NOTE: This post was intended to be written during the recent Labor Day weekend. Unfortunately, however, the author's schedule proved to be quite full: golf, grilling, the pool, and beer. I DO have priorities.

In 1992, the U.S. decided to send pros to the Olympic basketball tournament. I felt at the time it was a bad idea. I even predicted that the team of pros would lose because they would be playing against teams that had been playing together for a long time. Of course I was ridiculed by my buddies when the U.S. team kicked some serious tail. The fact that they neglected to take into account was that shortly before the '92 Olympics, the breakup of the Soviet Union occurred. For those who don't remember, the Eastern bloc, as it was called, was much different pre-1992 that it is now. Teams like Yugoslavia, Russia, and other world powers, were disbanded. So the '92 'Dream Team' cruised to the gold medal. So did the '96 Olympic team. At that point, I felt that it was time for the amateurs to return, since I felt we were in a no win situation. It was only a matter of time before the U.S. lost, and the more times we sent pros to the competition, the quicker that would happen, since sending teams of pros would serve no real purpose other than to make the opponents better.  

Fast forward (an old cassette tape term, for those of you under twenty), to 2006. The U.S. squad has lost several times in international competition since '96. With each loss comes the media experts lamenting our style of play, coaching, attitude, lack of great players, brand of shoes, and the choice of restaurants for pregame meals, just to name a few. On the heels of our latest loss, to Greece, there is a positive side that must be kept in mind: Jerry Colangelo embarked on a plan with a three-year team in mind when he undertook the task of running the program. It was something he kept in mind throughout the process of selecting players, coaches, and restaurants, not to mention shoe brands, (I think). Having said that, the pressure is on the U.S. to win in the immediate future, especially after the loss to Greece. Again, the program is in a no win situation. Win or failure. Those are the only two options.

Which brings me back to my initial thoughts following the '92 and '96 teams. It's time for the amateurs to return to the world stage in basketball. Not to say that the pros don't work hard and want to win. They do, because they know the backlash if they don't. And being professional athletes, I'm sure they are familiar with that whole process. But to further the quality of all basketball in this country, it's time the college kids resumed playing in the Olympics, World Championships, etc. The pros gain nothing by competing in these, whether they win or lose. Oh, sure, gone would be the opportunity for trivia questions like--'Which players have won an NBA Championship and an Olympic gold medal in the same year?' or 'Which coaches . . . ?" And so on. But that situation does nothing to help the state of basketball in this country. Nor does it improve the pros as much as it would the collegiate players who would play. As for picking the team members, there is a myriad of ways that could be done. I realize that the players would be amateurs for a short time, so a three-year plan would be out of the question. But it can be done. It needs to be done. I know I can't speak for everyone, but I for one would be much more interested in watching the college teammates compete against an established foreign team. It would make the college athletes better as well-which would over time improve the pro game, in my humble opinion.

Thanks for taking the time to read.