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  InterBasket > Player Profiles > Sheryl Swoopes, Usa From USABasketball.com: Originally slated to make her USA Basketball debut at the 1989 U.S. Olympic Festival as a member of the South Team, Swoopes was injured and unable to compete. Three years later, as a rising senior at Texas Tech University, Swoopes tried out for the 1992 U.S. Olympic Team. While she didn't make that squad, Swoopes returned in 1994 to help the United States finish with a bronze medal at the World Championship and then collected a gold medal as a member of the 1994 USA Goodwill Games Team.

In 1995 Swoopes was named to the USA Pan American Games Team, however the competition was canceled by COPAN after too few teams entered. Less than three months after having faced the disappointment of not competing at the Pan American Games, Swoopes, already well known in basketball circles for helping Texas Tech to the 1993 NCAA title, made the final cut for the historical 1995-96 USA Basketball Women's National Team.

Coming off that disappointment, Swoopes was part of the great 1996 Olympic Women's Basketball Team that was composed of Olympic and professional greats and superstar college players.  The team began traveling and competing in late 1995 to prepare for the 1996 Olympics. They arrived in Atlanta in July of 1996 undefeated with a 52-0 record. Each of their Olympic contests sold out and the team rewarded the home crowd with an array of offensive talent.  In the eight victories en route to the gold medal, the United States averaged 102.4 points per game as Swoopes, Katrina McClain, Teresa Edwards, Lisa Leslie, and Ruthie Bolton started all eight games - a team that also included Dawn Staley, Jennifer Azzi, Carla McGhee, Venus Lacy, Rebecca Lobo, Nikki McCray, and Katy Steding.

After winning the gold medal, Swoopes became one of the founding members of the WNBA, as she was assigned to the Houston Comets when the WNBA's first season opened in 1997.

Sheryl Swoopes Profile

 Name: Sheryl Denise Swoopes
Nickname: N/A
Born: March 25, 1971
Status: Active
Origin: Brownfield, Texas
Height: 6-0 /1,83m
Weight: 145lbs/65,8kg
Schools: Texas Tech
Drafted: 1996, Inaugural WNBA Elite Draft
Languages: English
Website: InterBasket
Teams (jersey): US National Team, Texas Tech (22), Dallas Fury/Lubbock Hawks (NWBL), Houston Comets (22),
Ibn Notes: Sheryl Swoopes is a winner, she is an NCAA champion (with Texas Tech 1993 in which she scored a record 47 points in the championship game), three-time Olympic gold medalist (1996, 2000, 2004), and a four-time WNBA Champion (1997, 1998, 1999, 2000).  She has also been named the 2000, 2002, and 2005 WNBA Most Valuable Player, was the Defensive Player of the Year in 2000, 2002, and 2003, also earned First-Team All-WNBA in 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002.   Gave birth to her son, Jordan, on June 25, 1997.  Was the first woman to have her own Nike basketball shoe named after her called the Air Swoopes. From Wnba.com: In two seasons as a Collegian, Swoopes led Texas Tech to 58-8 record, including one NCAA title (1993) and two Southwest Conference titles... ranked second in the nation with a 28.1 points per game average, and was named 1993 National Player of the Year two years after winning 1991 Junior College Player of the Year honors at South Plains (TX) Junior College... also earned 1993 NCAA Final Four MVP honor after setting an NCAA Championship game record with 47 points in Texas Tech's 84-82 win over Ohio State... her No. 22 was retired by Texas Tech on February 19, 1994.
Sheryl Swoopes Links  From our forum: WNBA All-Decade Team, Women's Basketball Forum, WNBA Forum  Articles and other resources: Outside the Arc (ESPN.com, 2005), Phoenix Mercury @ Houston Comets Triple Overtime (YouTube, 2006), Sheryl Swoopes Playoff Blog (Wnba.com, 2006), Sheryl Swoopes Profile (Wikipedia), WNBA star Sheryl Swoopes opens up about being a lesbian (SF Gate.com),  Sheryl Swoopes Photo Gallery (Yahoo!), Sheryl Swoopes: Out of the Closet--and Ignored (TheNation.com), Influential words (CNNSI, 2005), Celebrating the 1995-96 Olympic Team Ten Years Later (Wnba.com)