The U.S. Women’s National Team assembled for the first time since February when Olympic practices began in Los Angeles over the weekend.

Here’s what coach Geno Auriemma and his WNBA stars had to say:

Full Transcripts: Day 1 | Day 2

Coach Geno Auriemma

Could you feel the energy they had when they walked into the gym?
Oh yeah, you could feel it. We only ran through a couple things and purposely we didn’t want to do a lot — eight of them had a game yesterday. So I told them I would treat it as if it were the regular season for them this next month, whenever they have a game, this is their routine. Whenever we have a day off, this is their routine. I try to keep it as normal as possible, within reason, knowing that we have a lot of work to do. But, I think their level of excitement and they’re anxious to get going and that’s going to overcome whatever tired legs they might have. So that’s a good thing.

What are you hoping to get out of these three days in Los Angeles?
If we can just get a framework to work with: This is what we want to do, this is what we want to look like, this is how I want our team to approach things when we’re on offense, this is what I want it to look like when we’re on defense. And within that, just give them the freedom to do what they do best. So it’s not about, ‘here are the 17 things that I want us to do.’ No, here’s a little box, let’s just play in it and you do what you’re good at and we’ll be alright.

Because the pressure is so high, Is there still room for fun?
We try to take the approach that these opportunities don’t come along often and you’re certainly not guaranteed this opportunity in the future. So, even if you’re one of the young guys, you can’t sit here and go, ‘well, if I don’t enjoy this, I’ll make sure I’ll enjoy the next one.’ Well, there might not be a next one for you. …

We’ve got work to do, but at the same time, it’s every kid’s dream to play in the Olympics and here it is. You’re living it. So, let’s enjoy it. And sometimes the only people that enjoy it are the people that are the underdog, you know? It’s like ‘yeah, we’re going to do this and we’re going to do that, and isn’t this great.’ And the favorite sometimes play with a little bit of a, ‘I hope we don’t lose.’ And the one thing I’ve learned at Connecticut is when you’re the favorite, you have to play like it and you have to play with the kind of confidence and the kind of swagger that says, ‘even if you play your A game, as long as we play our A game, we’re going to win.’ And a lot of these players already have that and I just keep reinforcing it.

Elena Delle Donne, Chicago Sky

How does it feel to represent your country?
It’s amazing. It feels surreal to finally be here. I feel like I’ve been waiting so long for this moment. Now that we’re here together, we’re excited and very focused on gold.

With the USA Women’s Team going for gold once again, what does it mean to you to with this being your first Olympic experience?
Oh, my gosh. It would mean the world to me. USA Basketball has so much history.  And now, to be going for a sixth straight gold medal.  I’m really excited to be a part of that and it would be an amazing experience.  I’d love to be a part of that history and to make America proud.

Seimone Augustus, Minnesota Lynx

What’s it like to be back out here with another Olympic team?
It feels great to be in a position, for me, to possibly go for my third gold medal and to be a part of history that we’re making here, trying to get a sixth gold medal as a women’s basketball team. We’re trying to keep the legacy alive.

On being a part of the USA Women’s Basketball legacy:
It means a lot. I keep saying every interview that I do, I just remember having the USA Women’s Basketball poster from the ’96 team in my room because we didn’t a WNBA and all of this and we didn’t know if it was going to be around. So my dream, my goal, was to be like those strong women that I saw in that poster and to be in this strong position to be one of those players that young women and young boys are looking up to. And to be able to be a part of a legacy and a tradition that’s so rich in success and winning says a lot about where I’ve come from to now where people are like, ‘Oh you’re the old head on the team, this is your third time around.’ It means a lot.

Tamika Catchings, Indiana Fever

On representing her country:
Between Lisa [Leslie], Dawn [Staley] and Sheryl [Swoopes], I just remember them and how you carry yourself as an Olympian and how you always are prepared and how there’s all this extra stuff that going on. But even through that you have to focus and maintain your focus throughout the game because of our lack of practice time and lack of being together. We kind of have to grow really fast and you’ve got to make sure you’re 100 percent here every single moment you step on the court.

On Team USA’s chemistry:
It’s that mutual respect and just knowing what each person brings to the table. I don’t have to doubt that Sue [Bird] and D [Diana Taurasi] are going to be ready; they don’t have to doubt that I’m going to be ready. We just have to make sure, as the leaders and captains of this team, make sure that our team is ready to go.

Brittney Griner, Phoenix Mercury

On the advice Diana Taurasi has given her:
Take it in. Take it all in. Don’t let it go by. It will go by quickly. It seems like it doesn’t go by quickly, but it will go by quickly. She said she wish she would have taken advantage of some of the small things like being in the village and really taking it in, and that’s what I plan on doing. Samsung hooked us up with some really cool gear, too. So I plan on capturing it all on my new little camera thing that I have. So I’m super excited.