Auriemma calls on USA team effort to succeed in Rio

COLORADO SPRINGS (Rio 2016 Olympic Games) - As the USA set out to open the preparations for the Rio Olympics on Saturday in Los Angeles, head coach Geno Auriemma insists they will need to be ready to defend their Olympic gold medal. 

And, for the star-studded American team, there is nothing better than hosting Australia, Canada, and France in a four-nation international tournament in the build-up to next month's Olympics.

"You have to play great every night, and all it takes is one night where the other team plays better, and you come home with something less than a gold medal." - Auriemma

In a statement, USA Basketball said that facing those three opponents provides the team with great preparation for the Rio Games, where they will take on EuroBasket Women 2015 champions Serbia, 2015 FIBA Americas Championship winners Canada, AfroBasket Women 2015 champions Senegal along with Spain and China in Group B.

Auriemma, who has led the American team to back-to-back world titles (2010 and 2014) and to a fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal in 2012, feels they need to be at their very best to succeed in Rio.

"You have to play great every night, and all it takes is one night where the other team plays better, and you come home with something less than a gold medal. I got to see that firsthand, and I wish I hadn't, but now I know about it. That was a big learning experience for me," he said.

Led by three-time Olympians Tamika Catchings and Sue Bird, and a number of WNBA superstars, the number one ranked team in the world won't be short in international experience moving on to Rio. 

Yet, Auriemma insists they must play as a team.

"You know, it's a lot like a great orchestra," he explained. "Everybody that's playing their particular instrument may be the best in the world at that, but that doesn't mean you get to do your own thing because then all of a sudden it's not an orchestra anymore, it's just a bunch of individuals trying to show how good they are. 

"So everybody, the reason they're on this team is because they understand that, and they are really, really good at sizing up the situation and saying, okay, what does this team need from me, not like this is what I do on my team so this is what I'm going to do here. No. What does this team need from me, and how do I complement everyone else. We're very, very fortunate that the players that we have really, really think that, feel it, buy into it, and live it every day."

On Monday, Auriemma's team will face a USA Select Team before heading to the four-team tournament.

FIBA