Logan Ohio's Own Katie Smith off to the 2008 Olympics

[orange-n-brown 365]

I know this should be somewhere in the sports but hey when is it Kids well she isn't a kid anymore goes on to accomplish this much in life??
Women's Basketball: Katie Smith Named to 2008 U.S. Women’s Olympic Team
Courtesy: OhioStateBuckeyes.com
Release: 05/31/2008


Former Buckeye Katie Smith will be going for her third Olympic gold medal

Colorado Springs, Colo. -- Headlined by three-time Olympic gold medalist Lisa Leslie (Los Angeles Sparks) and two-time Olympic gold medalist and former Buckeye great Katie Smith (Detroit Shock), USA Basketball today announced the first nine members of the eventual 12-member 2008 U.S. Women’s Olympic Basketball Team that will head to Beijing in hopes of defending the USA’s string of three consecutive Olympic gold medals. In addition to Leslie and Smith, the initial roster includes 2004 Olympic gold medalists Sue Bird (Seattle Storm), Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury) and Tina Thompson (Houston Comets); while Seimone Augustus (Minnesota Lynx), Sylvia Fowles (Chicago Sky), Candace Parker (Los Angeles Sparks) and Cappie Pondexter (Phoenix Mercury) will participate in their first Olympic Games.

The USA Basketball Women’s Senior National Team Committee will continue to discuss the final three roster spots before finalizing the 12-member team by July 1.

“I’m just thrilled to have these nine players officially named to the team,” said U.S. Olympic head coach Anne Donovan. “It’s such a great mixture of Olympic gold medalists with some really tremendous young talent. I love the combination of players that we have. We have Olympians who have experienced multiple Games like Lisa Leslie and Katie Smith, some who are returning for their second Olympics and then we have a very talented group of first-timers. Looking at these nine players, we’ve really covered the gamut in terms of experience and we have a tremendous balance of perimeter and post play.”

“We know it will not be an easy road to the gold medal in Beijing, the rest of the world has gotten much better over the last four years,” said USA Basketball vice president for senior women and chair of the selection committee Reneé Brown, WNBA chief of basketball operations and player relations. “However, we feel that this group will continue to represent their country with pride and honor and compete at the highest level that is expected when representing USA Basketball. All of these athletes have played for Anne in the past, work well together and know her system. These are nine great players who are ready to face any challenge.

“We still have three more players to add to the team and we’re hoping to add a tough defensive stopper on the perimeter who can also score for us, as well as at least another post player. The Committee will continue to look at all the remaining players in our pool, it’s not a decision we take lightly. It will be a tough decision.”

Not only does the ’08 squad possess a combined eight Olympic gold medals, the athletes own a wealth of international experience. All nine have worn red, white and blue and returned to the United States with at least one gold. Included are seven who have competed at a FIBA World Championship, including Leslie and Smith, who garnered gold in 1998 and 2002. Also winning gold at the 2002 Worlds, where Leslie captured MVP honors, were Bird and Thompson; while Augustus, Bird, Parker, Smith, Taurasi and Thompson were all members of the 2006 USA World Championship Team that took the bronze medal with an 8-1 slate.

In 2007, Augustus, Bird, Parker, Pondexter, Smith, Taurasi and Thompson played key roles in the USA’s Olympic qualifying berth. The seven helped the U.S. strike gold with an unblemished 5-0 record at the 2007 FIBA Americas Championship where only the winner earned the right to advance to Beijing.

FIBA conducted the draw to determine the Olympic preliminary round pools and schedule on April 26 in Beijing. The U.S. women were selected for Group B, as were host China, Africa champ Mali, New Zealand and two teams to be determined through the FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament that takes place June 9-15 in Madrid, Spain.

Group A for the women’s competition features 2006 FIBA world champion Australia, Russia, South Korea, and three teams that will be determined through the FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

Olympic women’s basketball competition will be held Aug. 9-23. Preliminary play is scheduled for August 9, 11, 13, 15 and 17; quarterfinal action takes place Aug. 19; semifinal play is slated for Aug. 21; and the women’s finals will be held Aug. 23.

The U.S. Women’s Olympic Team opens Aug. 9 versus an opponent to be determined through the FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament, and next faces host China on Aug. 11, Mali on Aug. 13 and another opponent to be determined on Aug. 15. The U.S. finishes off its preliminary play Aug. 17 against New Zealand. All game times are still to be assigned.

The defending Olympic champs, the USA women in fact will be vying for a fourth consecutive Olympic gold. Since women’s basketball was officially staged at the 1976 Olympics, the Americans have collected a record five gold medals, one silver and one bronze medal, while compiling a 42-3 (.933) overall record in seven Olympic appearances (the United States chose not to participate in the 1980 Olympic Games).

The 2007-08 USA Basketball Women’s National Team participated in six different training camps over the past 15 months, while the USA Select Team, featuring members of the USA National Team, competed in the 2007 FIBA World League Tournament. During the team’s training the USA compiled a 25-2 mark against nine different national teams and five professional club teams, earned the gold medal at the 2007 FIBA Americas Championship and the silver medal at the 2008 Good Luck Beijing Tournament. Additionally, the USA Select Team posted a 3-2 slate, brought home the silver medal from the 2007 FIBA World League Tournament and notched victories against a pair of Russia’s top professional teams and the defending Australia WNBL champs.

Donovan is being assisted on the sidelines by Mike Thibault, head coach of the WNBA Connecticut Sun and collegiate head coaches Gail Goestenkors of the University of Texas and the University of South Carolina’s Dawn Staley.

The 2007-08 USA Basketball Women’s National Team features a total of 29 athletes on its roster, which was selected by the USA Basketball Women’s National Team Committee. The final three members of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team will come from the USA National Team roster.

