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Here are some postgame comments from Team USA/UConn coach Geno Auriemma and former UConn All-Americans Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi following today’s 90-38 win over Angola in the team’s second game of the preliminary round at the London Olympics (courtesy of USA Basketball).

Geno Auriemma

Thoughts on the game …
A: “I agree with what our opponents have said because it’s obvious that there is a level of talent that’s … the gap is really, really wide. And it’s important that in a game where you know that there is that disparity that you just do the things you need to do to be a better team; to work hard; to make sure we get the kind of ball movement we want; make sure we get the shots we want. The fact that we had 25 assists on 36 baskets, that’s an incredible number. I think that’s the kind of team we have. I wanted us to get better from Saturday’s game, and I thought we did.’’

On Candace Parker’s performance …
A: “I thought it was a tremendous performance by Candace. We saw a little bit of everything that she’s capable of doing. There are things that Candace can do that no other player can do. Tonight was a perfect example of that. And it started right from the beginning of the game. The one thing that we’ve been really, really, really harping on Candace is to really sprint the floor and get herself in situations to score before the defense gets set, and to be a factor in every possession and I thought tonight she was.’’

On whether the team is jelling …
A: “Yeah. It’s been a little bit challenging. We played one game and one scrimmage in Seattle, and then we played one game in Washington D.C.; we played one in Manchester and we played two in Istanbul. And that’s the extent of this team’s preparation. You watch China play, and see how well they are playing. They played 30 games before they even finished these games. We would love to have had that preparation but it just doesn’t allow for it. So, every practice the day before a game, every shoot around the day of the game, every game, we have to use it as another training session to get better and better. Where other countries have been able to do it other ways we have to be able to do it while we are here. Fortunately, we’ve got the kind of players who are able to adapt and adjust very, very quickly. But it’s not going to look pretty all the time. Sometimes it’s going to look great and sometimes not so great. Today, there were stretches where we looked really, really good.’’

Q: On subbing for the starting five in the first quarter … was there something you were upset about?
A: “No, no. I had planned on doing that. We did it in the first game, in the second half. I like that second group as a unit. They change the tempo of the game. When they come in it’s a lot different. There were things that were frustrating but that wasn’t the cause of the substitutions; that was planned.’’

On whether late start times allow morning shoot around to function as a practice …
A: “This morning we did. This morning we had a workout for about an hour, so that helps. Tomorrow we’ll have practice. We’re staying … it’s a 45-50 minute ride to where we are staying in the city, so it’s not easy to get here and back on game days, but the players want to get together. Again, it’s an opportunity for us to get better. No matter how much they know each other from playing against each other and playing together, just putting players together doesn’t make a good team. We’ll work out tomorrow morning, I think like 11:30 or so, and we’ll get better; we’ll improve on what we did today and hopefully that will be evident against Turkey. Because we’ve got a really, really tough game coming up. They are a very, very good team. As a matter of fact, the next three games are going to be very difficult.’’

On whether he saw Turkey play earlier in the day, and areas that still need improvement …
A: “France is one of the best teams in the world, so whenever you’re playing one of the best teams in the world, I don’t know that … I guess it was a mild upset, but you can understand teams winning here at the Olympics. Everyone thought the China win over the Czech Republic was an upset. Then you see China play again and realize, maybe it wasn’t such an upset. They are really good. Turkey is very good and they proved it at the European Championships. I saw them play a lot. And then when we went down there to play … yeah, they cause a lot of problems for you. They are big and they are smart and physical. They are really, really well coached. And for us, every game is a practice for us. So it may take us 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 20 minutes … I don’t know how long for us to figure out what we are trying to do. We played Croatia in Istanbul and beat them by 50 and it was a great game when we played them here, so I’m sure that the same team we played in Istanbul when we played Turkey probably won’t be the same team we play on Wednesday. But they are not going to be playing against the same team either, so it all evens out.’’

Sue Bird

Q: How much did Coach Auriemma get on all of you after the Croatia game?
A: “He’s actually been, in terms of getting on us, very laid back. I think it’s because he knows that we know what we need to do. Right now we’re just feeling each other out, getting comfortable. In that Croatia game there was a moment in the first and second quarter where we probably could have put them away. Because we didn’t, we gave them life. And it became a little bit of a problem for the rest of the game. But, we know that we have to kind of play within ourselves. We’re so talented that we don’t have to make spectacular plays or crazy plays or try to go for the touchdown play every time. If we just play within ourselves, we’ll be fine. And that’s what he’s been telling us.’’

