Shaped By The Red, White And Blue
August 02, 2021 | Women's Basketball, Joel Coleman
Nikki McCray-Penson reflects on her time as a member of Team USA at two Olympic Games
When current Mississippi State head women's basketball coach Nikki McCray-Penson reflects on it all now, you can still hear the emotion in her voice.
The year was 1996. McCray-Penson – then a member of the United States' women's basketball team – had just helped her squad to a dominating victory over Brazil to capture a gold medal in the Olympics. As the medals were placed around the necks of the American team members inside Atlanta's Georgia Dome, McCray-Penson had to wait her turn.
You see, she wore jersey No. 15. It was the highest jersey number on the team and the medals were passed out in numerical order, meaning McCray-Penson would be the last to receive hers. The time finally came. The wait was worth it.
"I'll never forget it," McCray-Penson recalled. "I can still see it to this day. The lady put it around my neck. I gave her a kiss on the cheek and both of my hands went up with tears flowing down my face."
Now proudly wearing maroon and white on a day-to-day basis, it's obvious McCray-Penson was forever shaped by her time donning red, white and blue. Ahead of the Americans shooting for another Olympic gold as the knockout rounds in Tokyo begin on Tuesday in U.S. time zones, McCray-Penson reflected on the time she spent and the memories she made representing her country.
Putting on the uni
It bears noting that McCray-Penson's Team USA tenure actually began several years prior to the 1996 Games. She was a part of the 1993 USA World Cup Qualifying team.
It was in the midst of McCray-Penson's standout career at the University of Tennessee. With a tireless work ethic, a ton of talent and the basketball knowledge instilled in part by legendary Volunteers coach Pat Summit, McCray-Penson got her first taste of the world stage. Putting on the colors of her country and representing America was something McCray-Penson still somewhat struggles to put into words.
"It's so much bigger than you," McCray-Penson said. "It's truly one team, one goal, one country. You represent every single American, and you represent it with great dignity and great character. Nothing matters other than you just giving it up for your country. Every day you step out on that floor, you wear that USA across your chest, you're an American. There's so much pride in that, and all the other 11 team members and your coaches, they're depending on you to stand up and fight for your country and fight for your teammates and fight together. It's a beautiful thing. There's no egos. It's an unbelievable experience to be able to represent your country."
McCray-Penson was off and running with Team USA, on her way to being a part of a groundbreaking group.
Trailblazers
The 1996 Olympic gold team was special. That's putting it mildly. It was a groundbreaking group, but to be that, they first had to be winners.
Most every successful squad shares similar characteristics. There are often reliable, go-to stars. Then there are others, ready to step up and shoulder the load on any given night. And don't forget about the role players – the ones who do their job so well. You need them to plug in and shine when the moment is right.
McCray-Penson was the latter for the '96 bunch. Her defense was her calling card, and she could shut down pretty much anyone.
"When you put a team together like USA basketball, it's putting together pieces of a puzzle," McCray-Penson said. "You want people that are very good in their roles to thrive in their roles and be happy with their roles. That's the difference. In college, people are trying to evolve with their games. In USA basketball, you're going to do your role to the fullest. Yes, I could score and yes, I was an All-American, but one of the reasons I was an Olympian was because of my ability to defend. I took great pride in that."
McCray-Penson didn't feel slighted in the least to be counted on as a top reserve and defensive stopper. She relished it.
"I knew I needed to be good and consistent every night for us to win," McCray-Penson said. "I was going to guard the other country's best player. I wanted that challenge. I accepted that challenge. I wanted that as an American to be able to do what I needed to do to help us win games and to help us win gold. That was my staple. That's always been my staple. That's just the blue-collar mentality that I have. You don't have to have the ball to be successful. Those things – dedication, desire, grit, blue collar – I like that. I like that being associated with me."
Carried in part by McCray-Penson's lockdown defense, Team USA rolled through the 1996 Games. The Americans went a perfect 8-0 in Atlanta.
The run had actually started months prior though. The group had trained and played together for about a year ahead of the Olympics, going an amazing 52-0 in pre-Olympic competition. All told, they went 60-0, captured the gold and served as a launching pad for a pair of professional women's basketball leagues. One of those was the WNBA, which continues to thrive to this day. A quarter-century later, the impact of the 1996 Olympic team is still very much felt.
"I thought women's basketball really started to take shape," McCray-Penson said. "I thought people took notice of our team because of how we dominated. I thought there were individuals on our team that people really latched onto. We started professional basketball. Now, you look at the WNBA and it's 25 years in. That '96 team really, really was a trailblazer. I'm just thankful to be a part of it and thankful to be a part of it with those young women."
