Watch the Digital Desk conversation with Coach DeLisha Milton-Jones.

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) – Old Dominion University women’s basketball coach DeLisha Milton-Jones knows what it is like to be at the Olympics and compete at the highest-level.

The two-time Olympic gold medalist and WNBA star went to the games in 2000 and 2008, Sydney and Beijing.

She joined the Digital Desk to discuss the Olympics, women’s basketball and more. Watch the livestream in the video player on this page.

“Watching the games now, I’m rushed with different emotions, different thoughts and memories,” Milton-Jones said.

She recalled her time as a former player in the same shoes. Milton-Jones said she mostly watches basketball games from a coaching perspective, taking a look at plays and analyzing the court.

For the 2024 Paris Olympics, Milton-Jones played a new role, serving on the Olympic Committee for the 2024 games, helping to select this year’s team.

“I thought it was a huge responsibility,” Milton-Jones said.

The committee’s role was to select the 12 best players to represent Team USA in the games.

“It was a daunting task,” Milton-Jones said. “And, I felt like no matter what decision we made, someone was going to be unhappy with something. But, to keep things true to the integrity of what they asked me to do, we just focused solely on finding the 12 best players that they asked and give us the best opportunity to continue our dynasty that we have set with USA Basketball and the Olympics.”

Milton-Jones said while difficult, the process was easy in the sense of there are so many talented players to choose from.

“The crop of players we get to choose from, they’re very talented,” Milton-Jones said. “You can go to any team in the WNBA and handpick two or three players from each team and say, hey, any combination we throw together we should be able to go and win.”

Milton-Jones said other variables also go into team selection, including who has participated in the USA camp.

“Who has made the sacrifices that were necessary for us to see them in this environment with head coach Cheryl Reeve and her staff, with the core group of players we know will make up this team,” Milton-Jones said. “Who fits the style of play on both ends of the floor that the head coach is looking for and that the committee feels will be able to go and compete at a high-level night in and night out under extreme circumstances on foreign soil?”

The United States women’s basketball team has won seven consecutive Olympics gold medals. That is the standard they aim for, she said.

Milton-Jones knows personally what is required at the highest-level of play. She played professional basketball in the WNBA and abroad for 17 years, winning championships. In 2022, she was voted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. Her class also included Becky Hammon and Penny Taylor.

Some players Milton-Jones played with are now on the Olympics team, including Diana Taurasi.

“I’m so proud of her,” Milton-Jones said. “Sometimes I’m looking at it like, ‘Man, I wish I could dust my shoes off and be out there with her.'”

The Paris Olympics are Taurasi’s sixth Olympic games.

“She’s in tremendous shape,” Milton-Jones said. “She’s as sharp mentally as she’s ever been. She’s actually out there trying to play defense. That’s something she’s not known for, but I think she’s putting forth her best effort doing so.”

Milton-Jones said Taurasi’s biggest impact is not only the court, but also being with the team and fellow players.

“More than anything, I think the impact she will have with this team is more so in the locker room, behind closed doors, on the bus rides,” Milton-Jones said, “in the quiet moments that she could spend talking to one of the younger players or first-timers about what to expect and how they can get through tough moments, and keep them in a position to win a gold medal.”

The experience levels for the players vary. Milton-Jones shared what both younger and experienced players can bring to the court.

“Bring your youthfulness,” Milton-Jones said. “Allow that energy to permeate throughout the team, so some of the old vets who have been down this road a time or two, they can pull from you in a powerful way and you can impact them.”

With the group round now over, the women’s basketball team will enter the quarterfinal round.

“You get one chance now,” Milton-Jones said. “You’re one-and-done. Everything you went through, you have to pull from it in a powerful way.”

The players on the national team do not have much time to prepare for the competition. The women have two weeks to practice together and connect before the Olympics.

“Two weeks to form team chemistry, two weeks to bond on both ends of the court where the ball can move, so everything is expedited,” Milton-Jones said.

Some countries play together for years, starting as grassroots and working their way up to the Olympics level.

“There’s more focus, there’s more that you have to give, more unselfishness that has to be attached to every thought process and action,” Milton-Jones said.

Both Olympic teams Milton-Jones competed on had the same goal, even with different personnel and dynamics.

“The feeling and the energy surrounding it were all the same,” Milton-Jones said. “One team, one country, one goal, and that’s to win the gold medal. And, if we fell short, it was gold or bust. No silver, no bronze. It was completely for the gold.”

Milton-Jones said there is no room for mistakes, and players have to have a dominating mentality.

The gold medals she has from the Olympics also symbolize the effort it takes to get there.

“What comes along with this are tremendous sacrifices, a lot of lost time with family, friends and loved ones,” Milton-Jones said. “You miss birthdays, you miss laying a family member or friend to rest when they pass. You miss beautiful moments that this opportunity can steal from you, but when you accomplish the goal, it can reward you in a different way.”

As she holds up her medals during the Digital Desk interview, she spoke about what they mean now.

“I understand clearly what it took to achieve this,” Milton-Jones said. “And, on the other hand, I also understand how amazing it allows me to feel afterwards because I feel so accomplished. And, it does take a village. And, it takes a special group of women, even the committees that pick them.”

Milton-Jones said now, she understands what everyone went through, from the players to the committee, because she’s been on every level of Team USA.

“I feel like I’ve contributed in a major way to being able to live on American soil and live a good life,” Milton-Jones said.

She encourages future players to experience the game up close and see how it is played. From going to regular WNBA games, and then the Olympics when it is back in the United States in 2028 in Los Angeles.

“Hear the communication on the floor,” Milton-Jones said. “Feel and see the passion that they’re putting into play so that they can be victorious in that moment. And, also watch what they’re doing in the community.”

For youth interested in basketball, she said you have to play basketball, practice basketball and watch basketball. And she highlights the importance of not only the physical side, but also the mental fitness for players such as visualization and having the right mindset.

This year will be her fifth coaching at ODU. She said she is ready for them to be on campus and prepare for the season.

Milton-Jones started coaching in April 2020. In January 2023 she celebrated her 100th game as a head coach.

Upcoming Women’s Basketball Olympics Schedule

The 3×3 team won bronze at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

After the group round, USA will play Nigeria Wednesday, Aug. 7 in the quarterfinals of the women’s 5×5. Click here to see the schedule.

Watch the full Digital Desk segment to hear more from Milton-Jones.