Q: Tonight you’re up by a lot and yet you’re still pressing and double-teaming. What kind of message are you sending out?
A: “If somebody got a message, great. For us, it’s really about how we play. We’re not really worried about the competition. Obviously we talk about them and prepare, but it’s more about what we’re doing and how we’re doing it, no matter what the score is. We can really use games like this to get to know each other better and to learn because the training time has been limited. So, whether it’s practice or a game, we still have to work on things.’’

On the play of Candace Parker …
A: “Early in the Croatia game she missed a couple easy ones that she normally makes and I think she kind of had that in the back of her head and she really wanted to come and was focused. Coach Auriemma told her in the beginning of the game anytime we get a rebound on the defensive end she should just get out and sprint, and she did that. She was able to score easy, we were able to get her looks and she obviously did the rest from there.’’

Q: Are you where you want to be?
A: “No. I think we can get a lot better, I really, really do. It’s good to have a test early against Croatia, maybe a game like this and now we’re going to have another test with Turkey. That’s all going to help prepare us for hopefully what will end up being the gold medal game.’’

Diana Taurasi

On facing Turkey …
Turkey’s a good team. They’ve played together for a long time. They’re well-coached. They’ve had a great tournament so far and we just hope we play really well.

On the game tonight …
A: “We played well. We did some good things. We improved from the Croatia game so I thought it was overall a good 40 minutes for us.’’

Thoughts on Angola …
A: “They’re African champions. We have a lot of respect for them. They went out there and played hard no matter what the score was. That was good for them.’’

Q: What was the difference in the game tonight?
A: “Sometimes there is a fine line … I mean we held that team to zero points in the first eight minutes. Offense part of it, it always take a little bit of time. I think today we found a little bit better organization within ourselves and you can tell on the court.’’

On the improved play of protecting the ball in the second half …
A: “We probably turned the ball over a little bit too much in the first half. In the second half, we only had three so I think that was good for us to know against better teams you can’t give away possessions so that was really good for us.’’

Rich

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Candace Parker had game-highs of 14 points, 12 rebounds and a U.S. Olympic single-game record four blocks and Team USA shot 54.5 percent from the field in a 90-38 win over Angola today in its second game of the preliminary round at the London Olympic Games. The U.S. (2-0) was 2-of-17 from 3-point range, but it made 69.4 percent (34-of-49) of its shots from inside the arc.

Seimone Augustus added 13 points in 18 minutes off the bench. Former UConn All-American Maya Moore had 11 points, five rebounds and four assists in 18 minutes off the bench, while fellow reserve Angel McCoughtry finished with 10 points and four rebounds in 18 minutes.

Angola shot just 19.7 percent from the field (2-of-18 3-pointers) and committed 21 turnovers.

Here is a recap of how the other former UConn All-Americans fared: Sue Bird: four points (2-of-6 FG), two rebounds, game-high five assists in 26 minutes; Swin Cash: eight points (2-of-3 FG), one rebound in 13 minutes; Tina Charles: six points (3-of-6 FG), six rebounds, two blocks in 19 minutes; Asjha Jones: two points (1-of-2 FG), one rebound in 7 minutes; Diana Taurasi: six points (1-of-4 FG, 0-for-5 3-pointers), four assists in 16 minutes.

The U.S. led 41-18 at halftime despite committing 11 of its 14 turnovers. It compensated for the mistakes by making 73.9 percent (17-of-23) of its shots from inside the 3-point arc.

Preliminary round action will continue Wednesday when the U.S. faces Turkey (2-0) at 5:15 p.m. EDT. Parker is averaging team-highs of 12.5 points and 12.5 rebounds through the first two games. The U.S. is a combined 5-of-28 from 3-point range.

For a look at the team’s cumulative stats, here is the link …

Rich

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Former UConn men’s basketball coach and UConn icon Dee Rowe is heading to the Olympic Games in London this week. The trip is being made possible by Team USA and UConn head coach Geno Auriemma.

Here is the piece written by Phil Chardis, UConn Assistant Director-Athletic Communications …

Thirty-two years after a political decision took the Olympics away from Donald “Dee’’ Rowe, the University of Connecticut is doing all it can to give them back.

Rowe, the former UConn men’s basketball coach and longtime Special Adviser for Athletics, and his wife Ginny will be traveling to London on Aug. 3 to represent UConn at the Games of the XXX Olympiad – a trip orchestrated by U.S. women’s Olympic basketball coach Geno Auriemma, with the full support of UConn President Susan Herbst and Athletic Director Warde Manuel.

“I couldn’t be more thrilled or more appreciative for the opportunity to represent our school,” Rowe said. “I’m extremely grateful to President Herbst, to Warde, and of course, to Geno. It’s wonderful that they made this happen. Ginny and I are very, very excited.’’

