| FINAL STANDINGS 1. Brazil 2. China 3. United States 4. Australia 5. Slovenia 6. Cuba 7. CANADA 8. Spain 9. France 10. Korea 11. Italy 12. Japan 13. Poland 14. Chinese Taipei 15. New Zealand 16. Kenya | CANADIANS Andrea Blackwell (Calgary, Alta.) Kelly Boucher (Calgary, Alta.) Jodi Evans (Calgary, Alta.) Tara Gallaway (Comox, B.C.) Cynthia Johnston (Rothesay, N.B.) Karla Karch (Vancouver, B.C.) Merlelynn Lange-Harris (Port Severn, Ont.) Shawna Molcak (Cardston, Alta.) Denise Scott (Toronto, Ont.) Bev Smith (Armstrong, B.C.) Sue Stewart (Toronto, Ont.) Camille Thompson (Salmon Arm, B.C.) Kathy Shields – coach Chris Critelli – assistant Peter Ennis – assistant Jeff Speedy – manager |
| POOL D | CHN | AUS | ITA | JPN | Record | ||
| China | —– | 87-67 | 60-65 | 82-65 | (2-1) | ||
| Australia | 67-87 | —– | 73-51 | 60-58 | (2-1) | ||
| Italy | 65-60 | 51-73 | —– | 77-65 | (2-1) | ||
| Japan | 65-82 | 58-60 | 65-77 | —– | (0-3) | ||
| POOL C | SVK | BRZ | POL | TPE | Record | ||
| Slovak Republic | —– | 99-88 | 94-52 | 86-73 | (3-0) | ||
| Brazil | 88-99 | —– | 87-77 | 112-83 | (2-1) | ||
| Poland | 52-94 | 77-87 | —– | 102-64 | (1-2) | ||
| Chinese Taipei | 73-86 | 83-112 | 64-102 | —– | (0-3) | ||
| POOL A | USA | KOR | SPN | NZL | Record | ||
| United States | —– | 108-64 | 92-71 | 97-47 | (3-0) | ||
| Spain | 71-92 | 89-88 | —– | 117-54 | (2-1) | ||
| South Korea | 64-108 | —– | 88-89 | 97-58 | (1-2) | ||
| New Zealand | 47-97 | 58-97 | 54-117 | —– | (0-3) | ||
| POOL B | CAN | CUB | KEN | FRA | Record | ||
| Cuba | 90-72 | —– | 122-51 | 71-68 | (3-0) | ||
| Canada | —– | 72-90 | 109-34 | 66-55 | (2-1) | ||
| France | 55-66 | 68-71 | 108-44 | —– | (1-2) | ||
| Kenya | 34-109 | 51-122 | —– | 44-108 | (0-3) | ||
| MEDALS POOL A | CHN | BRZ | CUB | SPN | Record | ||
| China | —– | 97-90 | 86-84 | 60-76 | (2-1) | ||
| Brazil | 90-97 | —– | 111-91 | 92-87 | (2-1) | ||
| Cuba | 84-86 | 91-111 | —– | 68-65 | (1-2) | ||
| Spain | 76-60 | 87-92 | 65-68 | —– | (1-2) | ||
| MEDALS POOL B | CAN | USA | SVK | AUS | Record | ||
| United States | 98-65 | —– | 103-96 | 88-70 | (3-0) | ||
| Australia | 90-72 | 70-88 | 86-77 | —– | (2-1) | ||
| Slovak Republic | 66-63 | 96-103 | —– | 77-86 | (1-2) | ||
| Canada | —– | 65-98 | 63-66 | 72-90 | (0-3) | ||
| 13-16th | Chinese Taipei 85 Kenya 80 | |
| 13-16th | Poland 79 New Zealand 70 | |
| 9-12th | France 82 Japan 81 ot | |
| 9-12th | Korea 89 Italy 78 | |
| 5-8th | Cuba 74 Canada 55 | |
| 5-8th | Slovak Republic 90 Spain 69 | |
| Semi | China 66 Australia 65 | |
| Semi | Brazil 110 United States 107 | |
| 15th | New Zealand 93 Kenya 76 | |
| 13th | Poland 84 Chinese Taipei 69 | |
| 11th | Italy 90 Japan 75 | |
| 9th | France 89 Korea 79 | |
| 7th | Canada 70 Spain 65 | |
| 5th | Slovak Republic 92 Cuba 81 | |
| Bronze | United States 100 Australia 75 | |
| Final | Brazil 96 China 84 | |
In their tournament opener, in pool B play, Canada stomped Kenya 109-34 after leading 52-20 at the half. The game was tied at 10 early but Canada finally woke up and exploded to a 52-20 lead at the half. “It was good to actually start playing after sitting around for a week,” said Evans. “After a poor start, we got down to business.” Jodi Evans paced Canada with 19 on 9-14 from the floor, 1-1 from the line, 12 boards and 3 steals. Merlelynn Lange-Harris added 15 on 6-6 from the floor and 3-3 from the line. Bev Smith notched 12 on 5-9 from the