Bonding with brothers in Beijing

Members of the USA Women's Basketball team were nowhere to be found in the athlete village during the Olympic Games last summer in Beijing. Instead, they stayed outside its parameters, cooped up in the Intercontinental Hotel.

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"We've always been a little bit more off the beaten path, not in the village," said three-time Olympian Katie Smith, who played on that gold-medal winning team. "You would love to maybe mix and mingle a little bit more with everybody, but in the end having your rest and having things in a meeting room, and not having to fight so much for space or time, it really I thinks helps us in the end."

Although they stayed outside the athlete village, the women still felt more American than ever, and they quickly became new best friends with their brothers - members of Team USA's men's basketball squad.

"The guys are really supportive, obviously," Smith said. "They came to watch us, we came to watch them. We hung out in the lounge together, you eat meals with them, you get to see them off and on (the court) and just hang out and visit and be normal, and not watching them always play basketball and get screamed at by fans. It was fun for me with Michael Redd, a fellow Buckeye."

The women attended the men's games, and vice versa, making familiar faces in the international stands.

"Me and Dwight (Howard), we were really close," first-time Olympian Cappie Pondexter said. "Me and Dwayne (Wade), we hung out, we knew each other from Chicago. LeBron (James) and 'Melo (Anthony), we all grew up knowing each other.

Aside from Kobe Bryant, Jason Kidd and Chris Paul, Pondexter grew up with most of the other guys, playing USA basketball.

And the new friendships didn't end in Beijing.

"We spent a whole month together - every day, seeing each other for a whole month,'' said Pondexter, who keeps up with many of the men's team members. "They'll be like 'What's up CP?' checking in on me. If I see they had a good game or something I'll shout them out."

Unfortunately, the women didn't get a chance to celebrate with the Redeem Team after its victory, because they had to return to the states to finish up their WNBA season.

Most of the women are stars in the WNBA back home, and they usually find themselves playing against each other instead of as teammates. However, Beijing provided a chance for them to let their guard down --- at least a little bit.

"The USA players, when we leave, we leave our team and go off on our own," Smith said. "It's fun to have that time together and to get to know people rather than just always playing against them. You get to know what they're like. You get to know people more than just as basketball players."

This was not the first time the basketball program kept to itself at the Olympic Games, though. In 2004, the players were docked on the Queen Mary in Athens, and in 2000, both teams stayed in a private apartment complex in Sydney.

"We were kind of secluded, away from everything, it was weird," Pondexter said. "We were focused, big-time."

The dining hall at the Intercontinental Hotel was run by a chef from a culinary school in Detroit, as well as volunteers who assisted in making it a low-key environment for the athletes.

 "At the hotel you kind of just stay and keep to yourself," Smith said. "Some people went swimming; some people played cards and video games. There was a sweet set-up by Nike. They had all kinds of snacks and games, so a lot of times a lot of ladies and guys would meet up there."

Although the basketball program was secluded from the village, the players had as much patriotism as anybody at the Games.

"I felt American all of the time," Pondexter said. "It's good to see their support and see your colors miles and miles away from home. To see that is actually pretty cool."

The players had a chance to venture off the court and support their fellow Americans. Pondexter attended both track and field and volleyball events.

"It was different,'' Pondexter said. "I felt actually like a fan, you know. I enjoyed watching other people compete in their sports because it's something they're passionate about. You get to experience it on both levels - as a player and then as a fan."

Smith, meanwhile, had the chance to go to one of the Games' largest attractions - a swimming event.

"It's a blast," the 2008 WNBA Finals MVP said. "I watch a little swimming, but it isn't a sport that is on ESPN every week or for six months or anything like that."

In the end, though, it was all about being American.

"It's just the pride of cheering for your country no matter if you know anybody or not," Smith said. "It's just that everybody is so fired up and representing their country and it's just such a prideful atmosphere and it's just so much fun because everybody's getting into it with records. Everybody's just out there having a great time."