If anyone is owed a trip to the Olympics, however, it is Rowe, who was honored to be chosen as an assistant coach for the U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team in 1980, but had his dream punctured when then-President Jimmy Carter declared a U.S. boycott of the Moscow Games as a protest over the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

It was a tremendous disappointment for Rowe, U.S. head coach Dave Gavitt and the team of college players who had gone through tough trials to be selected to defend the gold medal the Americans had won in 1976 under Dean Smith. Gavitt and Rowe, longtime friends, had worked together as head coach and assistant, respectively, for the U.S. National Team in 1975. After successful coaching stints at Dartmouth and Providence College, Gavitt, of course, would go on to be the founding father and first commissioner of the Big East Conference.

“I had met Dave when he was 18 years old and playing at Dartmouth College in 1947,’’ Rowe said. “My basketball coach at Middlebury was Tony Lupien. He went to Dartmouth to be Doggie Julian’s assistant in basketball and head baseball coach. Dave pitched for him and played basketball and that’s where I met him. I became athletic director and basketball coach at Worcester Academy after getting out of the army and Tony called me up and said, ‘I’d like Dave to have a job with you,’ and we hired him. He was my assistant in basketball, the freshman baseball coach, the cross country coach, had dorm duty four nights a week, all for $3,000. He was like my son, or my younger brother.
“A few years later, a priest, Father St. George, who I had played with and we were close friends, came to see me and told me Joe Mullaney at Providence had just lost his assistant coach, who was going back to coach high school. I said, ‘I got the kid right here. He’s a diamond in the rough.’ And Dave was on his way to Providence.’’

When Gavitt was selected to be the Olympic coach for the 1980 Games, he hardly hesitated before asking Rowe, who had retired as the head coach at UConn in 1977, to join his staff.

“I was off-the-charts excited when he asked me to be his assistant on the Olympic team,’’ Rowe said. “It was biggest thing there could be. I had been his assistant for the National Team and we had traveled overseas to Sweden, Russia, Greece, Yugoslavia … incredible. At one time I was a mentor for him and he became a mentor for me.’’

The announcement of the boycott brought disappointment, but no bitterness.

“When we found out we wouldn’t be going, we of course were broken-hearted,’’ Rowe said. “But it was our country making the decision and we would do whatever the country wants. We never were critical, because we knew it was something bigger than us. We were just coaches and players and this was a decision being made by the president and congress. But naturally, we were terribly disappointed’’

To make up for the disappointment, U.S. organizers put together a tour of the country for the Olympic team. The men’s basketball team played a series of games against NBA All-Stars in different cities, including Hartford, New York, Indianapolis, Los Angeles and Seattle. The tour finished in Washington, where the team was part of a parade, attended a party at the White House, and met the president.

“They put together this tour, so we had a good experience, but it wasn’t the same as representing your country in your game behind the Iron Curtain,’’ Rowe said. “I mean, it was Moscow. But you’re going to do the right thing, and the right thing was whatever the president and congress said was the right thing. Our job was to bring the team together and go on about our business. We were representing the country, we were given medals, they had a parade for us, it was a great feeling of togetherness.
“But sure, it’s been 32 years and I’m still disappointed. I’m not angry because I’ve grown well beyond that, and I’m still so thankful that I got the chance to be a member of an Olympic team. That’s something no one can ever take away. They took away the games, and we couldn’t compete like we wanted to, but we cheered for all our players who went on to NBA and did great things in their lives.’’

Two years ago, however, when Auriemma’s UConn team won the national championship, he asked Rowe to be his presenter as he accepted the Winged Foot Award from the New York Athletic Club. In his acceptance speech, Auriemma, already named the women’s Olympic coach for 2012, related the story of the 1980 boycott and surprised Rowe by saying he would like to take Rowe to London.

“That was the first I’d heard of it,’’ Rowe said. “And I’ve never said a word about it to Geno since and he hasn’t said a word about it to me since. But one day, Warde asked me to come see him and said, ‘We’d like to invite you and your wife to go to London and be a representative for us.’ I was kind of overwhelmed.’’

More than most, Rowe knows exactly how Auriemma is feeling as the Olympic coach. But after watching Geno win seven national championships at UConn, Rowe has no doubt the women’s coach can handle the pressure and the challenge.

“I watched Geno on TV (with the Olympic team) and he has done such an amazing job, maximizing everybody’s ability, … bringing them all together and making them understand what it means to represent the United States, to represent their game and be all that they can be,’’ Rowe said. “He has a way of making kids think of team first, and as good as they are, they play as a team first, not individuals. “Plus, in his position, it’s not like `We hope we can win.’ He’s got 12 players, highly-selected, and to put that chemistry together, with so little practice time is not easy.’’

But Rowe marvels at Auriemma’s ability to be himself in the situation, helped, of course, by having six of his former UConn players on the Olympic roster.

