Almost Time to Reload

Three and a half years ago, Jerry Colangelo was entrusted with the resurrection of United States basketball.  So far so good.  Given full autonomy and an unlimited budget, Colangelo developed an infrastructure from scratch.

Four months after taking the reins of Team USA, Colangelo hired Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski.  Krzyzewski had served in various roles for  USA Basketball in the past, but this would be his biggest challenge yet.  Colangelo and Krzyzewski then embarked upon selecting 24 players that would be asked to agree to a three-year committment.

“When I met with guys one on one, eyeball to eyeball, I was looking for a response,” Colangelo said.

“And I basically said, ‘Look, here’s what I’m demanding and don’t ever embarrass me and I’ll never embarrass you, but this is all about pride, representing your country. If you want to be part of this, you’ve got to buy in 100%. This is not halfway. If you can handle what I just said, then I’ll consider you. But if you can’t, then you’re out.’ ”

“We got total buy-in,” he said. “Total.”

But it hasn’t always been easy.  Two years ago, the United States was upset 101-95 in the World Championships.  Greece pick-and-rolled the United States to death in that contest and Team USA failed to make the appropriate adjustments.  There were whispers that Coach K was incapable of making the in-game adjustments that would be necessary in Beijing and that Colangelo made a mistake hiring Krzyzewski.

Fast-forward to today, and no one is questioning the hierarchy of USA basketball.

Coach K has done a masterful job of blending the greatest players in the world into a synergistic team.

Krzyzewski preached cooperation and sacrifice for the greater good of the team.  And he did it all by taking his team back to the basics.  By making his players forget that they are the “center of the wheel” of their respective teams, and making them believe they are simply spokes on the wheel of Team USA.

Krzyzewski has built personal relationships with each of his players and fostered an environment that encouraged his players to bond with one another.  He’s created a college-like atmosphere.

Not only is Team USA poised to bring home the gold, but one through twelve, every player on the United States will have improved after playing for Krzyzewski.  A few of them — Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and LeBron James — have shown more improvement on the defensive side of the ball in the last three months, then they had in their previous five years in the NBA.

Unfortunately, Krzyzewski will not return to coach the United States after these Olympics.  Colangelo is undecided to.  But it will be hard for him to walk away from something he’s invested so much in.

It’s going to be tough to recreate the comoraderie that Team USA has developed.  And the US basketball program has a long history of grooming assistant coaches for future head coaching gigs.  Assisting Coach K this year is Nate McMillian, Mike D’Antoni, and Jim Boeheim.  Two NBA head coaches and one college coach.  All three coaches are excellent in their own right.

But I think there are a few advantages to hiring a college coach.

1.  College coaches prepare for a shorter season and demand more intensity.  The road to the gold isn’t an 82 game grind like the NBA season (obviously).  It requires a one and done mentality that college coaches are familiar with.

2.  The international game resembles the college game more than the pro game.  The college game and international game are the same length in duration.  Unlike the NBA game, there is no defensive three-second rule in the international or college game. The international three-point line is the same length as the collegiate three-point.  The line will move back in 2010, but it will still be shorter than the NBA three-pointer.

3.  College coaches are teachers.  NBA coaches teach too, but they are managers first, teachers second.  The intricacies of the international game have to be taught to players that have habits born of the NBA.

4.  College coaches are free from conflict of interest.  Before these Olympics, there were rumors that Mike D’Antoni would use his position to curry favor with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade in order to get a foot in the door before they become free agents in 2010.  That’s a non-issue with a collegiate coach.

5.  Work load.  As I mentioned above, college seasons are shorter.  A college coaches season ends in March.  An NBA coaches season can extend till June.  Which means less time for preparation and less time downtime between “seasons.”

6.  College coaches are better prepared to build a family like atmosphere and true team environment.  And as we’ve seen in these Olympics, it takes a team to win internationally.

There are some great coaches in the NBA.  And I would never begrudge Jerry Colangelo for hiring a coach like Gregg Popovich.

But why mess with a winning formula?

A formula that has not only produced victories on the court, but has succeeded in changing America’s reputation abroad.