U.S. team gets a major overhaul

AleksandarN

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http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/news/story?id=2048026

Colangelo given control, wants two-year commitment
Associated Press

PHOENIX -- Jerry Colangelo has been given total control of the U.S. men's Olympic basketball program and has promised radical changes in an effort to restore the United States to international prominence in the sport.

The system of a handful of NBA stars gathering for a few weeks before the competition will be abandoned, said Colangelo, the chairman and CEO of the Phoenix Suns who has been involved in basketball for 50 years, 39 of them in the professional ranks.

"It's going to be drastically different," Colangelo said Wednesday at a news conference, "and I say that because you know stars do not necessarily make a great team."

The 10-member committee that selected the teams has been disbanded, and Colangelo alone will name the players and coaches. He said he wants them to commit to the team for two years leading up to the 2006 world championships and 2008 Beijing Olympics.

"The international game is a lot different game than people truly recognize," Colangelo said. "It's more than just the trapezoid lane compared to our line. It's a different game. As you prepare a team, you need players who can shoot the ball, pass the ball, understand the game, as much as you need players who are just athletic."

The president of USA Basketball, Val Ackerman, said that the organization felt significant changes in the structure of its senior men's team were necessary after it finished sixth at the 2002 world championships in Indianapolis, then won only the bronze medal at the Athens Olympics. Before Athens, the United States had won every Olympic basketball gold medal since the NBA "Dream Team" of Barcelona in 1992.

"The current reality, the new normal if you will, is that the dominance that the United States has enjoyed, and which we continue to aspire to, is simply much harder to achieve," she said, "and it can no longer be taken for granted."

The committee that selected the 2004 team was one of the problems, she said.

"Simply put, it was too many cooks in the kitchen," said Jim Tooley, USA Basketball executive director.

The 65-year-old Colangelo immediately became the obvious candidate to take over, Ackerman said.

He came to Arizona 37 years ago as general manager of the expansion Phoenix Suns. Later he put together a group to buy the franchise, and just last year sold it to businessman Robert Sarver. A member of the basketball Hall of Fame, Colangelo is chairman of the NBA board of governors. He was appointed by NBA Commissioner David Stern to head a committee in 2000-01 that examined the state of the game and made rule changes.

Colangelo also brought major league baseball to Arizona before leaving the Diamondbacks a year ago in a dispute with the new owners.

College players will be considered along with NBA players for the new team.

"We certainly want to change the perception that this thing is a locked-in deal for a handful of star players to participate in," he said. "No, that's not the case. I really like the idea of tryouts, I like the idea of opening the process up. We want people to feel that it's all-inclusive. This is not a fraternity, far from it."

As for selecting a coach, Colangelo said, "One of the things that I'm very, very sure of is those who have a true understanding of the international game I think have an edge. It's very, very important to understand it's a different game."

One coach who fits that description is the Suns' Mike D'Antoni, a star point guard and later a highly successful coach in Italy whose team had the NBA's best record this season.

Colangelo said he will appoint a small advisory group, and hopes to have it in place by early next month. But he alone will have the final say on the team's makeup. Character, he said, will be a major part of the selection.

"The perception of our athletes around the world is one that I'm very sensitive to," he said. "The kind of people I want wearing a USA uniform are those we can take some pride in. I want good people and high character. I think that's very, very important."

He also wants former Olympic players and coaches to be part of the process of building the new U.S. team.

"I have relationships with players, coaches and people within the business," Colangelo said. "I'm looking for people who share the same kind of passion I do. It's as simple as that, and there are plenty of them out there. Some of them may not have the star recognition that we're accustomed to in the past, but that's all right."

Colangelo wants the same coach and virtually the same team for the 2006 worlds and the 2008 Olympics. He plans to meet one-on-one with prospective players to explain his ideas and the commitment he believes is necessary.

USA Basketball has no qualms about giving one person so much authority of its highest-profile team, Ackerman said.

"We're actually kind of relieved to be putting it in his good hands," she said.
 
This is a great move. The US team was "doomed" as long as that committee of boneheads was bumbling around just plugging in random "name" players with more consideration given towards media exposure than to how the team is actually looking.

Hopefully Colangelo can get players to commit to what he wants. I think that making it more personal will go a long ways towards it. He'll certainly get more respect than a faceless committee.
 
the original team that they had in the qualifying rounds was way better and would ahve swept the olympics..... but they all bailed so they sent rookies and rejects(minus duncan and iverson)....
 
Excellent plan, especially with requiremnt for players to commit to the Team USA. I am looking forward to the next Team USA - what is it WC's, next?
 
Kev.in said:
This is a great move. The US team was "doomed" as long as that committee of boneheads was bumbling around just plugging in random "name" players with more consideration given towards media exposure than to how the team is actually looking.

Hopefully Colangelo can get players to commit to what he wants. I think that making it more personal will go a long ways towards it. He'll certainly get more respect than a faceless committee.

I agree...making it so once you originally agree thats it...barring a complete emergency on the players part...if they say yes thats it...listening to some of the excuses the players were making was ridiculous...its not fair for anyone to have to scramble to find replacement players...last years team could have been crAazy...I remember telling my sister our USA mens bball team is gonna do big things ofcourse that was before every minus AI and TD jumped off the boat...its diappointing IMO...and I totally look forward to the Olympics and the USA's mens bball team
 
2 year commitment or what?

What are the penalties? A fine? If they are in the NBA, I am not so sure that that would matter. If you are just some guy, unless money is envolved, like paying contracts, what incentive could there be?
 
honestly. this day and age most nba stars don't really care about playing for our country. good luck getting them to burn 2 years to what probably gives less money & notoriety from doing the nba with the risk for injury always lurking
 
Finally! The last few years there has been lip service paid to the obvious problems, but now it finally sounds like they are going to do it right. Or try to. Biggest question now will be what sort of caliber of players can you get to play? Looks like the system is going to be fixed, but there is still no real passion for international tournaments in the U.S. Be a lot easier to root for the teams though regardless of who it is that shows up. Maybe going in the direction of the Davis Cup in tennis.
 
Sofa King said:
honestly. this day and age most nba stars don't really care about playing for our country. good luck getting them to burn 2 years to what probably gives less money & notoriety from doing the nba with the risk for injury always lurking

All it takes is 12 talented guys who're willing to go for it, who fit well together and can become a team. You don't think there are 12 of those in this country?
 
and over the past few years there have been guys who wanted to go and said so in the media, but they got passed over for someone who was a "nice guy" or who the committee felt needed the publicity of being on the team because they were "up and coming". So to say the interest in going isn't there, that's inaccurate.
 
Kev.in said:
and over the past few years there have been guys who wanted to go and said so in the media, but they got passed over for someone who was a "nice guy" or who the committee felt needed the publicity of being on the team because they were "up and coming". So to say the interest in going isn't there, that's inaccurate.

True, but "nice guy" or "one who keeps his nose clean" is still going to be a pre-requisite, apparently.
 
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