floor, 2-2 from the line, 3 boards, 5 assists and 4 steals. Denise Scott added 10 on 3-6 from the floor, 4-5 from the line and 3 boards. Camille Thompson added 10 on 4-8 from the floor, 2-4 from the line and 6 boards. Shawna Molcak added 9 on 2-7 from the floor and 5-5 from the line. Tara Gallaway scored 9 on 2-3 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 2-4 from the line, 3 boards and 6 assists. Andrea Blackwell scored 9 on 4-6 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 5 boards. Kelly Boucher added 8 on 3-6 from the floor, 2-3 from the line and 7 boards. Sue Stewart added 5 on 2-3 from the floor, 1-2 from the line, 4 boards and 3 assists. Cynthia Johnston added 2 on 1-3 from the floor and 7 boards. Karla Karch scored 1 on 1-2 from the line, 8 boards, 6 assists and 2 steals. Canada hit 41-73 (.562) from the floor, 1-7 (.143) from the arc and 24-33 (.727) from the line, while garnering 60 boards, including 19 on the offensive glass, 28 assists, 13 fouls, 19 turnovers and 14 steals. Caroline Omano paced Kenya with 13 on 5-18 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc and 4 boards. Queen Olumbo added 8 on 2-11 from the floor, 4-5 from the line, 4 assists and 3 steals. Nasila Onjiko scored 7, Miriam Owiti 4 and Bether Achieno Akuno 2, while Jane Makale, Safia Mohammed, Petronila Muthoni, Catherine Shava, Celestine Imbaya, Susan Kariuki and Alice Onono were scoreless. Kenya hit 13-67 (.194) from the floor, 1-11 (.091) from the arc and 5-11 (.455) from the line, while garnering 20 boards, including 8 on the offensive glass, 6 assists, 22 fouls, 23 turnovers and 7 steals.
Cuba thrashed Canada 90-72 after leading 55-34 at the half. Dalia Henry Hernandez paced Cuba with 18 on 8-12 from the floor, 2-2 from the line, 5 boards and 4 assists. Leonor Andre Borrell Hernandez added 16 on 6-12 from the floor, 4-4 from the line, 12 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Yamile Martinez Calderon notched 14 on 5-11 from the floor, 4-5 from the line and 11 boards. Tania Seino Barbon scored 14 on 3-4 from the floor, 8-8 from the line and 5 boards. Licet Castillo Iglesias added 8, Regal C. Hernandez Buides 7, Milayda Enriquez 6, along with 7 boards, Olga Lidia Vigil Gomez 5 and Maria Elena Leon Molinet 2, while Judith Aguila Hernandez, Biosotys Lagno Feometa and Lisdeivi Victores Pompa were scoreless. Cuba hit 33-71 (.465) from the floor, 0-8 from the arc and 24-29 (.828) from the line, while garnering 46 boards, including 15 on the offensive glass, 14 assists, 27 fouls, 10 turnovers and 9 steals. Shawna Molcak paced Canada with 17 on 6-9 from the floor, 5-5 from the line and 6 boards. Bev Smith added 17 on 7-13 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc, 0-3 from the line and 6 boards. Karla Karch scored 16 on 4-9 from the floor, 8-11 from the line, 6 boards and 4 assists. Andrea Blackwell added 7 on 3-8 from the floor, 1-3 from the line, 3 boards and 4 assists. Kelly Boucher scored 5 on 2-8 from the floor and 1-3 from the line. Merlelynn Lange-Harris added 4, Denise Scott 2, Cynthia Johnston 2, along with 4 boards, and Jodi Evans 2, along with 2 assists. Sue Stewart, Tara Gallaway and Camille Thompson were scoreless. Canada hit 27-63 (.429) from the floor, 1-9 (.111) from the arc and 15-26 (.577) from the line, while garnering 29 boards, including 7 on the offensive glass, 13 assists, 24 fouls, 9 turnovers and 1 steal.
