Taurasi‘s Olympic career concluded with Sunday’s gold medal game against France

Lapresse

Even before Sunday’s gold medal game against the host nation France, Diana Taurasi and USA Basketball had written an incredible story together. Taurasi, the WNBA‘s all-time scoring leader, was called up to her sixth Olympic Games this year and accordingly won her sixth gold medal — making her the most decorated basketball player in Olympic history. Her longevity is truly unmatched in the women’s game, bridging generations and cementing Taurasi’s status as one of the sport’s greatest-ever players.

So how did Taurasi do it? How has the Phoenix Mercury star been able to continue competing at 42 years old — especially with a new generation, headlined by Caitlin Clark, coming in and changing the game? Before Team USA won gold again with a nail-biting 67-66 win on Sunday afternoon, Taurasi delivered a message that will inspire the next two decades of WNBA and Olympic stars.

Taurasi’s emphatic message

In an interview published this week, Taurasi — who broke a tie with her best friend Sue Bird by winning a sixth Olympic gold medal — explained that staying in the moment and relishing the little things propelled her to basketball history with the United States, which has won eight consecutive gold medals in Olympic women’s basketball.

“We’ve always kept the main thing, the main thing, but we’ve always enjoyed the moment,” Taurasi said. “Whether it’s in the locker room, whether it’s on the charter, opening ceremonies, we’ve always kept perspective on why we’re there; number one to win the gold medals, at the same time to represent our country.”

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That mentality has guided the United States’ women’s basketball team to a jaw-dropping 61 consecutive victories at the Olympics — meaning Taurasi ended her international career without an Olympic loss. Passing the torch to Clark, Angel Reese, and the next generation of stars comes with the weight of history — and a warning from Taurasi, who has been fortunate enough to enjoy a long, historic, and largely-healthy career.

“Enjoy the moment because you never know if you will get another opportunity to do it,” she said.

Michigan Wolverines HC Sherrone Moore Provides Major Update On Team’s Starting QB Plans For 2024 Season With JJ McCarthy No Longer Around

Sherrone Moore (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
Michigan Wolverines head football coach Sherrone Moore provided an interesting update on his team’s plans at quarterback as the regular season draws closer.

The defending national champions will look a lot different this year. Head coach Jim Harbaugh returned to the NFL after accepting the Los Angeles Chargers’ HC vacancy, and Moore was named the new head coach of the Michigan Wolverines.

Michigan will also have a new starting quarterback. Last year’s signal-caller, JJ McCarthy, declared for the 2024 NFL Draft and was taken 10th overall by the Minnesota Vikings.

Davis Warren, Jack Tuttle and Alex Orji are the three front-runners for the starting job, according to Tony Garcia of the Detroit Free Press. Tuttle attempted 17 passes in minimal action last season, completing 15 of them for 130 yards and a touchdown.

With the Aug. 31 season opener against Fresno State drawing closer, Moore stresses that he’s still taking his time deciding on the new starting QB in Ann Arbor:

“The ideal timeline is when we feel like we’ve got the guy who will help us win. There’s not a date, not a time. We will have a feel as a staff…(Offensive coordinator) Kirk Campbell is a phenomenal coach…he will make a great decision and we will be there to make it together.”