“He hasn’t lost sense of humor, his schtick, but it’s more severe because there is a mission,’’ Rowe said. “He won’t take losing and he gets across to his kids that they won’t take losing, and his game won’t take losing. He will make them think they are making the decisions, but he really is. He directs them to the right decisions, so there’s a feeling of togetherness, a oneness. They will feel like family, he’ll make them like family. And they will all understand where he’s coming from.’’

As for Coach Rowe, he will observe it all, reveling in the fact that he’s made it to the Olympics.

“I’ll make all our (women’s team) games and I hope maybe I can get to practice,” he said. “There’s a good contingent of UConn friends and alumni going, put together by Alumni Association, and I’ll be going to activities with them. I just couldn’t be more thrilled.’’

Rich

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Here are some postgame comments from Team USA/UConn coach Geno Auriemma and former UConn All-Americans Sue Bird, Swin Cash, Tina Charles and Maya Moore following an 81-56 win over Croatia today in the team’s opening game at the London Olympics (courtesy of USA Basketball).

Geno Auriemma

On tonight’s game …
A: “Playing in the Olympics is completely different than playing in any other competition. We had an opportunity at the beginning of the game when Croatia had a very difficult time scoring. We had an opportunity there to really open a big lead and we didn’t take advantage of that. Like a good team, Croatia came back and actually ended up taking the lead against us. I think that’s to be expected at these games. You don’t go into any game thinking (you’re going to win because) you’re the United States or just because you’re ranked No. 1 in the world and somebody else isn’t. So, we’re not surprised at all by how well Croatia played. We’re not surprised at all about the fact that it was a close game for 30-some minutes.

“But, we got better as the game went on. We kept improving as the game went on and for our team, that’s really important because we haven’t had a lot of time together. One of the things we want to do is keep improving every game and improving during the course of the game. We did that. Again, we have 10 or 11 players that can come off the bench or start and I think that may have been the difference. I think the Croatia team might have got a little bit tired towards the end of the game because they don’t have the depth that we do. It’s one of the advantages of the United States. We have good players but we have more of them. Tonight I thought that was the difference in the game.’’

Q: Angel McCoughtry seemed to really spark things in the second half especially defensively. What did you see from her and the juice she gave that group?
A: “One thing we talked about before the tournament started, whatever your role is, whatever you’re really good at, you need to be great at that for our team and Angel’s a fantastic defender especially off the ball. So she makes things happen. That second team we had out there was able to not only give us energy which they did but I think they made it difficult (for Croatia). I think what that second team did made it possible for when that first group came back, I think they had worn down the Croatian team a little bit. Angel was a big, big part of that. She’s one of the quickest players in the world. When she’s going to the basket or she’s on defense in the passing lanes, there aren’t very many people better than her.

Q: Were you disappointed at all to only be up four a few minutes into the fourth quarter?
A: “I don’t think you can be disappointed at this level. There’s a lot of really good teams and when you’re playing in a place for the very first time … we have five players that have never been in the Olympics before. They’re going to be a little bit nervous, everybody’s going to be a little bit nervous but shooting the ball in a brand new venue like this is not going to be easy. I think you’re going to see a lot of really bad shooting percentages early on in the tournament. I thought defensively we did a pretty good job. If you hold a team to 56 points then you did a pretty good job defensively. The offensive stuff: some days it’s there, some days it’s not there. We’re better than we showed but I don’t know that we are going to be great right off the bat.’’

Q: In many of your games, everyone scores. Is that a point of emphasis for this team … Also, is there any issue with Asjha Jones that she didn’t play?
A: “Asjha is just a little bit sore. They were on their feet a long time last night. I figured out I would give her some time off. You don’t necessarily make a national team like this one if you can’t score so everybody on the team has the ability to score. Sometimes, a good defense is the ability to score more often and put pressure on the other team because they might have to keep scoring. Yeah, we emphasize our offense a lot because we have so many scorers, I’m not surprised that everybody gets a bucket here and there. That’s the strength of this team. That and hopefully our rebounding. I thought our big guys could have done a little better job finishing around the basket. We have good offensive players. We have more of them than most people. That’s what we should be doing I think.

Q: What does your current winning streak mean to you and your team?
A: “I don’t know that it means a lot to all the players on the team because it’s not theirs. That 34-game winning streak belongs to some of them but not all of them. Right now, the only streak we are talking about is try to win one in a row eight times. If we get that streak, then we’ll be really happy. We’re not going to think about what the other teams did in the Olympics. That’s not who we are. That was somebody else. I bet if you asked the players, how many games in a row they won, they probably wouldn’t know and I’d like to keep it that way.’’

