By Zach Thummel
Columbia Gorge News
THE DALLES — After setting the OSAA Class 4A scoring record, breaking The Dalles High School’s single-season assist record and earning Tri-Valley MVP and first team All-State honors, The Dalles’ Oliver Stevens added another accomplishment this summer, traveling overseas to Spain to represent the United States on the USA U18 basketball team.
Stevens returned home an international gold medalist, but he said the experience was about much more than the sport.
The USA team brought together 10 talented players from across the country, including Virginia, New York, Philadelphia, Texas, North Carolina, and Oregon. The players arrived in Spain as strangers, but by the end of the trip, they were teammates who had shared an unforgettable experience.
Twenty-two countries competed in the tournament, with the United States facing Sweden, Ireland and England on its way to the championship.
“We had 10 players. Everyone is incredibly talented,” Stevens said. “Our forwards were 6-foot-6 to 6-foot-10, and our center was 7-foot.”
“One of my specialties on offense is the pick-and-roll, and having players with size and athleticism to play above the rim was a perfect match.”
Team USA held a nine-point lead at halftime against England in the semifinals, but the coaching staff tightened the rotation in the second half. The decision helped the United States establish a rhythm and pull away for a 23-point victory and a championship game appearance.
The United States faced Sweden in the championship game. Sweden entered the gold-medal game with a roster that Stevens described as “lightning fast with excellent shooting range.”
The first half went back and forth, with neither team leading by more than five points. At halftime, Stevens received a different assignment — as the sixth man.
“Coach said he would bring me off the bench as the sixth man,” said Stevens. “He wanted to go with a taller, physically stronger lineup.”
Stevens’ opportunity came with 4:57 remaining in the third quarter, when the United States held a one-point lead. The United States eventually pushed ahead by 11 during a 10-0 run in which Stevens scored four points, recorded three assists and two steals, and forced another turnover with a deflection.
The Americans had flipped momentum, closing the period on a 23-2 run and taking a 23-point lead into the fourth quarter. Stevens played the entire fourth quarter as the United States completed the championship victory, beating Sweden by 27 points to win the gold.
“All I could think about as the confetti fell was, we won the gold, I had my Curry moment,” said Stevens.
Stevens said the players gathered around the championship trophy after the victory — the same group that had met as strangers just one week earlier. Stevens said one photograph captured the entire experience. He stood in his Team USA uniform, draped in an American flag and his gold medal around his neck, with the championship trophy in his hands.
Stevens said the trip to Spain gave him something statistics and awards cannot measure. He didn’t just return home with another championship. He returned with lifelong experience, lifelong teammates and an opportunity to win for his country.
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