Donovan to Lead U.S. At FIBA World Championship, 2008 Olympics

Published on January 12, 2006 under Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) News Release

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Jan. 12, 2006) - Calling upon a coach who has been entrenched in USA Basketball for nearly three decades, USA Basketball announced today that three-time Olympian Anne Donovan, head coach of the WNBA Seattle Storm, will serve as the head coach of the USA Basketball Women's Senior National Team for 2006-08. With Donovan at the helm, the USA Basketball Women's Senior National Team will compete in the 2006 FIBA World Championship (Sept. 12-23 in Sao Paulo, Brazil); if necessary the 2007 FIBA Americas Olympic Qualifying Tournament (dates and site TBD); and if the USA qualifies, the 2008 Summer Olympic Games (Aug. 8-24 in Beijing, China). Donovan's selection was made by the USA Basketball Women's Senior National Team Committee and approved by the USA Basketball Executive Committee. "It is such an incredible feeling," said Donovan. "It's an honor that you don't allow yourself to think about, think about the possibility, even to really dream about, because it's such a tremendous honor. To accept this position is really very meaningful and very impactful for me. From my first time wearing red, white and blue in 1978 as a youth at 15, it was something that was so meaningful for me. It is something that has always remained in my blood. Like most things in our profession, there is a small window to get through and this opportunity is not taken for granted by me. With it comes great responsibility to carry on the tradition, it's something I take great pride in. Most of my life has been built around USA Basketball in some capacity and I'm honored to be able to continue to be involved with USA Basketball." "Anne's extraordinary contributions to the national team effort have spanned nearly three decades, and she is the perfect choice to lead our team over the next three years," said USA Basketball President Val Ackerman. "Her leadership skills, her vast knowledge about the game and her familiarity with international basketball as both a coach and player will be invaluable as we look to continue the domination of American women in national team competition." "The Committee really felt that Anne was the perfect coach to lead the USA Senior National Team this quadrennium in our quest for gold," said Committee chair and WNBA Chief of Basketball Operations and Player Relations Reneé Brown. "She has the expertise, the respect and confidence of our players, to be able to continue to build on the successes of USA Basketball Women's Senior National Teams over the past 10 years. Anne stands out among her peers in terms of her international experiences as a player and a coach. The Committee really believes she'll be an outstanding leader and a great ambassador for the game." The U.S. and Donovan will first look to defend its World Championship title at the 15th FIBA World Championship, scheduled to be played Sept. 12-23 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Behind the play of 2002 FIBA World Championship MVP Lisa Leslie, the United States captured the ‘02 gold medal, successfully defending it's 1998 World Championship crown. The U.S. owns a record seven gold medals, one silver and one bronze at the World Championship, while compiling an 80-20 (.800 winning percentage) record, including a 19-game winning streak that dates back to the 1994 bronze medal game. Additionally, the U.S. owns a combined 43-game winning streak in Olympic and World Championship competition that dates to the 1994 World Championship bronze medal game and includes three Olympic and two World Championship gold medals. In addition to her three Olympic teams (1980-DNC, 1984-gold, 1988-gold) as an athlete, Donovan was on the sidelines as an assistant coach to Van Chancellor (Houston Comets) in 2004 as the United States earned the gold medal in Athens. Also no stranger to the FIBA World Championship, Donovan was an assistant coach for the 1998 and 2002 gold medal winning USA Basketball squads. She also played on the 1986 USA World Championship Team that toppled the USSR 108-88 in Moscow for the gold medal and the 1983 USA World Championship Team that took silver after losing a close 84-82 battle to the Soviet Union in the gold medal game. Donovan returned from the ‘04 Games and steered the Seattle Storm to the WNBA crown. In doing so Donovan became the first female coach to head a WNBA championship team. "I've been around for quite a long time so I think it was tough to ignore me," laughed Donovan after being asked why she thought she was selected for this coaching position. "Seriously though, I think the years of experience with a lot of different coaches, formerly as a player and more recently as a coach, who have been through this hopefully has given me enough expertise to really be able to come in and continue the winning tradition that the women have set as our standard." 2006 FIBA World Championship

Site: Sao Paulo, Brazil Dates: Sept. 12-23, 2006 USA Head Coach: Anne Donovan, Seattle Storm USA Assistant Coaches: TBD USA Team: TBD Nations Qualified: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Cuba, Czech Republic, France, Lithuania, Nigeria, Russia, Senegal, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, USA. USA's FIBA World Championship Record: 80-20 USA Medal Count: 7 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze USA World Championship Winning Streak: 19 games Defending FIBA World Champion: United States

Women's National Basketball Association Stories from January 12, 2006

• Shock Assistant Coach Laurie Byrd Resigns - Detroit Shock
• Donovan to Lead U.S. At FIBA World Championship, 2008 Olympics - WNBA

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