Q: Do you feel like USA Women’s Basketball is underappreciated for all these streaks and all these records? Why do you think this team isn’t more popular? Women’s soccer seems to get more attention.
“I have my theories. I think when you live in the United States and you’re a great women’s basketball player or you’re a great women’s basketball team, you happen to live in a country where the best basketball players in the world live on the men’s team and the best basketball team in the world lives. You’re always going to be compared to that team or those players and you’re always going to come up short. That’s just the nature of the game. Women’s basketball is the most popular team sport in America. And you’re right, the soccer gets a lot of attention: once every four years. During the regular season, during all the other times, women’s basketball gets just about all the attention from any women’s team sport in America. But when it comes time for the Olympics, it’s like ‘yeah, they’re gonna win.’ That’s unfortunate. It’s unfair to these players and those that came before them. I don’t know that there is anything we can do that except just play but it is like UConn. The only story that’s going to come out of these Olympics is if we lose and then that’ll be a big story. Then, the U.S. women will be very, very popular all over the world.’’

Q: What was halftime like? Did you make a lot of adjustments or sense any panic with any of your players?
A: “No. Like Tina said, they’ve been in this situation a lot. When you’re a professional basketball player, you have to be prepared to play the game the way it’s being played. We said before the game started, we’re not going to win the gold medal or lose the gold medal in game one. You’re not going to win the game or lose the game in the first half. The adjustments we made were how we were going to guard the pick and roll. The adjustments were how we were going to play defense more so than what we were going to do on offense because I knew our offense was going to be ok eventually. Eventually we were going to make some shots. Eventually we were going to get our offensive going. We just made a couple of adjustments defensively on how we were going to guard it. We made a conscious decision to make sure we used that second group and they came in and did a great job. That’s basically the only adjustments we made.’’

On the Olympic Tournament …
A: “I think sometimes at the Olympics everybody thinks that just because you’re ranked here and you play a team that’s ranked over here that you’re just going to win and win easily. That’s false. If you watch the games today … if you went into the games and did anybody think Canada would be beating Russia at halftime or be up 10 with four minutes to go … or that China was going to play as well as they did and beat the Czech Republic like Coach said who finished second at the World Championships. You got to expect things at the Olympics that maybe don’t happen anywhere else. And, I think if you went into every game thinking like that then you’re going to be good. If you go in thinking they’re supposed to win and we’re supposed to lose then that’s exactly how you’re going to play.

“Most of the team that are here, they think that that one night, they’re going to win and based on what you saw today, it’s possible and it can happen. Absolutely. So, all these people who talk about how dominant the US is … `oh my God, you’re going to beat everybody by 50,’ those are people that have never played. That would be like me trying to write. Like me trying to be a sportswriter. You know? Sportswriters like to talk about dominance and fans like to talk about that kind of stuff but usually somebody forgets to tell the other team they’re supposed to lose by a bunch. That’s the beauty of the Olympics.’’

On the pressure on the coach to win with a team like the US …
A: “I don’t think it’s about me. If I was playing, I would feel a lot more pressure because I’m not that good. So the fact that the players are playing, I don’t feel the pressure myself except when I’m away from the game a little bit and thinking about it. But, I don’t let that bother me during the day or when I’m with my team or anything like that. Someday, maybe Monday, maybe Wednesday, maybe Friday, maybe Sunday, who knows, the US is going to lose a game in the Olympics. That’s just the way the world works. If it’s me coaching that team, I’ll be disappointed for the players if that were to happen. I don’t think that’ll effect my life that much. But, I’ll be disappointed for the players. I’ll be disappointed for the first-year players that are on this team that have never gotten a gold medal because they want one so desperately. As long as I keep the focus based on that, then the pressure’s there, whether you worry about it or not. It’s like you know you know you have a dentist appointment in two weeks, what are you going to do, worry about it every day for two weeks? On that morning when you wake up, you’re going to worry about it. I don’t want to worry about what might happen Monday, Wednesday, Friday, whatever.’’

Sue Bird

Q: Was the team nervous tonight with it being its first game?
A: “I don’t think that nervous is the right word. I think as a team Croatia played a great game and you have to take your hat off to them. But as a team I don’t think we played our best. We have a lot of individuals who have high standards, as individuals and as a team, and when we weren’t playing up to that what you saw was a little bit of disappoint on all of our faces. But we knew, we knew in the second half we just had to stay with it, stay with it and eventually it would turn around and it did.’’

Q: Are you satisfied with the game?
A: “A win is a win in the Olympics; you’ve got to be satisfied.’’