Encore
Four years later, McCray-Penson's role with the U.S. Olympic team had changed. The result though was more of the same.
By the time the 2000 Olympics rolled around, McCray-Penson was a full-time starter for the Americans. She was counted on to still be productive of course, but at the same time, as a veteran, she also needed to lay the groundwork for the future.
"Yes, my goal was still to defend," McCray-Penson said. "That's always going to be my role because that's who I am. Then I had to lead because we were going to bring new people to the team. You've always got to groom the new ones to get ready for the next Olympics."
Amid the grooming came more gold. Team USA went 8-0 again, this time in Sydney, Australia. The Americans topped the homestanding Australians by 22 points in the gold medal game.
"It was good," McCray-Penson said. "Going to Sydney, you had to go on someone else's home court. Australia clearly was a country that had a lot of their players in the WNBA. They were very successful. We knew we were going to have to bring our 'A' game to beat them on their home court. You're beating a contender on their home court. That's pretty tough to do. I thought with our core and new players, we did it in dominant fashion, and it was pretty special."
The win might not have had the long-ranging impact of the one four years prior, but the gold medal placed around McCray-Penson's neck once again was just as sweet.
Long-lasting Impact
It's now been more than two decades since McCray-Penson's Team USA playing career concluded. But its impact on her life can still be seen, both in her home life and her work at MSU.
When McCray-Penson got engaged to her now-husband, Thomas Penson, she was sporting her Team USA jersey. It was November of 1995 and Team USA had just topped McCray-Penson's alma mater, Tennessee, in an exhibition in Knoxville. Thomas took Nikki to center court after the game and right there on Rocky Top in front of thousands of fans, Thomas proposed. Nikki said, 'Yes', Thomas slipped on a ring and it was a moment wrapped in red, white and blue.
Professionally, the same traits that made McCray-Penson so valuable for Team USA are things she continues to try and instill in her Bulldogs. She wants a group of hard-working, blue-collar athletes driven to do whatever it takes to win.
If her players ever need an example of how unselfishness and commitment can lead to great things, they need only to look to their coach – a woman whose drive to be the best helped her reap the reward on the world's biggest stage. All the long days, practices and hours in the gym ultimately paid off for McCray-Penson.
No wonder there was so much emotion flowing from her all those years ago.
"Those were tears of joy and tears of, 'Wow,'" McCray-Penson said. "Dreams do come true. If you put in the work, this can really become a reality."
The year was 1996. McCray-Penson – then a member of the United States' women's basketball team – had just helped her squad to a dominating victory over Brazil to capture a gold medal in the Olympics. As the medals were placed around the necks of the American team members inside Atlanta's Georgia Dome, McCray-Penson had to wait her turn.
You see, she wore jersey No. 15. It was the highest jersey number on the team and the medals were passed out in numerical order, meaning McCray-Penson would be the last to receive hers. The time finally came. The wait was worth it.
"I'll never forget it," McCray-Penson recalled. "I can still see it to this day. The lady put it around my neck. I gave her a kiss on the cheek and both of my hands went up with tears flowing down my face."
Now proudly wearing maroon and white on a day-to-day basis, it's obvious McCray-Penson was forever shaped by her time donning red, white and blue. Ahead of the Americans shooting for another Olympic gold as the knockout rounds in Tokyo begin on Tuesday in U.S. time zones, McCray-Penson reflected on the time she spent and the memories she made representing her country.
Putting on the uni
It bears noting that McCray-Penson's Team USA tenure actually began several years prior to the 1996 Games. She was a part of the 1993 USA World Cup Qualifying team.
It was in the midst of McCray-Penson's standout career at the University of Tennessee. With a tireless work ethic, a ton of talent and the basketball knowledge instilled in part by legendary Volunteers coach Pat Summit, McCray-Penson got her first taste of the world stage. Putting on the colors of her country and representing America was something McCray-Penson still somewhat struggles to put into words.
"It's so much bigger than you," McCray-Penson said. "It's truly one team, one goal, one country. You represent every single American, and you represent it with great dignity and great character. Nothing matters other than you just giving it up for your country. Every day you step out on that floor, you wear that USA across your chest, you're an American. There's so much pride in that, and all the other 11 team members and your coaches, they're depending on you to stand up and fight for your country and fight for your teammates and fight together. It's a beautiful thing. There's no egos. It's an unbelievable experience to be able to represent your country."
McCray-Penson was off and running with Team USA, on her way to being a part of a groundbreaking group.
Trailblazers
The 1996 Olympic gold team was special. That's putting it mildly. It was a groundbreaking group, but to be that, they first had to be winners.
