USA - Montgomery eyes London

ST ALBANS (Olympics) - Renee Montgomery never gives up.

It’s why after three successful seasons at the University of Connecticut that didn’t finish with an NCAA title, the point guard made sure there was going to be no debate about the Huskies teams she played on by helping fire them to a perfect 39-0 record that finished with a championship in 2009.

A WNBA star now with the Connecticut Sun, that is no guarantee that she’ll play for her UConn coach Geno Auriemma, who is also the national team boss, at the London Olympics.

If she doesn’t, it won’t be for a lack of trying.

“If you have a goal, you just keep pushing until it's not possible,” Montgomery tells FIBA.com.

“It's tough.

“There are so many talented players in America and for them to narrow down the roster to 12, it's hard.

“To make yourself be one of those 12, it's even harder.

“You just have to try and make yourself stand out.

“You are here for a reason and hope that you can do what you do really well and hope that that is a skill or talent on the team that they need, what you have to offer.”

Rich tradition of point guards

Montgomery, who hails from West Virginia, followed in the footsteps of great playmakers at UConn like Sue Bird, who has played on the last two Olympic gold-medal winning sides for the Americans.

Who is it that first comes to mind when she is asked about the rich tradition of point guards in the history of USA Basketball?

“I would say Dawn Staley stands out for me because she's the point guard's point guard,” Montgomery says.

“She was solid. She was a point guard that grinds it out, does whatever it takes.”

Staley captured a lot of gold medals in her time as the USA point guard.

She celebrated Olympic titles in 1996, 2000 and 2004, and reached the top of the podium at the 1998 and 2002 FIBA World Championships for Women.

The Olympics that stands out the most for Montgomery, however, were not the ones that Staley played in but the Games in Beijing in 2008.

“I remember Beijing best because it's the most recent, getting up (in America) to watch the Games,” she says.

“Plus, there were players on the team I knew.

“Of course, you're already cheering for Team USA, but when your friends are on there – there was also the realization that maybe I could be there at the next Olympics.”

Determined to get it right

When one considers that the Americans are not together as long as other national teams before the Olympics, it makes their record all the more impressive.

“We get probably three to four training camps a year max,” Montgomery says, "just because of the demands for us to go overseas and then, our WNBA season clashes, so for the national team to put together a team atmosphere with three or four training camps a year is amazing.

“It says a lot about the players' desire and devotion to being a part of a team and also the coaching staff.”

The USA coach she knows best is of course Auriemma, and there are certain qualities that make the UConn man a legend.

“It’s his competitiveness,” Montgomery says.

“And, he understands.

“He's a player's coach.

“He listens.

“You have a lot of coaches in the league or college and they know they have a lot of knowledge but don't want to listen to what you have to say.

“He knows you are on the court and he's listening to what you have to say so all those things together, it makes him hard to beat.”

Fingers Crossed

Montgomery, who left  Hungarian side Uni Seat Györ early in the European season, citing the late payment of wages, knows she is in the reckoning for a spot in London. Otherwise, USA Basketball would not have had her on their tour of Europe that began at the end of September and finished in early October.

She did her best to prove to everyone with the USA in Europe that she would be an asset to the team in London.

“There are so many good players in the league so for them to pick the team, there has to be something special about you and you just have to do what you can do to the best of your ability,” she says.

“That's the key. They like what you can do, and you just need to perfect it and look as good as you can.”

FIBA