Q: Not the start you envisioned?
A: “No, to be honest I didn’t really envision anything. I think there was probably a little jitters; probably a little sluggishness if you will; but for the most part we just didn’t finish off plays we normally finish off and we allowed a team that when they get going can really get going. They’re known to kind of spread out the floor and try and hit as many threes as they can. When we didn’t put them away early they got back into the game that way. But in the second half we knew we just had to stay with it and the shots we normally make would go in and hopefully we would be able to wear them down.’’

Swin Cash

On the team’s 21 turnovers …
A: “A lot of it is our offensive flow. When we get familiar with each other, some of those turnovers will cut back. But in an environment like this, where we’re still trying to build that chemistry throughout this tournament, you’re going to get some of those turnovers. With a point guard like Sue Bird and putting the ball in her hands, I feel good that a lot of the turnovers will cut down.’’

On the spark off the bench …
A: “It’s one of those things where we feel like we’re the deepest team in this tournament. We have the ability to really stretch the floor and get some pressure full court. That’s our game. We have a very athletic team, a very versatile team and we try to utilize all of our strengths. Like I said, we have a lot to work on.’’

Q: What’s the biggest area that needs improvement?
A: “One, take care of your body. That’s what’s first. Second, we just need to watch video because a lot of times you can learn the game without going so much on the practice court, getting really familiar with things, seeing how the offense works the floor.’’

Tina Charles

On tonight’s game …
A: “This was my first time so it was really exciting and kind of nerve-wracking for myself but I think my teammates and I kept our composure out there. Croatia played great. They came back. They didn’t settle when they were down. They started making their shots. Overall, it was a great game but I think in the second half, we turned it up and we were aggressive coming out and we just had a point to prove. We came out and we got the win.’’

Q: Was there anything in particular you noticed you could do to exploit the Croatia defense?
A: “I know we definitely were trying to play an inside-out game. Sylvia (Fowles), Candace (Parker) and I need to do a better job of finishing around the basket but Coach definitely wanted us to point an emphasis on getting the ball inside and executing plays, just trying to limit turnovers and get on the offensive boards. So that was one thing he said at halftime, to definitely get on the offensive boards. Tamika Catchings did a great job doing that.’’

Q: Were you deterred at all when they made it a game before halftime?
A: “No. We’re pros and we’ve all been in these positions before, whether it be with our teams back home or in college. I think everybody that came across us as players definitely prepared us for these type of games. Having captains do it like Sue Bird and Tamika Catchings talking to us has given us that force to go out there and keep it on and just keep playing through it. Everything is not going to be because we’re Team USA, we’re going to blow people out. Everybody’s going to come out and play us hard.’’

Q: Can you talk about how the depth of the squad makes a big difference for the US?
A: “It makes a huge difference. You know that you have teammates you can rely on offensively and defensively. We know that we can be unselfish out there, get the ball moving and execute plays to the last shot. Usually, when you play, you pass the ball once and everybody’s looking to take a shot but I think we move the ball well and our depth definitely helps us. Even when we get in foul trouble – which we weren’t tonight – it just shows you when we put the first team out there, we can throw a punch at them and then the second team can come out there and do what they have to do. So, it helps.

Q: What were your thoughts on last night’s Opening Ceremonies?
A: “It was epic. I think that’s the best word I can use. It was definitely an epic moment for me … something I’ll never forget. I think it goes along with winning a national championship when I was playing at UConn. It’s just a feeling that you can’t describe. It just showed … all these past years just came down to that one night. That definitely was the cherry on top for everything I’ve been through. Just that one night.’’

Q: Can you describe the difference in the game?
A: “It made the difference in that game just having our bench come in and definitely turned the energy up especially when we starting pressing. I believe Coach Auriemma knows how to use every individual on this team, just putting that group out there to press, to double on the wings and to trap. I think that definitely helps. And with Croatia, they just kept playing hard. They never gave up. (Marija Vrsaljko) definitely did a great job for them just finishing around the basket. I believe she as 8-for-11 so that definitely hurt us. Just them hitting all their 3’s when they were open. They had us moving a lot. They were passing the ball quickly out there.’’

Maya Moore

On playing in her first Olympic game …
A: “The first thing we noticed was the atmosphere. So many people came and were excited to watch us play. It was a good feeling being in the arena. So that was a really good way to start. I’m glad that we were able to work through some things today. Hopefully the way we finished the game will build the momentum for our next game.’’

Q: Do you think there were a lot of first game jitters?
A: “I don’t think we have jitters at this point. It’s just that sometimes we’re a little off. It happened a few times on the offensive end and especially defensively. For the most part we held them to a pretty low number of points. They’re great shooters as well and when we left them a little bit of space they knocked them in. So, there are a few things we can take from this, as far as our defense and how we’re going to guard screens. Offensively we just need to keep going, because we know we can score.’’