Most every successful squad shares similar characteristics. There are often reliable, go-to stars. Then there are others, ready to step up and shoulder the load on any given night. And don't forget about the role players – the ones who do their job so well. You need them to plug in and shine when the moment is right.
McCray-Penson was the latter for the '96 bunch. Her defense was her calling card, and she could shut down pretty much anyone.
"When you put a team together like USA basketball, it's putting together pieces of a puzzle," McCray-Penson said. "You want people that are very good in their roles to thrive in their roles and be happy with their roles. That's the difference. In college, people are trying to evolve with their games. In USA basketball, you're going to do your role to the fullest. Yes, I could score and yes, I was an All-American, but one of the reasons I was an Olympian was because of my ability to defend. I took great pride in that."
McCray-Penson didn't feel slighted in the least to be counted on as a top reserve and defensive stopper. She relished it.
"I knew I needed to be good and consistent every night for us to win," McCray-Penson said. "I was going to guard the other country's best player. I wanted that challenge. I accepted that challenge. I wanted that as an American to be able to do what I needed to do to help us win games and to help us win gold. That was my staple. That's always been my staple. That's just the blue-collar mentality that I have. You don't have to have the ball to be successful. Those things – dedication, desire, grit, blue collar – I like that. I like that being associated with me."
Carried in part by McCray-Penson's lockdown defense, Team USA rolled through the 1996 Games. The Americans went a perfect 8-0 in Atlanta.
The run had actually started months prior though. The group had trained and played together for about a year ahead of the Olympics, going an amazing 52-0 in pre-Olympic competition. All told, they went 60-0, captured the gold and served as a launching pad for a pair of professional women's basketball leagues. One of those was the WNBA, which continues to thrive to this day. A quarter-century later, the impact of the 1996 Olympic team is still very much felt.
"I thought women's basketball really started to take shape," McCray-Penson said. "I thought people took notice of our team because of how we dominated. I thought there were individuals on our team that people really latched onto. We started professional basketball. Now, you look at the WNBA and it's 25 years in. That '96 team really, really was a trailblazer. I'm just thankful to be a part of it and thankful to be a part of it with those young women."
Encore
Four years later, McCray-Penson's role with the U.S. Olympic team had changed. The result though was more of the same.
By the time the 2000 Olympics rolled around, McCray-Penson was a full-time starter for the Americans. She was counted on to still be productive of course, but at the same time, as a veteran, she also needed to lay the groundwork for the future.
"Yes, my goal was still to defend," McCray-Penson said. "That's always going to be my role because that's who I am. Then I had to lead because we were going to bring new people to the team. You've always got to groom the new ones to get ready for the next Olympics."
Amid the grooming came more gold. Team USA went 8-0 again, this time in Sydney, Australia. The Americans topped the homestanding Australians by 22 points in the gold medal game.
"It was good," McCray-Penson said. "Going to Sydney, you had to go on someone else's home court. Australia clearly was a country that had a lot of their players in the WNBA. They were very successful. We knew we were going to have to bring our 'A' game to beat them on their home court. You're beating a contender on their home court. That's pretty tough to do. I thought with our core and new players, we did it in dominant fashion, and it was pretty special."
The win might not have had the long-ranging impact of the one four years prior, but the gold medal placed around McCray-Penson's neck once again was just as sweet.
Long-lasting Impact
It's now been more than two decades since McCray-Penson's Team USA playing career concluded. But its impact on her life can still be seen, both in her home life and her work at MSU.
When McCray-Penson got engaged to her now-husband, Thomas Penson, she was sporting her Team USA jersey. It was November of 1995 and Team USA had just topped McCray-Penson's alma mater, Tennessee, in an exhibition in Knoxville. Thomas took Nikki to center court after the game and right there on Rocky Top in front of thousands of fans, Thomas proposed. Nikki said, 'Yes', Thomas slipped on a ring and it was a moment wrapped in red, white and blue.
Professionally, the same traits that made McCray-Penson so valuable for Team USA are things she continues to try and instill in her Bulldogs. She wants a group of hard-working, blue-collar athletes driven to do whatever it takes to win.
If her players ever need an example of how unselfishness and commitment can lead to great things, they need only to look to their coach – a woman whose drive to be the best helped her reap the reward on the world's biggest stage. All the long days, practices and hours in the gym ultimately paid off for McCray-Penson.
No wonder there was so much emotion flowing from her all those years ago.
"Those were tears of joy and tears of, 'Wow,'" McCray-Penson said. "Dreams do come true. If you put in the work, this can really become a reality."
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