Total Turnaround: USA Baseketball's Return To World Dominance
Perhaps you were distracted by the first Sunday of the NFL season, consumed by the races in Major League Baseball, or just hungover from a long Saturday of college football.
Either way, if you missed USA Basketball's win over Turkey at the FIBA World Championship, then you missed something special.
It's been 16 years since the Americans could claim the title of World Champions. Sixteen long years that included three losses in 2002 while the FIBA event was held at home in Indianapolis and then rock bottom. The loss to Greece in the semi-finals in Japan in 2006.
USA Basketball has gone from its darkest day to maybe its brightest hour.
We all saw the "Redeem Team" take gold in Beijing, but not much fanfare surrounded this group of "b-list" players in Turkey. What this team lacked in superstar power it more than made up for in teamwork and defensive effort.
The total turnaround of the national men's basketball team is a credit to the vision and work of coach Mike Krzyzewski and Jerry Colangelo. These two men have instilled a new mindset and work ethic that had been lacking in USA basketball and the proof is on the court.
The world has caught up with American when it comes to basketball. The days of the "Dream Team" and easy 50+ point blow outs are gone. The fundamentals and execution of other countries make them formidable foes of the U.S. Even more proof is in the high amount of foreign talent that now populates NBA rosters.
Not only did the men's national team claim a world title, but USA Basketball is tops in the men's U16, U17, U18 and U19 teams. That is total dominance and no doubt the U.S. will return to the top of the FIBA rankings and with the win Sunday against Turkey.
USA Basketball has punched it's ticket to the 2012 games in London.
That team in 2012 will probably be a combination from the 2008 Olympic team and the team that played in Turkey. The standout of this latest class has been Kevin Durant. He took this team and put them on his back at times and was virtually unstoppable for most of the tournament.
Most of America wasn't paying attention Sunday afternoon, but it didn't matter. Team USA still performed with effort and pride and once again put USA Basketball back where it belongs, at the front of the world stage.