Rich

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Tina Charles had 14 points and 10 rebounds and Angel McCoughtry had 13 points and three steals to lead the U.S. to an 81-56 win over Croatia today in its opening game of the London Olympics. The U.S. used a 16-0 run in the fourth quarter to put the game away.

Candace Parker added 11 points and 13 rebounds. Tamika Catchings finished with 10 points and five rebounds.

Here is the link for the final boxscore …

“Playing in the Olympics is completely different than playing in any other competition,’’ Team USA and UConn head coach Geno Auriemma said. “We had an opportunity at the beginning of the game when Croatia had a very difficult time scoring. We had an opportunity there to really open a big lead and we didn’t take advantage of that. Like a good team, Croatia came back and actually ended up taking the lead against us. I think that’s to be expected at these games. You don’t go into any game thinking you’re (going to win because you’re) the United States or just because you’re ranked No. 1 in the world and somebody else isn’t. So, we’re not surprised at all by how well Croatia played. We’re not surprised at all about the fact that it was a close game for 30-some minutes. But, we got better as the game went on.’’

The U.S. will continue preliminary round play Monday against Angola (5:15 p.m. EDT).

Rich

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Heather Buck (Nursing), Caroline Doty (Social Science of Sport), Kelly Faris (Individualized Major) and Kiah Stokes (Psychology) have been named to the 2011-12 Big East All-Academic Team, the conference has announced.

Nominations for the All-Academic Team are submitted by each Big East school. In order to be eligible for the honor, a nominee must have competed in a Big East-sponsored sport, earned a grade point average of at least 3.00 for the preceding academic year and completed a minimum of two consecutive semesters or three consecutive quarters of academic work with a total of 18 semester or 27 quarter credits (not including remedial courses).

The nominations are reviewed and approved by the Big East Academic Affairs Committee.

Rich

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Team USA and UConn head coach Geno Auriemma took time out of his schedule today to chat with WTIC-AM 1080 personality and Huskies’ play-by-play announcer Bob Joyce. The conversation aired on Sports Talk tonight.

Here is what Auriemma had to say …

Q: Are you happy that the Olympic Games are finally here?
A: “It’s been kind of a whirlwind. But we finally leave for London tomorrow. So I think at the point in time when we land it’ll really hit home.’’

Q: Do you see good chemistry forming with this group?
A: “Yeah, that’s the one thing we have to count on. We have to count on the fact that they really take their job seriously, that they’re professionals. That they know what’s at stake. They know what their own personal responsibilities are and everybody takes it very, very seriously. And they do. They really, really do. And it’s made my job, obviously, way easier.’’

Q: Difference in team when Sue Bird and Lindsay Whalen are running the point?
A: “The last couple games we’ve had that luxury of having Sue here and having Lindsay here because between the two of them there is a comfort level. They both do an unbelievable job of running our team and making sure that we get done what we need to get done. And they do it in different ways. But the respect that they have from their teammates is I think what makes it all work for them.’’

Q: Is there any team in your group that you are concerned with more than any other?
A: “In the end, the teams that everyone has been talking about has been the U.S. and Australia and Russia and the Czech Republic. The difference in international basketball is every team has experienced players that have played so much basketball together and against each other to the point where there’s no secrets, there’s no surprises. And that’s why I think the games are always so competitive, for the most part, because there really isn’t any situation where a real veteran team is coming up against a young team, an inexperienced team or a team that doesn’t have enough scorers to make life miserable for you. So lots of teams are really good. But I think those teams are probably the ones that are going to get the most attention.’’

Q: What do you tell the newcomers about the Olympics or do you let the veterans handle it?
“When I was at the Olympics in Sydney (in 2000) the people that did most of the talking and most of the preparations were the players that had been there before. If I heard it once I heard it a thousand times from the former Olympians … They will tell you, `This is going to be an unbelievable experience. You’ve never seen anything like this in your life. Be prepared for this this, this and this.’ And that’s the best way to get your information, from people that have been there before. And we certainly have enough of those people. Even in the coaching staff … I’ve been fortunate enough to be there and (assistant coach) Jen Gillom played in the Olympics (in 1988). And then we’ve got seven players here that have been to at least one and Carol Callan, our team director, has been to like the last five I believe as the team leader. So there’s enough experience to go around. But, still, no matter how much experience you have that night (Opening Ceremonies) really kind of hits you right between the eyes like, `Oh, my God, I’m at the Olympic Games.’ And that’s an incredible feeling.’’

