Aug. 16, 2004

By Brent Johnson
CollegeSports.com NEW YORK -- Dawn Staley isn't really the type to gawk at her own endurance. When asked about the durability she's displayed throughout her ubiquitous career, the women's basketball star pays little attention to the characteristic, shrugging it off with genuine modesty. "I just do what I do," the 34-year-old says. "I love playing basketball, I love competing. It's something I'm going to do as long as I'm able to do it." To others, though, Staley's endless drive and vast accomplishments are among the most respected in her sport --- if not all of athletics. That notion became apparent when the 5-foot-6 point guard was chosen to carry the U.S. flag during the opening ceremony at the Olympic Games in Athens last week, making her the first basketball player in history to receive the prestigious honor. An Olympic veteran of sorts, Staley will be looking to capture her third consecutive gold medal, leading a highly talented U.S. team that is heavily favored to win in Athens. Returning to the Games was an easy decision for Staley, who has been competing with the USA Basketball program since 1989. "I like the purity of it," she said after the U.S. defeated a team of WNBA all-stars in a pre-Olympic exhibition game at Radio City Music Hall in New York on Aug. 5. "I like the innocence of it. I like the fact that 15 people -- players and coaches included -- get together for one common goal and make sacrifices, individually, personally. And it's a beautiful thing when something like that comes together." Given her experience, Staley is something of a matriarch to the younger U.S. players -- a role she's gotten used to over the past few years as the head women's basketball coach at Temple University. The former Virginia standout -- who was named the National Player of the Year in both 1991 and 1992 -- returned to the collegiate arena in 2000, guiding the Owls to two NCAA Tournaments in four seasons and the first Atlantic 10 Championship in school history. Impressively, Staley has continued her playing career in the off-season, earning three WNBA All-Star selections as a member of the Charlotte Sting. Coaching, in turn, has given her a different perspective of life on the court. "I think being a coach helps you prepare a little bit better, helps you practice a little bit better," said Staley, who was named the 2004 Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year after leading Temple to its second conference title. "Because some of the stuff our coach asks us to do and asks me to do as a player is the same thing I ask [my players at Temple] to do. You want to be receptive to that. You want to know that your players are looking at you like our coach is looking at me." In addition to her players, Staley has also been a role model to the youth in her hometown of Philadelphia, where she started her own foundation to offer underprivileged children a better chance to excel both athletically and academically. Playing for the U.S. seems to be an extension of that goal --- one where patriotism and opportunity go hand in hand. "Sometimes we [USA. basketball] are received well and sometimes we're not received well," she said. "And it's those times when you're not received well that you want to continue to put the USA uniform on and be proud that we're able to have some of the freedoms that we have, and represent some people who dream of doing that. Some players will dream of being an Olympian, and then will never have it. So I play for them, I play for my neighborhood; I play for the times that I got cut. It's just in me." Gold medal or not, Staley is hoping that Athens will be a fitting final chapter to the end of her Olympic career. "This is my last time, so I want to enjoy it," she said. "I want to enjoy the journey leading up to it, I want to take it all in, take pictures, bring a video camera, and share this moment with generations to come."