Katie Smith was Named Female Athlete of the Year for USA Basketball
Our 3-time Olympic Gold Medalist, Katie Smith, has been awarded this top honor for her outstanding contribution to USA Women’s Basketball. As Co-captain of the Beijing Olympic team, Smith helped them win their 4th consecutive gold medal and averaged 4.9 points and 1.9 rebounds.
“This is a huge honor, it’s a surprise to me, but it’s very much appreciated,” said Smith. “There are so many bigger names, like Diana (Taurasi), Lisa (Leslie) winning her fourth gold, Tina (Thompson) putting up big numbers, it’s not that we’re not equal as players on the team, but in my career this kind of thing hasn’t happened a whole lot. I got what I wanted in a sense of being a part of those teams, winning gold medals and enjoying the overall experience. I love what I do and have enjoyed all my opportunities to represent USA Basketball. Obviously people saw that I cared, that I worked hard, and I appreciate that.
“What we always preach with USA Basketball is that it’s one team, one goal. It’s all about winning and doing whatever is needed, whether you play or don’t play, score or play defense. That’s what I tried to do throughout my USA Basketball days.
“This is a bonus and definitely a surprise, but very much appreciated. It’s neat to know that people do see what you do, the time you spend and the things you put into it. It’s not always about the flashy highlights, it’s the grunt work and a lot of us do that, from the players to the coaches and the staff. A lot of grunt work goes into what we do to be successful and it makes you feel good that people notice.”
U.S. Olympic Team head coach Anne Donovan says that Smith’s commitment to the USA Basketball Women’s National Team Program has been superior.
“Nobody matched her level of commitment to our training throughout the three years since Athens. Her leadership, experience and what she did for us as a starter in Beijing speaks volumes for Katie’s abilities. But more than anything, it’s important that we recognize her commitment to us, and I’m proud of her for that. She’s had a tremendous year, she was the MVP of the Detroit Shock’s championship and now to be our Player of the Year really reflects Katie’s greatness, which has often gone unnoticed.”
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