Jillian Harmon's Spring and Summer

David Gonzales/Stanford Athletics

Let's start with the trip to Tampa? What is life like for a member of a Final Four team? Was your time really regimented, with press and video shoots and various events?

Our Trip to Tampa was just a tremendous experience, and a first for all of the players. I think the coaches were really excited for us to be able to experience the final four since Tara and Amy had been there as coaches, and Kate and Bobbie as players. We had a lot of functions to attend while there, including the naming of Candice as National Player of the Year. It was really a special time, and I am sure we will all remember it forever.

David Gonzales/Stanford Athletics

Winning over UConn must have been a major thrill. What do you remember of that game?

I just remember thinking that our team played like a well-oiled machine. We were really clicking on all cylinders, and we showed that we weren’t satisfied just making it to the final four.

David Gonzales/Stanford Athletics

The championship game was a tough loss: somehow Tennessee seemed to break up the rhythm of everything the Cardinal had been doing so well up that point. Have you had any thoughts about that game since?

Since the game it's hit me just how close we really were. When you’re in the moment everything happens kind of fast, but now that I’ve had the chance to look back and reflect it's disappointing to get so close. However, we did lose to a great team and we have another chance this year.

Even during the Final Four weekend you had in your pocket an invitation to try out for the New Zealand national team, the Tall Ferns. From the championship game on April 8th, to the Tall Ferns's first game in the Good Luck Beijing tournament was less than two weeks! That must have been a fairly crazy period...

The past 6 months or so have been really hectic, but probably have included some of the best times in my life. To go to the final four and Olympics in less than one year was incredible. If you would have told me that last September I would have thought you were crazy.

In New Zealand for training, how were you and Clare Bodensteiner housed; did you have to live in a hotel or were you with a host family or what? Did you bring any relatives with you from the U.S. or was it just you and Clare?



Clare and I lived in a furnished house with Micaela Cocks and Jessica McCormack. They also provided us with a car to share, so we were pretty much on our own. It was a great experience living with those girls and getting to know Micaela (who plays at Oregon). She could be the funniest person I’ve ever met, so the house was never short on laughter. It was great to play and live with Clare again as well.

The Stratford Press of Taranaki ran a nice article about you visiting your cousins there. Was this the first time you had met them? What's the countryside like, around this area where your Mom grew up?

This was the first time that I had met my cousins, and the first time seeing my uncle in ten years. With all the basketball in the States that I’ve played, there hasn’t been much time to travel to New Zealand and visit family. My relatives actually live on the dairy farm my Mom grew up on, so it was really exciting for me to explore the area she grew up. I visited her old elementary school (now closed due to lack of students), high school, and some of her old friends. They have a 200 acre farm with over 300 cows, so they keep pretty busy. Ironically they had already planned a trip to visit my parents in Chicago and are visiting them now.

Apart from the visit to Taranaki did you have any time to get out and do any touristy things in New Zealand?

I went to an All Blacks game in Dunedin. They played South Africa, and I really fell in love with rugby!

After a month of training the Ferns headed out for Beijing. Rather than try to ask specific questions, I'll just say: give us your strongest impressions of life in the Olympic village.

We arrived at the Olympic Village on July 30 and stayed past the closing ceremonies all the way until the 26th of August. After living there for a month it almost felt like home. The village is just an exciting place that houses over 10,000 athletes. Each country has their own apartment. I really got to know some of the other New Zealand athletes, and I was pretty surprised that such a small country was able to send more than 200 athletes! The biggest adjustment I had to make while in the village was to not completely freak out each time I would pass a superstar athlete. By the end, I had myself pretty much under control! The place to hangout in the village is the dining hall, and in the dining hall our team ran into just about every famous athlete you could think of. Our team actually became pretty good friends with the Germans and Dirk Nowitzki.

We all felt bad when we heard the Tall Ferns didn't participate in the opening ceremony (because they had a game early next day), but we know you and Clare were at the closing ceremony because you were on NBC television for a whole 7 or 8 seconds! How was it viewed from the infield? Could you see much?

I was really disappointed that I couldn’t go to the Opening Ceremonies, but the closing definitely made up for it. It was truly amazing to be inside the Bird's Nest for the ceremony. The feeling of walking out onto the track during the ceremony is one that I will never forget.

Jillian, thank you so much for sharing these memories with us. We can hardly wait for your senior season to start.—— Dave Cortesi for the Fast Break Club

Thanks for the Questions! Jillian