Canada closed out pool play by defeating France 66-55 despite trailing 34-33 at the half. Andrea Blackwell paced Canada with 17 on 5-10 from the floor, 7-7 from the line and 5 boards. Kelly Boucher added 12 on 3-6 from the floor, 6-8 from the line and 5 boards. Shawna Molcak scored 11 on 5-8 from the floor, 1-2 from the line, 3 boards, 2 assists and 3 steals. Bev Smith notched 10 on 4-13 from the floor, 2-2 from the line, 6 boards and 2 assists. Merlelynn Lange-Harris scored 8 on 1-8 from the floor, 6-6 from the line and 4 boards. Jodi Evans added 5 on 2-5 from the floor, 1-1 from the line and 5 boards. Karla Karch scored 3 on 3-4 from the line, 4 boards and 5 assists. Cynthia Johnston, Denise Scott, Camille Thompson, Tara Gallaway and Sue Stewart were scoreless. Canada hit 20-52 (.385) from the floor, 0-2 from the arc and 26-30 (.867) from the line, while garnering 33 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 11 assists, 19 fouls, 8 turnovers and 5 steals. Odile Nathalie Santaniello paced France with 18 on 7-17 from the floor, 4-4 from the line and 4 boards. Halima Soussi added 8 on 1-4 from the floor, 6-7 from the line and 14 boards. Yannick Souvre scored 7 on 2-9 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc and 5 assists. Corinne Esquirol added 6, Stephanie Vivenot 6, Isabelle Fijalkowski 4, Christine Gomis 4 and Catherine Melain 2, while Amy Cisse, Katia Foucade, Laetitia Moussard and Carole Force were scoreless. France hit 20-59 (.339) from the floor, 1-9 (.111) from the arc and 12-16 (.750) from the line, while garnering 37 boards, including 12 on the offensive glass, 9 assists, 28 fouls, 15 turnovers and 1 steal.
Canada finished (2-1) in pool play and advanced to medals pool B.
In their medal round opener, Canada dropped a 66-63 decision to the Slovak Republic after squandering an 11-point lead and being held scoreless for the last five minutes of play. Forward Andrea Kuklova scored four points in the final 26 seconds to lead the Slovak Republic to the win. Slovakia’s full-court press in the final 10 minutes of play completely rattled the Canadians. The score was knotted at 36 at the half. Andrea Kuklova paced the Slovak Republic with 14 on 6-11 from the floor, 2-3 from the line and 3 boards. Milena Razgova (Paulisincova) added 13 on 3-12 from the floor, 2-7 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 4 boards and 4 steals. Erika Dobrovicova added 12 on 5-13 from the floor, 8 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Kamila Pavlakova added 8, Renata Hirakova 6, Sona Hudecova 6, Anna Kotocova (Janostinova) 4 and Dagmar Hutkova 3, while Martina Godalyova, Iveta Farkasova, Andrea Slosiarova and Adriana Chamajova were scoreless. The Slovak Republic hit 21-57 (.368) from the floor, 5-16 (.312) from the arc and 9-15 (.600) from the line, while garnering 28 boards, including 6 on the offensive glass, 13 assists, 16 fouls, 16 turnovers and 12 steals. Andrea Blackwell paced Canada with 16 on 6-10 from the floor, 4-4 from the line and 7 boards. Shawna Molcak scored 14 on 7-10 from the floor and 4 assists. Bev Smith added 11 on 4-14 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc, 7 boards, 2 assists and 4 steals. Kelly Boucher notched 11 on 3-7 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 13 boards and 2 steals. Merlelynn Lange-Harris added 6 on 3-4 from the floor and 2 boards. Karla Karch added 5 on 1-6 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 2 assists and 3 steals. Jodi Evans, Cynthia Johnston, Denise Scott, Camille Thompson, Tara Gallaway and Sue Stewart were scoreless. Canada hit 24-56 (.429) from the floor, 3-9 from the arc and 6-9 from the line, while garnering 32 boards, including 6 on the offensive glass, 15 assists, 20 fouls, 18 turnovers and 13 steals.
