As part of what the WNBA has branded “Welcome Back Week,” the league held conference calls with several players and coaches from around the league, including the Storm’s Brian Agler and Sue Bird. Here’s Agler and the other coaches:

“All seven teams right now in the Western Conference have a legitimate shot and a strong chance to work themselves into the race. It’s interesting if you see the match-ups and how one game – even one you aren’t involved in – can impact how you play. Match-ups and tie-breakers could play a big impact in the placement of teams.”

and Bird and her fellow players:

“2004 was similar with the Olympic break and the one thing I learned from that year is it’s actually more what you do before the break than what you do after. I don’t remember exactly the standings from that year back then but I know that we were in a very good spot…good enough where we actually lost five of our games after the break and we still were able to finish second. We know we have our work cut out for us, just like every other team. It’s going to be a fight but we did well prior to the break and hopefully we can get back to that level in these next few games and see what happens from there once we hopefully make the playoffs.”

After a two-week pseudo-training camp, the Seattle Storm is ready to begin focusing on the Houston Comets and the final eight games of the 2008 season. Monday’s practice marked a shift as the Storm had all 11 healthy players on the floor. Center Kelly Santos returned from the Olympics in time for last Friday’s practice; Monday, she was joined by guard Sue Bird and forward Swin Cash. While Bird watched from the sidelines, Cash was on the floor.

“She did a good job today,” said Head Coach Brian Agler. “Just trying to get her up to speed, Sue up to speed in a couple of things we added.”

Agler was pleased with the results of the Storm’s practices during the Olympic break. The team was able to get healthier and also get extensive work together for the eight players who were with the Storm during the break.

“Sheryl (Swoopes) has definitely come back in better shape,” he said. “Yo (Griffith) got refreshed having that the time off. I also think those younger players like Katie (Gearlds) and even Ashley (Robinson) and Shyra (Ely) have really come back and played pretty well in our training camp. I’ve been real pleased with how we’ve played here in practice. I hope it will carry over to the games.”

Though Cash did not participate in the Storm’s practices during the Olympic break, she hopes to see a benefit from the time off when it comes to a back injury that has been highly painful for her the last two seasons.

“The break was a time for me to really rest my back and do the things that we needed to do and get second opinions,” said Cash. “Now I’m going to be back here and train and see what happens.”

Cash acknowledged that she is coming up on long-term decisions about her back and her future. For now, however, she anticipates being able to continue battling through the injury.

“My issue right now is the pain issue and how you can deal with tolerance. Both of my doctors have said they don’t understand how I’m playing. I pride myself on being mentally tough and I take care of myself, whether it’s eating-wise, weights, doing certain things. Playing this game is worth it.

“I’m just here to battle with my teammates, and that’s going to be my focus.”

The great thing about the Olympics is how much they mean to players and coaches. The tough thing about the Olympics is how much they mean to players and coaches. Those of us who have worked with the Storm for some time saw familiar faces on both sides of this morning’s gold-medal game. While it was great to get a chance to see Sue Bird and Anne Donovan celebrate, it was at least equally as tough, if not more so, to see the disappointment etched on the faces of Lauren Jackson, Tully Bevilaqua and Suzy Batkovic.

At the end of the day (not quite literally, since the men’s final will keep me up late), the person I’m happiest for is Donovan, who joined Pat Summitt as the only two women ever to win gold medals as players, assistant coaches and head coaches, Donovan having also done so as an assistant coach. It’s easy to see how much this means to Donovan.

“I bleed red, white and blue,” Donovan said when she was named the USA’s head coach through the Beijing Olympics. “From the time I can remember, the Olympics were it. Staying up until all hours and watching the Olympians go for medals was something from a child that was a complete dream for me. When I stepped into the position as an athlete to fulfill that dream as a player, I thought that was the pinnacle. And then here I am as the coach. So it’s truly life-long dreams for me.”

It was evident to observers the kind of pressure Donovan put on herself in her dual role as head coach of the Storm and the national team in 2006 and 2007. That only increased when the U.S. was upset by Russia in the semifinals of the 2006 FIBA World Championships, snapping a 50-game winning streak in major international play and forcing the Americans to settle for bronze. In the wake of the loss, Donovan came under heavy criticism for her coaching, some of it justified but much of it ignoring the fact that Russia had played close before against USA squads that had the fortunate luxury of having Lisa Leslie at center.

That was before Donovan came under more fire this spring when she questioned Becky Hammon’s patriotism because of Hammon’s decision to play for Russia in the Olympics.

Ultimately, the 2006 loss proved a valuable learning experience for Donovan and her coaching staff. They recognized the need to return to the level of defense the U.S. won with despite subpar offensive efforts in the medal rounds in Athens. Defense was the focus of the USA’s brief training camp in Palo Alto, and the results were obvious. The U.S. women put together 80 minutes of incredible defense in their wins over Russia and Australia, and that translated into a gold medal.

The final +37.8 average margin of victory for this year’s team was the best ever for the USA in an Olympics, and when you consider that the conventional wisdom heading to Beijing was that the rest of the world had caught up, that’s pretty remarkable. Even the closest U.S. win, coming from behind against Russia in the semifinals, was far more decisive than the Russia-USA matchups in Athens or in the 2002 World Championships.

I watched the gold-medal game this morning with a handful of Storm co-workers, and at one point during the second half the discussion turned to whether this might be the best U.S. Olympic team ever. I took the dissenting position – the legendary names of ‘96 and that team’s incredible year-long run is tough to beat in my mind – but the mere fact that this is a discussion is testament to the coaching job Donovan and her staff did in the Olympics.

After the game and her USA head-coaching tenure were over, Donovan reflected publicly for the first time on the pressure she felt to win gold.

“There was no more pressure on me than the pressure I put on myself,” Donovan said. “That was just extremely disappointing to be the leader of that team that came away with bronze. And to know that we were better than that and could be better than that, drove me every day since 2006.”

Later, she added, “I’m not coaching the team any more, so I can sleep at night now.”

The last question of Donovan’s portion of the press conference asked her whether winning gold as a head coach was different than doing so as a player or assistant coach.

“It’s way different,” she said. “There is so much more … I think there is a lot of pressure I put on myself for this and there is just a tremendous amount of satisfaction to know the last three years … there have been a lot of challenges … so this is a great way to go out.”

Indeed it is. Congrats, Anne, and I hope you sleep well tonight.