Summer Olympics May Be Last Hurrah for Anne Donovan

Anne Donovan says she is a good example of how women’s basketball has changed.

“It used to be they recruited the tallest girls to play, whether or not they were good athletes,” Donovan said. “That’s how they got me.”

Nine years ago, Donovan left Ridgewood, N.J., to attend Old Dominion. She was 6 foot 8 inches and something of a curiosity. She and Nancy Lieberman and Inge Nissen helped make Old Dominion one of the best college teams, carrying the Monarchs to a 37-1 record and a national championship.

Donovan has been on winners since, and hardly a major international tournament has passed without her. She is back this summer, a virtual cinch to make her third U.S. Olympic team at age 26.

“I feel lucky I’ve been able to play at this level so long,” she said during a recent mini-camp at North Carolina State University. “It’s a difficult level to stay at. I’ve had to work extra hard because I don’t have the ability some others do.”

Donovan tends to downplay her ability, as if her height is her only qualification.

But what she may lack in pure athleticism, she makes up for with experience and guile. In mini-camp scrimmages, Donovan was the team’s most reliable rebounder and accurate shooter. She scored on 15-footers, hooks with either hand and any shot near the basket.

U.S. Olympic Coach Kay Yow said she is impressed with consistency. And consistency is Donovan’s contribution.

Donovan said this may be her last hurrah, at least at the top rung. She is interested in coaching, tired of being away from home and ready to finally yield to those younger and more athletic players she’s been outlasting.