Seimone Augustus' Drive to Succeed

Basketball fans know about Seimone Augustus' drive --- and her ability to drive to the basket.

What they might not know is that when Augustus is not busy shredding opposing defenses you might find her cruising down the highway in one of her '68 Chevy Impalas with a little smooth jazz music blaring on the radio.

Augustus, a 2008 Olympic gold medalist, says that her love for classic cars started when her uncle owned a 1968 black Impala convertible.

"I have two '68's-one convertible and one hard top, and I have a '66 Caprice," Augustus said. "I just bought a '96 Impala. It's not that classic, but it's still old."

The 6-foot-1 forward hasn't had much time to enjoy her cherished Impalas lately. She just returned from Europe where she helped Istanbul-based Galatasaray win the 2009 EuroCup title --- the team's first in about a decade. In 15 EuroCup games, Augustus averaged 20 points and 4.6 rebounds.

After a one-week break, Augustus has returned to the United States and is back with her Minnesota Lynx teammates as they prepare for the WNBA season, which begins June 6. (Minnesota opens its season with a game against Chicago.)

It's a big year for the Lynx and Augustus. The team overhauled its roster over the past two seasons and Augustus, the 2006 No. 1 draft pick, is the only player remaining from the 2007 season.

The Lynx haven't had a winning season or a playoff appearance since 2004. Lynx coaches and executives are hoping that Augustus can lead the current group of young players back to respectability.

Augustus is used to winning. She won two Louisiana state basketball championships in high school and then proceeded to lead LSU to three consecutive Final Four appearances. Then last summer in Beijing, she was on the U.S. team that won its fourth Olympic gold medal in a row. At the Olympics, Augustus played in all eight of Team USA's games and averaged 7.9 points and 2.3 rebounds.

"It's a very humbling experience. When you're in the moment you don't really understand how big and how special it is," Augustus said. "When I look back on it I realize that I got the opportunity to play with and against not just the best players in the country, but the best in the world, and how many people can say that?"

She followed that up by winning a EuroCup title in Turkey. 

"It was big for our ball club and for Turkey because I don't think they had won anything in the EuroLeague or the EuroCup in ten years or more," Augustus said of the top two basketball tournaments in Europe. "It was just great to see the fans and see everybody in Turkey come out and support the team."

She hopes that kind of success and excitement will transfer over to her team in Minnesota.

The Lynx, however, have posted a combined record of 36-66 during Augustus' first three seasons in the league. That doesn't sit well with Augustus.

"I've got to say that a realistic goal is for us to make the playoffs this year," she said. "We're young and everybody says we're too young, but I think the youth is going to get us over the hump this year. These young players actually want to come in here and learn, and I think that's going to get us over the hump this year."

Being a vocal leader doesn't come naturally for Augustus. If she had her way, she would quietly come to work every day, put up 25 points and five rebounds per game, and let her game do the talking. But she knows that's not what her team needs from her right now.

"I definitely have to be a little more vocal," she said. "Some days I know that I'm not the most vocal person so I just come out and work hard, and then there are other days when I'll get into my teammates and tell them what's happening."

During the Lynx's struggles of the past three years, Augustus has come to rely on the close relationship she has with her parents, Seymore and Kim.

"Being an only child, me and my mother and father have a very close-knit family," Augustus said. "They always kept me grounded. I could have had the best game ever in my life and there was still something that my parents thought I could have done better. That's them not ever letting me get satisfied with where I am with my game, and I appreciate that because it's helped me throughout my career to be a better person and player."

Augustus' main focus is on the WNBA but she said that she definitely plans on being a part of Team USA at the 2012 London Olympics.

"When you get up on that podium and you hear the national anthem being played with that medal around your neck, you realize that you've worked for that your entire life and it's like a dream come true," she said.

Maybe she'll achieve that feeling again in London. Perhaps she'll experience winning again in Minnesota, too.

If the Lynx do get over the hump this year it will no doubt be due in large part to Augustus.

And if that happens, you just might see Augustus riding off into the sunset with the trophy situated in the back seat of her convertible.

Story courtesy of Red Line Editorial, Inc. Matt Thomas is a freelance contributor for teamusa.org. This story was not subject to the approval of the United States Olympic Committee or any National Governing Bodies.