Colangelo In Charge

One of the most interesting stories from the 2004 summer Olympics, in my opinion, was the men's basketball tournament. I wouldn't have predicted that, since they've been almost unwatchable since 1992. That's the year that USA Basketball selected their original "Dream Team" of NBA stars to represent them. I don't object to the presence of the NBA professionals, but I never have much interest in watching a sporting event where the outcome is not in doubt.

I remember at the time having a debate with one of my roommates about just what this meant for the future of men's basketball at the Olympics. It seemed obvious that the USA would be unbeatable in 1992; my roommate (who was somewhat prone to hyperbole) asserted that they would never lose another game. Although I was fairly certain that they would lose a game someday, I never expected them to lose the gold medal just 12 years later.

Obviously, the losses and the associated controversy in Athens have initiated some soul-searching at USA Basketball. Last week they announced that Phoenix Suns CEO Jerry Colangelo will take over as the men's senior national team Program Managing Director (thanks to Ralph Hickok for putting me onto the story). The selection was backed up with the following quote from president Val Ackerman:

We can think of no one more qualified than Jerry Colangelo to lead the effort and to restore the U.S. senior men's national team program to a position of global pre-eminence.

Of course the hand-wringing is a bit of a joke. Since the introduction of the Dream Team the men's national team has gone 74-6 in international competition, and won the gold medal in 8 of 10 tournaments. Granted, the 2004 bronze medal matches their worst Olympic performance ever, but only an American could look at that situation and see a "trend toward international insignificance."

Colangelo will have final authority over player selections, replacing a committee of 10 that selected the 2004 roster. He also has some ambitious plans, which include keeping the national team assembled in some form between major competitions. That's a really good idea, but it will be interesting to see what kind of cooperation he gets from the NBA players. It seems to me that the NBA's elite have completely lost interest in the Olympics in recent years. Perhaps that will change now that some of the games are actual contests, or perhaps not. Colangelo is going to have to find a way to spur their patriotic pride.

Since 1936, when basketball first appeared on the Olympic programme, the US has made dramatic changes in the way that they approach the competition. (In many ways this is analogous to ice hockey in Canada). From 1936 through 1956, the team trials consisted of an invitational tournament including the best amateur and college teams. The national team was then selected from the best teams in the tournament; as a rule this meant that the players were drawn from two of the best amateur teams in the country, with perhaps a couple of other outstanding individuals thrown in. The winning club or college team by itself would have won the gold medal anyway; I am sure that the decision to use players from more than one team arose from a desire to give more young players an Olympic experience.

The 1960 team was the first to use a true "all-star" format, with athletes from eleven different schools. The USA continued with this format through 1988, all the while watching their dominance be eroded. As the "amateur" period came to a close, they actually lost a few games, including the infamous gold medal matchup with the USSR in 1972.

The professional era opened with the first Dream Team in 1992, after a bronze medal performance in 1988, and for a while the US men's team was again untouchable. But that didn't last for long.

It is possible that improved management can push the USA back to a dominant position, for a while, but any change Jerry Colangelo can make will be tiny compared to the changes that have come before. In the first seven summer Olympics where basketball was played, the US team went 54-0, took home all seven gold medals, and won their games by an average of 32 points. Those days are never going to return, and those of us who live in the rest of the world can be thankful for that.