Against the United States, Canada hoped to shut down the Americans in the paint, so they played a zone. But the US scored 18 of its first 22 points from beyond the arc and easily romped to a 98-65 win. The US led 52-29 at the half. Sheryl Swoopes paced the US with 27 on 10-13 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 4-6 from the line and 8 boards. Jennifer Azzi added 17 on 7-10 from the floor and 1-5 from the arc. Andrea Lloyd-Coletti added 10 on 3-6 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc and 1-2 from the line. Teresa Edwards added 7, Alice Bolton 7, Carla McGhee 6, Daedra Charles 6, Dawn Staley 5, Katrina McClain 4, along with 9 boards, Lisa Leslie 4, Dena Head 3 and Kara Wolters 2. The US hit 35-66 (.530) from the floor, 4-16 from the arc and 16-24 (.667) from the line, while garnering 44 boards, including 12 on the offensive glass, 17 assists, 20 fouls, 18 turnovers and 10 steals. Jodi Evans paced Canada with 11 on 3-7 from the floor, 5-6 from the line, 2 boards and 2 assists. Andrea Blackwell added 11 on 5-10 from the floor and 1-1 from the line. Bev Smith notched 9 on 4-9 from the floor, 1-2 from the line, 2 boards and 3 assists. Shawna Molcak scored 8 on 4-8 from the floor and 2 boards. Sue Stewart added 7 on 3-9 from the floor and 1-4 from the line. Tara Gallaway scored 6 on 2-5 from the floor, 2-4 from the line and 2 assists. Karla Karch scored 4 on 2-3 from the floor and 4 boards. Camille Thompson added 4 on 2-4 from the floor, 3 boards and 3 assists. Denise Scott added 2 on 1-3 from the floor and 5 boards. Merlelynn Lange-Harris added 2 and Kelly Boucher 1, along with 3 boards. Cynthia Johnson was scoreless. Canada hit 27-64 (.422) from the floor, 0-3 from the arc and 11-21 (.524) from the line, while garnering 27 boards, including 6 on the offensive glass, 16 assists, 25 fouls, 22 turnovers and 8 steals.
Canada closed out medals pool play by getting thrashed 90-72 by Australia, who led 52-37 at the half. Sandra Brondello paced Australia with 27 on 8-13 from the floor, 11-12 from the line and 5 assists. Allison Tranquilli added 16 on 3-7 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 4-4 from the line and 2 boards. Shelley Sandie notched 14 on 4-12 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc and 3-3 from the line. Rachael Sporn scored 10 on 4-7 from the floor and 2-4 from the line. Trisha Fallon scored 8 on 2-8 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 8 assists. Michelle Timms added 5, Annie La Fleur 4, Robyn Maher 2, Karen Dalton 2 and Jennifer Whittle 2, while Samantha Thornton and Michelle Brogan were scoreless. Australia hit 25-59 (.424) from the floor, 5-8 (.625) from the arc and 25-31 (.806) from the line, while garnering 28 boards, including 6 on the offensive glass, 13 assists, 24 fouls, 16 turnovers and 7 steals. Bev Smith paced Canada with 21 on 4-14 from the floor, 3-5 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 8 boards and 2 assists. Kelly Boucher added 12 on 4-7 from the floor, 4-5 from the line and 2 boards. Andrea Blackwell scored 12 on 5-11 from the floor, 2-3 from the line and 2 boards. Shawna Molcak scored 8 on 4-9 from the floor, 4 boards and 2 assists. Merlelynn Lange-Harris added 6 on 3-3 from the floor and 4 boards. Tara Gallaway scored 5 on 1-2 from the floor and 1-1 from the arc. Jodi Evans added 4 on 2-2 from the floor and 4 boards. Camille Thompson added 2 and Karla Karch 2, along with 3 boards. Sue Stewart, Cynthia Johnston and Denise Scott were scoreless. Canada hit 25-59 (.424) from the floor, 4-11 (.364) from the arc and 10-16 (.625) from the line, while garnering 31 boards, including 9 on the offensive glass, 9 assists, 27 fouls, 22 turnovers and 1 steal.
Canada finished (0-3) in medals pool play and fell to the 5-8th classifications.
