Technically, the United States entered the 1997 R. William Jones Cup basketball tournament as defending champions.
In reality, the 12-woman squad that Duke's Gail Goestenkors took to Taipei, Taiwan, in August bore not a bit of resemblance to last year's Jones Cup gold-medal-winning entry. The 1997 group, made up of former and current collegiate stars, did not include a single holdover from last year.
Duke senior Michele VanGorp and former Blue Devils Tyish Hall and Kira Orr were among eight players making their international debuts in the annual seven-team tournament.
Despite their obvious inexperience, the U.S. (6-1) survived six games in seven days-not to mention a typhoon-before falling 76-71 to South Korea (7-0) in a final-round matchup of unbeatens.
"I was very ecstatic with the way we played," Goestenkors said. "We were easily the youngest team in the field. I think we just ran out of gas in the final game."
The U.S. fell short of its eighth Jones Cup gold medal, but still won its fifteenth medal in 15 official appearances. The Americans pushed their all-time Jones Cup record to a gaudy 105-22.
University of Florida star Murriel Page scored 19 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in the final. But 22 turnovers and 44.8% field goal shooting doomed the Americans, who blew a 38-35 halftime lead. For the tournament, Page led the U.S. with 14.7 points per game.
Duke's Hall, meanwhile, averaged 9.9 points per game, and was the high scorer in U.S. victories over Japan and Taiwan Power. Hall also finished second on the team in rebounding.
VanGorp, who sat out last year as a transfer student from Purdue, scored a game-high 19 in a win over Thailand, although she averaged just over 4 points in the other six contests.
"Michele had some great games," Goestenkors said. "[But] she had games when... I think the physical play got to her. Teams like Japan, which were much smaller, would double- and triple-team her."
Orr, Duke's all-time assist leader, logged nearly 29 minutes a game for the tournament. Goestenkors praised the defensive contributions made by Orr, who was selected in the fourth round of June's American Basketball League draft.
The relatively large contingent of Blue Devils on the squad actually didn't come from the obvious source.
"A lot of people think I had something to do with the three [Duke players] being on the team," Goestenkors said. "I had no say in it at all."
Which isn't to say that Goestenkors didn't appreciate having some familiar faces around. With only eight days of preparation for the tournament and a handful of international rules to adjust to, Goestenkors had little time to get acquainted with her players before the opening round tipped off.
International play features a larger basketball and a deeper three-point line than the collegiate game, not to mention a rough-and-tumble style of play.
"The officials really let you pound it out in there," Goestenkors commented with a chuckle.
Goestenkors had nothing but heavy praise for her young team, which knocked off the national teams from Poland and Thailand as well as four other squads with extensive international experience.
"If those teams came over here and played, they would compete with the top twenty teams in the NCAA," Goestenkors assessed.
For VanGorp and Goestenkors, the opportunity to wear the red, white and blue came at the cost of a summer vacation.
"August is usually a good time for me to relax, go to the beach and get some rest," Goestenkors said. She admitted that jumping right back into her fall routine was demanding, but downplayed the possibility of burn out.
"I'm not really [worn out], just because I'm so excited about next year," she said. "Besides, there's always October break, a chance to get away."
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.