Q: Are you healthy? Is Diana Taurasi good to go?
A: “She’s good. At this point everybody’s a little banged up. Everybody’s got something wrong with them. It’s just a matter of how they deal with it. These players play all year round. They’re not getting any younger, some of them. So they’ve all got something that they’re dealing with. But they’re pros. They know how to take care of themselves. They know how to prepare. And come days that we practice and come Game Day these guys are ready. And no matter what’s bothering them, no matter how much it hurts, no matter what kind of aches and pains they have on practice and game days they’re ready to go. And I’m sure once the adrenaline get flowing in London everybody will be fine. But from a playing perspective everybody’s cleared. Everybody’s ready to go. It’s just a matter of `let’s go play.’’’

The pressure of coaching at UConn get multiplied by 10 at the Olympics …
A: “It does. And it gets to you after a while. But we all manage to deal with it and I think the fun and the excitement is going to outweigh any of the pressure. No question about that.’’

Rich

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Here are some postgame comments from Team USA/UConn coach Geno Auriemma and former UConn All-American Diana Taurasi following an 80-61 win over Turkey today in the team’s exhibition finale (courtesy of USA Basketball).

Geno Auriemma
On the game …
A: “I think it’s better for us than last night for sure. We had to make plays. We had to get stops, and they are a really, really good team. They have a lot of weapons, they have a lot of ways they can beat you and they are really smart. We gave them a lot of life. We missed a lot of opportunities that would have made it much easier for us, but maybe in the long run that’s better too. It’s easy to win when you shoot (78.0) percent like we did last night. It’s another thing when you shoot 35.0 percent in the first half and are able to beat a really good team by 19. So yeah, it showed some of our flaws and our warts, like everybody else has, and we’ve got four more practices to fix it and then we are on the big stage.’’

On the USA’s shooting …
A: “I think when teams don’t shoot the ball very well, you do have to make a decision. Is it good shooters getting wide-open shots that don’t go in, or are they contested shots, or are they wrong players taking the wrong shots? So, I betcha there was a whole bunch of that – all three of those things. We missed some wide-open layups inside. We missed some open shots that we’ve been making, and Turkey is a really good defensive team. They put some pressure on you, and it took us a while. But once we got that little bit of a spurt, when the shots start going in, then it changes the whole complexion of the game. So, it wasn’t just we shot the ball poorly, I think they contributed to that a little bit as well.’’

On Seimone Augustus …
A: “That’s why you have somebody like that. You bring her in the game because you know offensively; she’s got it going every night. Some players they know what they are good at. They know what their specialty is, and everybody on the team knows, if we go to her, something good is going to happen and she didn’t disappoint, which she rarely does. So, I was happy for her because going into the Olympics, she’s going to be that designated hitter. You are going to bring her off the bench, and you are going to get instant offense from her. So, this is a good send-off for her.’’

On the six players who have played in Turkey for either Fenerbache or Galatasaray …
A: “Basketball in Europe is kind of like basketball in the United States. There are pockets where it’s great, and there are places where it is ok. This is one of those places where people are rabid about women’s basketball, and they have a right to be. They have two great teams with a tremendous amount of talent that has played her over the years, and they are knowledgeable group of fans as well.’’

“When all of that is said and done, all of that goes out the window when your country is playing. I don’t care how much you hate Fenerbache, it doesn’t matter, when you are (cheering) for your country, you hate the guys they are playing against, so this was Turkey versus the U.S., and I would venture to say that a lot of the people there that love Diana, loved her before the game and loved her after the game and during the game they booed her every time she touched the ball, so it was perfect.’’

On the fourth quarter as the USA pulled away …
A: “I think the second group that came in at the end of the third quarter, because they play so fast and have so much energy, they really take the legs away from some of the other teams that we play against, and tonight was another example of that. We were able to wear them down. There is not as much of a drop off when we sub as there is on some other teams. The depth that the United States has is one of our biggest strengths, and tonight was a perfect example of that.’’

On the USA – Turkey rematch in the preliminary round of the Olympics …
A: “The Olympics bring out either the best or the worst in people, and so when we go up there, some people that didn’t play well tonight are going to play great, some people that played well are going to struggle. The pressures of the Olympics get to you one way or another, but I would think we know them; they know us. There aren’t going to be a lot of secrets when we play them. They learned a little bit about us; we learned a little bit about them. They are a good team, and I’m looking forward to playing them again.’’

Diana Taurasi
On the game …
A: “I think we did some really good things. Obviously, this was a lot tougher team, and that’s what we are going to face in the Olympics, so I think it was a good test for us.’’

“Whenever a team comes out and does a good job and plays well and challenges you, it really shows what kind of resolve we have.’’

On the USA’s shooting …
A: “I think we got good shots. One night you shoot 70.0 percent, another night you shoot 30 – that’s basketball. You have to find a way to win, and we did that.

On the USA’s depth …
A: “Whenever you have one-through-12 that can go in there and change the game in different ways, I think it gives coach some confidence and it gives everyone a sense of picking each other up.’’

Rich