Tuesday, 01.08.2006	posted by Andrew Gaze 1:22 pm
Category: FIBA World Championship

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When the 2006 FIBA World Championship tips off on Aug 19th it is virtually taken for granted that Team USA will once again assume the mantle as Gold medal favourites.

But is such respect and high expectations justified? Recent results would suggest not. In 2000 they were one shot away from missing out on the Gold medal game. Their performance in Indianapolis during the 2002 FIBA World Championship, where they finished 6th, was nothing short of deplorable and in Athens they only just spluttered there way to a bronze.

Hardly the form to inspire thoughts of international basketball supremacy but such is the status of USA basketball and their undisputed depth of talent that it will probably take many more failings and under-achievements before anyone with an ounce of basketball credibility would tip against Team USA.

When the US unleashed its NBA players onto the international stage and the ‘Dream Team’ of the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games obliterated all before them, it was thought that it would be many decades before anyone would challenge their international pre-eminence.

With such extraordinary talent at their disposal, showing up with the crème de la crème of the NBA was enough to be assured of winning. Or at least so it seemed. Confidence from within was certainly never an issue. I can still recall Charles Barkley’s comment just prior to the start of their Barcelona campaign when asked who he thought the next best team at the games would be and he replied “the USA women’s team”.

Well, that may have been the case back then but the embarrassments of Indianapolis and Athens appears to have humbled the once almighty and there seems to be a new path being chartered to try to restore the order.

Gone is the idea of simply throwing a bunch of All-stars together and relying on talent to prevail. Concepts like try outs, role players, no set starters, and pride in representing your country are becoming the focus with a greater priority on preparation.

Legendary college coach Mike Krzyzewski is in charge of creating the new order, with a program not only centred on Japan but also Beijing. A squad of approximately 24 has been selected and even those who don’t make the final team of 12 will remain part of the program through to the 2008 Olympic Games.
A sign of the new culture being developed was the recent appearance of JJ Redick, Chauncey Billups, Michael Redd and Greg Oden at the team’s first training camp in Las Vegas. Despite being injured or unavailable for personal reasons for Japan, they were all there as a show of support to the program.

The challenge of moulding All-star players into an All-star team has been proven to be a difficult assignment. The attitude and commitment from the players is unquestionably an important ingredient and the rhetoric emerging out of the Las Vegas camp would warm the cockles of the hearts of all USA basketball fans.

The bona-fide stars like Dwayne Wade, LeBron James, Gilbert Areanas and Carmelo Anthony are apparently buying into the team first approach and are not concerned about playing time; everyone is making the extra pass on offence and the Krzysewski gospel of playing for the name on the front of the jersey seems to have been accepted.

It is early days but if there is substance to the approach of the new regime, then it is difficult to identify a more talented opponent. There will be many worthy adversaries, who will be ready to pounce if the US implodes but, as it has been in the past, this World title looks like one that they would need to lose.