people like 5-11 Janeth Dos Santos Arcain -- and they also have solid post players who donıt score until theyıre needed. The Chicago Bulls are god-like with Luc Longley at center, so the lack of a big name on the block doesnıt mean Brazil canıt add the Olympic title to its 1992 World Championship. There is a question about Hortencia, though, who said she was going to retire after having a baby last year. In her prime, she was acknowledged as the best player in the world, and if she comes back, she has the talent to dominate a game.
CHINA: Anytime you can run a 6-9 center out on the floor, you create a whole lot of problems. Thatıs exactly what the Chinese does, and they combine Haixia Zheng with very athletic guards who shoot threes from Reggie Miller range, which is why they won the silver medal in the '92 Olympics. They also have forward Xin Li, who averaged more than 20 points a game in the zone qualifying tournament. With Zheng on the boards, the guards (led by 5-10 Bo Miao) release early and look to run. The China-Brazil matchup should be a classic.
ITALY: The Italians finished second to the Ukraine at the European championships, the farthest theyıve ever gotten. They have an experienced team, hardened by competition in the toughest womenıs league in the world, and 6-4 Catarina Pollini on the block. Six-seven Guiseppina Tufano is also tough inside, but Pollini had 27 points against the Ukraine's Nazarenko in the European championship game. Still, without improvement from outside, the Italians might be a step behind Brazil and China.
RUSSIA: Elena Baranova is a serious player, and at 6-3, she can score from anywhere. Guards Irina Routkovskaya and Irina Sounuiikova are both solid players and 6-2 Elen Chakirova and 6-1 Elena Pchikova also know where the basket is. The Russians lost to the United States by just one in an exhibition game, and did so while using just six players. There's also 6-9 Marina Bourmistrova, who didn't play on the American tour but is counted as one of Russia's top players. If she is in top form in Atlanta, the Russians could repeat their '92 championship -- though they'll have to do so without starters from the Ukraine and other former Soviet countries.
CANADA: The Canadians don't do much but beat people. They aren't particularly big, aren't particularly fast and don't really shoot all that well, but they play tough defense and smart offense. Bev Smith is the veteran but the points come from Dianne Norman, who gets it done without the obvious skills of the more graceful international players. Guard Shawna Molcak is a fine outside shooter but 6-0 Kelly Boucher is going to have to handle a lot of dirty work inside if Canada is going to advance to the medal round.
JAPAN: Like South Korea, the Japanese lack size, but they play with patience and bomb away from beyond the arc. 5-5 point guard Chikako Murakami runs the almost error-free offense while everyone else spots up behind the three-point line and waits for an opening. Takako Kato and Mikiko Hagiwara can score, but no one shoots free throws well, which is a flaw both tragic and fatal. And with only two six-footers, it's going to be tough to win many games.
So if all went according to form, Brazil, China, the United States and Cuba (or maybe the Ukraine) would advance to the medal round, and from there it's anybody's guess. Certainly, the United States has a chance to win the gold, but it's also possible the Americans might not even get out of pool play. The home court is an advantage not to be discounted, and maybe that will be the edge the USA needs to reclaim its place at the top of the women's basketball world.
But there is one thing for sure: Whoever wins the gold will remember this march through Georgia as one of the most grueling competitions ever in women's basketball.
