Alana Beard is no stranger to accolades.
She was the first women's basketball player to have her jersey retired at Duke and has already been named to three All-Star teams in just four WNBA seasons.
But despite these accomplishments, Beard has her eye on a more satisfying prize.
"I've always wanted to be an Olympian-it's been an ultimate goal of mine," Beard said. "It's something while growing up that I've always wanted to be a part of and do. To be picked from hundreds of women means so much, you can't even put it in words. It's definitely an honor."
The honor could now be Beard's, as Team USA announces its roster in early July.
Beard already has some experience with Olympic competition, having played for the 2003 Under-21 World Championship team and the 2006 FIBA World Championship squad, which brought home a bronze medal. She knows that being part of the 2008 team would be even more demanding.
"People don't grasp how extreme the training is," Beard said. "For you to be a part of the team, you have to undergo unbelievable preparation. From college to the WNBA it goes up one level, but from the WNBA to the Olympics, it goes up 10 levels."
Beard is not the only Duke graduate considered for the team. Minnesota Lynx guard Lindsey Harding, whose jersey hangs in the rafters next to Beard's, is also on a short list to earn a spot on the roster, and Beard believes that the success of the two stars is a reflection of Duke.
"The fact that it's produced two Olympians in one school in similar years shows you what Duke Basketball is all about," Beard said. "It is a tribute to what [former head coach] Gail Goestenkors has done."
And although a labral tear in her left shoulder leaves Beard on the bubble to make the team, she has since recovered after surgery and is ready to show the world what she can do.
"It's always an unbelievable experience playing with the best in the world," she said. "The fact that we are the U.S., we go in with a target on our backs. People are always out to get the U.S. Team. Our goal is to get a gold medal and nothing less."
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