In the 5-8th classifications, Cuba thrashed Canada 74-55 after leading 34-33 at the half. Leonor Andre Borrell Hernandez paced Cuba with 16 on 6-10 from the floor, 4-6 from the line, 4 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Maria Elena Leon Molinet added 15 on 7-12 from the floor, 1-1 from the line and 3 boards. Milayda Enriquez added 14 on 5-5 from the floor, 4-4 from the line and 5 boards. Biosotys Lagno Feometa added 9 on 3-6 from the floor and 1-3 from the arc. Olga Lidia Vigil Gomez notched 8 on 3-5 from the floor, 2-2 from the line, 10 boards, 4 assists and 3 steals. Regla C. Hernandez Buides added 5, Judith Aguila Hernandez 4, Dalia Henry Hernandez 2 and Licet Castillo Iglesias 2, while Tania Seino Barbon, Lisdeivi Victores Pompa and Yamile Martinez Calderon were scoreless. Cuba hit 28-57 (.491) from the floor, 2-10 from the arc and 12-19 (.632) from the line, while garnering 34 boards, including 7 on the offensive glass, 13 assists, 23 fouls, 22 turnovers and 13 steals. Karla Karch paced Canada with 10 on 4-9 from the floor, 2-3 from the line, 3 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Bev Smith added 10 on 3-13 from the floor, 4-4 from the line, 4 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Merlelynn Lange-Harris notched 10 on 4-7 from the floor, 2-3 from the line and 3 boards. Andrea Blackwell added 9 on 3-9 from the floor, 3-4 from the line, 3 boards and 3 assists. Kelly Boucher added 6 on 2-7 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 4 boards. Jodi Evans added 6 on 2-9 from the floor, 2-2 from the line, 9 boards and 2 assists. Shawna Molcak added 2 on 1-7 from the floor and 4 boards. Cynthia Johnston added 2, while Denise Scott, Camille Thompson, Sue Stewart and Tara Gallaway were scoreless. Canada hit 19-61 (.311) from the floor, 0-7 from the arc and 17-20 (.850) from the line, while garnering 33 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 13 assists, 20 fouls, 25 turnovers and 9 steals.
In the 7th place playoff, Canada defeated Spain 70-65 after leading 39-34 at the half. Bev Smith paced Canada with 21 on 3-8 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc, 9-10 from the line, 11 boards and 2 steals. Shawna Molcak added 13 on 5-11 from the floor, 3-3 from the line, 6 boards and 2 assists. Jodi Evans added 8 on 4-8 from the floor and 9 boards. Kelly Boucher notched 8 on 2-7 from the floor, 4-5 from the line and 5 boards. Andrea Blackwell scored 8 on 3-9 from the floor, 2-2 from the line, 6 boards and 4 assists. Karla Karch scored 6 on 6-8 from the line, 4 boards and 3 assists. Camille Thompson added 4 and Cynthia Johnston 2, while Denise Scott and Tara Gallaway, Sue Stewart were scoreless. Canada hit 20-52 (.385) from the floor, 2-4 from the arc and 24-31 (.774) from the line, while garnering 44 boards, including 8 on the offensive glass, 16 assists, 20 fouls, 20 turnovers and 2 steals. Elisabeth Cebrian Scheurer paced Spain with 16 on 7-9 from the floor, 2-3 from the line and 8 boards. Pilar Valero Cebrian added 10 on 1-9 from the floor, 2-6 from the arc and 2-2 from the line. Marina Ferragut Castillo notched 10 on 3-5 from the floor and 4-4 from the line. Blanca Ares added 7, Ana Belen Alvaro Bascunana 7, along with 5 boards, Paloma Sanchez Ortega 5, along with 7 boards, Carolina Mujica 4, Maria Pilar Alonso Lopez 4 and Maria de la Nieves Lobon Herrero 2, while Laura Grande Flores, Myriam Liqia Henningsen Perez and Maria Del Mar Xantal Serret were scoreless. Spain hit 21-66 (.318) from the floor, 3-19 (.158) from the arc and 14-19 (.737) from the line, while garnering 32 boards, including 6 on the offensive glass, 11 assist, 27 fouls, 12 turnovers and 6 steals.