In addition to Brown, the USA Basketball Women’s Senior National Team Committee includes: athlete representatives Jennifer Azzi, a 1996 U.S. Olympic Team member, and Teresa Edwards, a five-time Olympian; New York Liberty Vice President and General Manager Carol Blazejowski, Minnesota Lynx Chief Operating Officer Roger Griffith, Indiana Fever Chief Operating Officer and General Manager Kelly Krauskopf and Los Angeles Sparks General Manager Penny Toler serve as the WNBA representatives on the Committee; while University of Tennessee head coach Pat Summitt is the NCAA representative.

USA Basketball is the national governing body responsible for men’s and women’s basketball in the United States and is responsible for representing the USA in international competitions.

The selected players will be nominated to the United States Olympic Committee to participate in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China.
http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/ViewAr ... ID=1476778

[orange-n-brown 365]

http://hoopedia.nba.com/index.php/Katie_Smith

Katie Smith
From Hoopedia


Katherine May “Katie” Smith (born June 4, 1974 in Lancaster, Ohio) is a professional basketball player for the Detroit Shock in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Her primary position is shooting guard. Sometimes she plays small forward.
Contents


* 1 College
* 2 ABL
* 3 WNBA
* 4 International
* 5 Personal
* 6 External Links


College

Smith was arguably the finest women's basketball player in the history of the Big Ten Conference. She attended Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio from 1992 to 1996, and helped lead the Buckeyes to a Big Ten championship and the NCAA title game her freshman year. During her career at OSU, Smith broke the Big Ten scoring record for points scored in a career, in men's or women's basketball. She was voted Big Ten MVP as a senior.

Smith graduated in 1996 with a degree in zoology. On January 21, 2001, Ohio State honored her as the first female Buckeye athlete to have her number retired. She was also inducted into the Ohio State Varsity O Hall of Fame in October of 2001. ABL career

Smith played for the Columbus Quest of the ABL, helping the team to win both League championships in its only two full seasons of existence.

ABL

Smith played for the Columbus Quest of the ABL, helping the team to win both league championships in its only two full seasons of existence.

WNBA

Smith currently plays for the Detroit Shock in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). In 2005, she became the first American female basketball player to score 5,000 total points in a professional career.

From 1999 to 2005 Smith played for the WNBA's Minnesota Lynx where her outside shooting was the central focus of the Lynx offense. On July 30, 2005, Smith was traded to the Detroit Shock along with the Lynx's 2006 second round pick, for Chandi Jones, Stacey Thomas and the Shock's 2006 first round draft pick.

On July 7, 2001 Smith, playing for the Minnesota Lynx, set the WNBA single-game scoring record with a 46-point performance, including six three-pointers, in a 100-95 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Sparks.

In 2006, Smith became the first WNBA player to be on the winning sides of both the Eastern and Western conference WNBA All Star teams game. She also became the only player to earn both ABL and WNBA championship rings when the Shock won the WNBA title, defeating the Sacramento Monarchs, in 2006.

International

* Smith helped the US earn the gold medals in the 2000 and 2004 Olympics as well as the 1998 and 2002 FIBA World Championship for Women.
* She played the 2001-2002 season in Lotos Gdynia, the Polish club of Małgorzata Dydek. They reached the EuroLeague Women finals.


Personal

Smith spent her formative years in Logan, Ohio. She grew up in a family of student-athletes. She began playing basketball as early as the 5th grade on a boys team and took tap dance and ballet lessons as a youngster. In high school she was named the national Gatorade Player of the Year during her senior year as she guided the Logan Lady Chiefs to the Division I Ohio Girls' state basketball championship game.

Her father (John, Jr.), played football at Ohio University, and won three varsity letters in the 1960s before becoming a dentist. Her younger brother, Tom, earned three varsity letters playing football at Ohio, as well as being a member on their track and field team. Tom won the 1996 Mid-American Conference championship in the discus throw. Her older brother, John III, was a member of one of many Mount Union College football teams that won the NCAA Division III title.

[LICKING COUNTY FAN]

She is amazing.

[NYBuckeye96]

Logan Ohio's Own Katie Smith off to the 2008 Olympics again

Off to the 2008 Olympics again? When in the past did the 2008 Olympics take place? Tell me so I can look it up and place some bets on who wins the different events!

GO KATIE!

[orange-n-brown 365]

all fixed good golly two mistakes in one day I give up!!

[noreply66]

great article O-n-B

[orange-n-brown 365]

thanks I have tried to follow her since her freshman year playing as a chieftan

[shuckinbubba]

Congrats Kate!!! 3 Gold Medals is very impressive!
Not bad for an ol' Hocking county girl!

[orange-n-brown 365]

Just read that on the Olympic page!! wow the ladies bring home the GOLD!
And you are right shuckinbubba its great that a Hocking County gal was part of it!

[noreply66]

Go Katie

[ballparent]

Basketball: Katie Smith, USA Women as Good as Gold
Courtesy: OhioStateBuckeyes.com
Release: 08/23/2008

Former Buckeye wins third career Olympic gold medal

BEIJING (AP) -- Lisa Leslie and the U.S. women's basketball team were once again too good for Australia at the Olympics.

Leslie capped off her illustrious Olympic career with a fourth straight gold medal scoring 14 points in a 92-65 victory against Australia on Saturday night. She joined former teammate Teresa Edwards as the only basketball players ever to win four gold medals.

Here's the rest of the story:
http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=17300&ATCLID=1567424

[shuckinbubba]

Took this picture Monday night while we were visiting with Katie and the family.

[orange-n-brown 365]

wow the little one got to wear the gold medal!!!!

[shuckinbubba]

She was excited. She was too young to remember the last one!

[orange-n-brown 365]

how cool! that is something to remember forever!!!

[noreply66]