The Team USA women’s basketball team kick-started its quest for an eighth consecutive gold medal at the Paris Olympics with an intense and rigorous practice session in London. Following a demanding 10-hour flight from Phoenix on July 20 and a day of rest, the team gathered for their first practice on July 22 since their loss to Team WNBA in the All-Star Game. The practice session, described as “very active” by coach Cheryl Reeve, might serve as the crucial moment that propels the Americans to victory in Paris.
“I thought it was a practice that we needed,” Reeve said, as reported by ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss. “You don’t get many opportunities and I loved our approach. … There were a lot of intangibles that occurred in the practice that were great for us.”
For star player A’ja Wilson, the practice was particularly grueling.
“It felt more like ‘we died’ because there was a lot of running,” Wilson said. “This is Day 1. This is Practice 1, Step 1 to the standard and where we want to go, so we can’t really take a lot of practices off or lightly.”
The practice was designed to get the players’ bodies moving and mentally locked in.
“We’re going for No. eight. No one wants to be the one to break that streak,” said forward Napheesa Collier.
First practice pays off for Team USA women’s basketball
The importance of this initial practice seemed to have paid off, as evidenced by Team USA’s subsequent 27-point victory over Germany in an exhibition match on July 23. Reeve said the game provided valuable insights and reassurance for her and her coaching staff.
“A good game for us,” Reeve said, “and some of the things that we were trying to accomplish that we worked on in the one day that we had prior to the game.”
Reeve, who has extensive experience with USA Basketball, faced the challenge of preparing the team in a short period. The team had only been together for about a week and a half, including two training camps held earlier in the year.
“I think it’s probably the least amount of time we’ve had together,” said veteran Diana Taurasi, a five-time Olympic gold medalist. “It’s go-time now. This was a great preparation game for us. We saw improvement.”
The journey to Paris involved more than just on-court preparation. The team began bonding during their flight to London and continued to focus on their goals away from the distractions of the All-Star weekend. Wilson noted the importance of this time together, saying, “I’m so glad that All-Star was over and we can just finally be away from all the noise and just be within ourselves and understand we have to keep the main thing the main thing.”
Reeve’s approach to coaching has involved keeping things simple to allow players to perform instinctively. Her focus has been on defense, aiming to create a flexible and resilient team. This strategy paid off against Germany, as Team USA held their opponents to just 29.4% shooting from the field.
Brittney Griner stressed the team’s commitment to defense.
“One thing that coach talked about is our ability to play with pressure, defend, really cause havoc out there, and I think that we really rely on that and the physicality, as well,” she said.
As the team moves forward, players like Alyssa Thomas and Collier may have to adapt to different positions to maximize the team’s potential. Reeve stressed the importance of this adaptability, stating, “It’s our job to try to help them bring out the best in them despite the position that they’re playing.”
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