US Women’s Olympic Basketball Team Favored for London

 Maya Moore has reason to be confident.  In her first season as a professional last year, the 1.83 meter tall forward helped her team, the Minnesota Lynx, win its first WNBA championship.  She then joined Ros Casares in Spain, winning both the Spanish title and Euroleague title.

Prior² to turning pro¹ she played for the University of Connecticut - or UConn - for a team that dominated³ the university ranks, going undefeated for two seasons in 2009 and 2010.  Now she and five others who played at UConn (during the last decade) make up half of the 12-member squad⁴ that will to try to win the Olympic gold medal in London.

“There is no reason why that should not be a realistic goal every year considering the talent, the experience and the people we have on our team.  I mean some of the best players that will go down in the history books for the game of basketball are on this team,” she said.

This Team USA squad will be coached by her mentor⁵, UConn coach Geno Auriemma.

“He’s the best coach in the world in my opinion.  I had so much growth and so many great memories from playing at UConn.  And to be able to play for him this quickly after I graduated, it is almost unfair,” Moore said.

Since Auriemma became coach of the UConn women's basketball team in 1985, it has won seven national titles and had four perfect seasons that ended with homecoming parades and receptions with the president at the White House.

Auriemma says the pressure of trying to win a fifth straight Olympic gold medal will help motivate Team USA to play up to its potential and understand that winning anything less than gold will be a failure. 

“Here you are coaching the best players, and the goal is to win the gold medal.  Silver medal doesn’t make anybody have a celebration, you know, same as Connecticut.  If you come in second there is no parade,” Auriemma said.

Maya Moore says for competitive⁶ athletes pressure and high expectations are part of the game, and getting the chance to test yourself against the best players in the world at the Olympics is part of the fun.

1 pro   

n.赞成，赞成的意见，赞成者

参考例句：

• The two debating teams argued the question pro and con.辩论的两组从赞成与反对两方面辩这一问题。
• Are you pro or con nuclear disarmament?你是赞成还是反对核裁军？

2 prior   

adj.更重要的，较早的，在先的；adv.居先；n.小修道院院长；大修道院副院长

参考例句：

• The duty to protect my sister is prior to all others.保护我的妹妹是我最重要的责任。
• I took up one-year prior course in German in this college.我在这所大学读了一年的德语预科。

3 dominated   

受控的 -tive

参考例句：

• As a child he was dominated by his father. 他小时候由父亲主宰一切。
• His personality dominated over the other members of the committee. 他的人格影响委员会的其他成员。

4 squad   

n.班，小队，小团体；vt.把…编成班或小组

参考例句：

• The squad leader ordered the men to mark time.班长命令战士们原地踏步。
• A squad is the smallest unit in an army.班是军队的最小构成单位。

5 mentor   

n.指导者，良师益友；v.指导

参考例句：

• He fed on the great ideas of his mentor.他以他导师的伟大思想为支撑。
• He had mentored scores of younger doctors.他指导过许多更年轻的医生。

6 competitive   

adj.竞争的，比赛的，好竞争的，有竞争力的

参考例句：

• Some kinds of business are competitive.有些商业是要竞争的。
• These businessmen are both competitive and honourable.这些商人既有竞争性又很诚实。