The highlight of Suzie McConnell-Serio's storied career in basketball, she said, was twice winning an Olympic medal.

"There is no better feeling than stepping onto the podium, wearing USA across your chest, seeing the American flag raised and hearing the national anthem played," Ms. McConnell-Serio said. "That feeling is absolutely incredible."

Ms. McConnell-Serio, who played basketball at Penn State after graduating from Seton La-Salle high school in 1984, won two Olympic medals. She won a gold-medal in the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, and she won a bronze-medal in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain.

The Olympics continue to be important to her.

Ms. McConnell-Serio, 42, who grew up in Brookline and now lives in Upper St. Clair with her husband, Pete, and their four children, plans to watch "as much of the Olympics as possible."

She said she hopes to pull her children, who range in age from 11 to 17, into watching the games with her.

Ms. McConnell-Serio said that she knows many of the athletes competing on the women's basketball team in China, and she is optimistic about their chances of success.

She noted, however, that the American team will face some tough competition, including the Australian team.

She can relate to athletes competing today, she said. "I can put myself in their shoes and feel the excitement all over again."

While the city and the athletes change every four years, the essentials stay the same, Ms. McConnell-Serio said. "The games are still very competitive, across the board, in all sports," she said.

Watching the events on television, however, does not compare to participating in them.

"Being part of the Olympics is an unbelievable experience," she said. "Being surrounded by the top athletes in the world is amazing."

"When you're at the Olympics, you're competing on the world's largest stage," she said. "It's very exciting."

Among other opportunities, winning the Olympics allowed Ms. McConnell-Serio to work as a motivational speaker for Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield.

Speaking to different audiences, she said, gave her the opportunity to positively influence young people as well as adults.

"I take my medals with me when I speak," she said. "Many people have never seen them before, and they are excited to see one."

After college, Ms. McConnell-Serio coached at Oakland Catholic from 1990 to 2003, earning an overall record of 321-86, and seeing her teams win three PIAA Class AAAA state titles and four district 7 WPIAL championships.

During that time, she played in the Women's National Basketball Association with the Cleveland Rockers for 3 seasons, from 1998 to 2000. She worked as a WNBA coach for the Minnesota Lynx from 2003-2006. She was named WNBA Coach of the Year in 2004.

In April of 2007 she took the position of the head coach of the women's basketball team at Duquesne University.

"I love this job," she said. "Basketball is a big part of my life, and I love teaching the sport and bringing a team together."

"I enjoy giving young women some of the same opportunities and experiences that I had in basketball," she said.

In 2008, she was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, in Knoxville, Tenn.

Ms. McConnell-Serio and her family moved to Upper St. Clair about two years ago, and enjoy living in the South Hills again.

"I love it here," he said.

She has been busy over the summer teaching basketball camps for area youth, and recruiting for Duquesne. Preseason starts for her second season with Duquesne when school resumes in the fall.

For the remainder of August, however, much of her attention will be on the athletes in Beijing.

"The Olympics touch everybody," she said.

Erin Gibson Allen is a freelance writer.