Phoenix Mercury guard Cappie Pondexter began playing with USA Basketball at the age of 16,1 so she not only understands the pride of playing for your country, but also the very crucial notion that if you accept a place on the National Team, you have to be prepared to play your role.
“Of course, me and Diana [Taurasi] are the top scorers on our team,2 but that might not be our role with USA Basketball,” Pondexter says. “I just want to be the best teammate and play awesome D to help bring a gold medal back to America. That’s my goal. I know that’s what I can bring.”
If her role is mainly that of a practice player and she doesn’t see a lot of minutes in games, you won’t hear her complaining. “I’m a winner no matter what. I love to win,” she says.3 “I’ll have a role and my role will be big—no matter if I’m cheering my teammates on or if I’m playing. You never know when your moment will come, when your team may need you. If you’re pouting, ‘Oh, I’m not playing,’ you may miss the opportunity to help the team win.
“We all have something special, all 12 of us. If you go in thinking like that, no matter what, you’ll be awesome. That’s my attitude.”
Pondexter, 25, is bringing her mother and her manager with her to Beijing.4 She is also one of the few players who admits to traveling with a sentimental object. “I bring my Bible with me always,” she says. “It’s something I’ve always done no matter where I go. That’s a must-have.”
In the WNBA, Pondexter mostly plays the 2-guard spot, but overseas (she’s played the past two off-seasons in Turkey) she plays the 1. She’s comfortable in either role. She has also played with everyone on the Olympic team except for Lisa Leslie.5 And although she says she tends to lose cameras, she plans on buying one to take to Beijing to capture all her experiences.—Lois Elfman #40
Bonus Points
1. Her first gold medal came at the 2000 Junior World Championship Qualifying Tournament. She admits she was very disappointed to not get a spot on the 2006 World Championship team.
2. She’s being overly modest. As of the Olympic break Taurasi and Pondexter are the top two scorers in the WNBA with 23.9 and 22.3 ppg.
3. Rutgers did not go to the Final Four during Pondexter’s college days, but she won a WNBA Championship her sophomore season in the league.
4. “When I’m not around, my manager is going to help keep my mom busy. She’s good at stuff like that,” Pondexter says.
5. Assistant coach Dawn Staley even tried to recruit Pondexter to play for her at Temple.
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