Diana Taurasi still fills key role for U.S. women as they chase another gold medal
U.S. guard Diana Taurasi, center, high-fives teammates before the team’s opener against Japan on Monday in Lille, France. Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
LILLE, France — One game into the Olympics, it’s already clear the U.S. women’s basketball team will lean on its size with A’Ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart. They combined for 46 points and 21 rebounds in Monday night’s opening win over Japan.
Another distinctive advantage for the Americans as they pursue an unprecedented eighth consecutive gold medal: ageless Diana Taurasi.
Taurasi is making her record sixth Olympics appearance. Her presence on the U.S. team stretches back to Athens in 2004, meaning she has appeared in every Summer Games for two full decades.
Cheryl Reeve twice was an Olympic assistant with Taurasi on the team, and now Reeve’s the head coach. So she has come to appreciate the value of Taurasi’s abundant international experience.
“What has always stood out is she just understands the game, obviously,” Reeve said at Wednesday’s practice in Paris. “She’s competitive and passionate, but it’s also her willingness to communicate to her teammates. The knowledge she has collected, there’s no substitute for that level of experience.”
Taurasi, 42, and her teammates return to action Thursday against Belgium, which can match the Americans’ size more than Japan did. The U.S. scored 64 points in the paint in Monday’s 102-76 victory.
Taurasi posted modest numbers in the opener: two points, three rebounds and one assist in less than 15 minutes on the court. But her role figures to grow in importance as the U.S. advances deeper into the tournament, and the competition becomes stiffer.
And her role clearly extends beyond points, rebounds and assists. Taurasi is a priceless resource for Olympic 5×5 rookies such as Sabrina Ionescu and Kelsey Plum, also guards.
In many ways, Taurasi also serves as a resource for Reeve. Taurasi brings uncommon knowledge of opposing teams and individual players in the Olympics.
“People don’t understand the value of someone like D, who has been on that journey and understands the pulse of our younger players,” Reeve said. “She knows what they don’t know. And so she’s going to come to us and go, ‘Hey, they don’t know this. You need to tell them this.’
“And then just what she’s doing on the floor within a possession, diagnosing things quickly. At times being the one calling the action. She’s telling everyone what (alignment) to be in, so she just makes things easier for all the players.”
For all the talk about the pressure on U.S. men’s head coach Steve Kerr and his win-or-fail assignment, Reeve sits in a similar spot. The American women have won gold in every Olympics dating to 1996, when then-Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer started the streak in Atlanta.
Reeve gets it.
“The expectations are certainly high with one of the greatest sports dynasties ever,” she said. “I think we’re aware of that, but we also should be really mindful this is our first (with this group). It’s our first journey together.”
Reeve backs Kamala Harris: Kerr and Stephen Curry made news last week by publicly voicing their support for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris. Several U.S. women’s players, including Wilson, soon followed suit, noting their interest in two issues — voting rights and reproductive rights — central to Harris’ campaign.
Reeve offered even stronger comments on Harris’ bid for the White House.
“I think that’s a really important thing our league has done over the years, using our voice as a vehicle for change,” Reeve said. “It’s really important we don’t go backward, as we’ve seen some of the threats to basic human rights, the things we care about in our league. So I’m proud to stand with the players in backing Kamala Harris.”
