Ahillen: Ex-Lady Vols help U.S. win opener in basketball

Candace Parker post-game interview

Parker talks with media after her first ...

Photo by AP Photo / Dusan Vranic

U.S. first lady Laura Bush, right, and her daughter Barbara watch the women's basketball game between the United States and the Czech Republic at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Saturday, Aug. 9, 2008.

BEIJING — Two United States team rookies came away with different reviews of their Olympic Games baptism on Saturday night.

Both former Tennessee women’s basketball standouts, guard Kara Lawson enjoyed immensely her role in a 97-57 pounding of the Czech Republic, but Candace Parker was a little less positive.

“I couldn’t ask for a better first game so I’m excited,” said Lawson, after sparking a first-half rally to help the United States overcome a 13-2 deficit. “It was cool. Seeing the fans. Seeing my family. The place was packed all the way up to the top.”

Parker finished with 9 points but admitted she wasn’t completely on her game.

“I didn’t play as well as I wanted to,” Parker said. “I think on the defensive end I worked hard and got in front on the press. But, I wasn’t aggressive enough offensively. I need to be more aggressive in the next game.”

Her coach, Anne Donovan, was not nearly as critical.

“Candace is such a dominant player. So versatile. This is her first game and she is only going to get better,” Donovan said. “She played a great game tonight but I expect her to get even better as we get into the tournament.”

Neither ex-Lady Vol started the game, nor did Lawson’s former college teammate Tamika Catchings. Surprisingly, Lawson was the first off the bench of the three and the U.S. team’s attack started to pick up immediately after she hit the court midway through the first quarter.

“One of the advantages of coming off the bench is that you get a feeling for what is needed,” she said. “What I saw was a need to be a little more aggressive and apply a bit more pressure on the ball. When I came in I just tried to get all over the point guard. I feel that our defense (which forced 27 turnovers) kind of opened things up for our offense.”

Catchings and Parker entered the game in short order and the race was on.

“I thought Candace came off the bench and did a great job, and ‘Catch’ came off the bench and did a great job,” Lawson said. “Once we got the wheels going a little bit it started to work for us.”

Parker had opportunity to make her first Olympic basket a little extra memorable. She got the ball on the break and had a nearly uncontested layup. She certainly could have attempted a dunk, but she elected to save that for later.

“At that point in the game I just felt like it was best for me to lay it up and get two points,” Parker said.

She finished with 9 points but was only 3-of-7 from both the field and the free throw line. Several of the shots were contested inside numbers that just didn’t fall.

Lawson had only 3 points, but dished out three assists and had two steals while giving up just one turnover in 19:23 minutes of play. Parker played 23:35 minutes and tacked on three rebounds while playing a good bit of her time at post.

LSU’s Sylvia Fowles, by contrast, had a much bigger opener with 16 points and 14 rebounds. Diana Taurasi led the U.S. with 17 points.

Catchings, a starter on the 2004 team that won gold in Athens, played only 12:02 minutes and scored six points on 3-of-4 shooting and added two assists.

Despite her less-than-spectacular opening, Parker was happy to at least get her Olympic feet wet.

“It was cool just being out on the court and representing your country,” she said. “We waited so long to be here. It’s a great feeling.”

As for the dunk, Donovan gave this advice when asked about it by a reporter afterwards.

“Stay tuned.”

Celebrities at Courtside: President George W. Bush watched most of the game until it was put away earlier in the fourth quarter. Parker said the team was unaware he was present until Donovan told them after the game.

Also in attendance was most of the U.S. men’s team and each took a turn bowing to the crowd at halftime to roars of approval. Both Kobe Bryant and LeBron James were there.

“We knew they were coming,” Parker said. “It was great for them to come and show their support.”

Opening Ceremonies: Though Parker gave mixed reviews to her performance, she was two-thumbs-up on the Olympics Ceremonies on Friday.

“We were trying to decide whether to go or not (because of the game the next night) but I was so glad I went,” she said. “It was just like a rush. You hear your crowd and you hear your country (announced) and you’re walking behind your flag, and it really is a remarkable feeling.”

Next Up: The U.S. team will follow the men’s lead. The men play China tonight, while the women take them on Monday night.