1995
In March, 1995, coach Kathy Shields resigned in a dispute over funding with Basketball Canada. The 44-year-old Victoria coach was promised money to centralize the national team for a year leading up to the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, a promise Shields says was broken by Basketball Canada. Her resignation came with the national team just three months away from a key summer Olympic qualifying tournament and under a month before the team was due to open training camp. “I felt I had to stand up for what I believe in,” Shields said. “I am resigning in protest.” Shields took over the Nats’ head coaching job in 1993 on a one- year, full-time contract. After that deal expired, she returned to her old job as UVic coach. Then last October, Shields agreed to coach the Nats on a part-time basis through Atlanta. But that agreement hinged on Basketball Canada’s commitment to centralize the team here, something Shields believes is crucial to the veteran squad’s success in Atlanta. Basketball Canada, which officially announced Shields’ resignation in a press release, cited federal government budget cuts as the reason for not supporting a full-time centralized women’s program. Basketball Canada president Tony Wakeham has been told to expect at least a 25 per cent cut in federal funding this year. The organization has made a commitment to the men’s and women’s Olympic qualification programs this summer but executive director Rick Traer said “everything beyond that becomes a lower priority.” “There have been major cuts and we were facing a $450,000 shortfall for the coming year if we had funded everything,” Wakeham said. Shields dismissed the explanations. “These sport cuts did not come out of the blue. When [Basketball Canada] made this agreement, we all knew there were big cuts coming Centralization was the main condition of our agreement and they agreed to it in writing.” Shields believes centralization is necessary for Canada to keep pace with world basketball powers. In the last three years, she estimates the team has been together for “less than four months, total.” In contrast, Shields said the U.S. Olympic women’s team has already centralized in Colorado Springs and has received sponsorship from NBA Properties to pay each of its players a $50,000 US salary. “We weren’t looking for anything on nearly the same level,” Shields said. “All we wanted was to give our players good competition, a good training situation and some help with their living expenses.” “Other countries keep going ahead while we’re slipping,” Shields added. “Centralization would at least give us a fighting chance.” Basketball Canada’s total budget for the women’s national team will be approximately $225,000 for this summer’s Olympic qualifying play. Shields said another $250,000 would have been necessary to keep the team training and playing out of Victoria through the Atlanta Games. Shields, who had already lined up free hotel rooms from the Harbour Towers for the Nats, said she exhausted all possibilities for alternate funding after hearing about the Basketball Canada budget this month. “I’ve exhausted every possible avenue to see if there is a way we could get centralization to work,” she said. “And I asked Basketball Canada to revisit their budget or find other ways to generate the funding … But they’ve made their position very firm. I felt there was no movement from them in any way.” Shields has trouble buying Basketball Canada’s argument that the money can’t be found. “They say it’s because of budget cuts,” ‘ she said. “They do have serious budget cuts, but they also have a $330,000 surplus that was generated from last year’s men’s world championships [at Toronto]. They refuse to give us any of that surplus.” Basketball Canada does report a $330,000 surplus from the fiscal year which ends this month. However, Wakeham said the organization, which has historically run an operating deficit, plans to invest it. “It’s not our intent to spend that money in the near future,” Wakeham said. “What do we do when it’s gone next year and the [funding] situation is even worse?” “Kathy Shields is a great coach and a great individual. It’s unfortunate that we were unable to reach a compromise on this,” Wakeham added. “But I respect her decision.” Shields, meanwhile, said her frustration came to a head this week, causing her to end 25 years of connection to the national team as a player, assistant and head coach. “To be honest with you, it’s one of the saddest days of my life,” she said. “I’m bitterly disappointed and I’m extremely sad.” Basketball Canada has a $330,000 surplus from the fiscal year which ends this month. However, Traer said the group’s board won’t spend it on a “one-time” expense of centralization faced with an unspecified cut from the government this year. “It won’t be a surplus for very long if you’re using it as one-time only dollars to support annual program areas,” said Traer. Shields thinks Basketball Canada’s marketing should have started much sooner. “What’s really disappointing is that they knew cuts were coming last December and … there was no fund-raising done by anybody and they’ve got a huge surplus they won’t touch.” National team member Kelly Boucher said the players have lost any trust they had in Basketball Canada. “It’s a mess. It’s a joke, basically. … For Kathy, it was a tough situation. She had to make a stand. If she had not resigned, she would have been saying: `You can do what you want.’ Boucher said the team’s performance at the Olympics could be compromised. “This is the oldest and most experienced team we’ve had in 12 years. Unless we screw up really big, we’ve virtually qualified for the Olympics. We’ve put too much into this.”
Shields is ultimately replaced by long-time player Bev Smith, who accepted a two-year contract with a two-year option to coach the national team. Smith first played on the national team in 1978. She toiled in two Olympics, played 12 years in Italy and at the time of her appointment was head coach for a division 1 Italian team. “I am very honoured to have this opportunity,” she said. ‘There is a tremendous amount of potential in the basketball talent in Canada. It will be great to come home to build a strong women’s team and to help to create more opportunities for youth.” Smith inked a two-year contract. “We selected Bev because she offers and strong breadth of playing and coaching experience with women’s teams, both domestically and internationally. She has dedicated her career to succeeding as an athletic and a coach and we think she’ll bring a level of energy that will motivate the team,” said Don McCrae, chair of the selection committee. Basketball Canada President Tony Wakeham said “our goal is to have our national teams succeed in world competition. With Bev on board, I’m confident we have the leadership to take our women’s basketball teams to the World championships, and then on the 2000 Olympics.”