KG-MVP21

East Valley Tribune - On a scale of one to 10, Jerry Colangelo gives Team USA's first foray into rebuilding its infrastructure and recapturing international basketball respect under his guidance a solid 10.

"We took the first step," the team's managing director said. "We gained the respect of the world basketball community and put a good team on the floor."

But a golden opportunity to hit a home run, push the scale to 11 and come home undefeated with a gold medal from the FIBA world basketball championships was ruined by what he termed "a bit of Greek mythology." Greece shot 70 percent from the field in the semifinals, beat the Americans and forced them to settle for bronze ? a medal earned after beating a tough Argentina team in the consolation finals.

"We knew how good the top teams are in the world and the stars were aligned for Greece. It was their night," said a weary Colangelo. "Losing that game took the icing off the cake. We went 13-1. Getting a shot at the gold would have been a 10-plus-plus, but it didn't happen."

Now, instead of an automatic invite to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Team USA must earn one of two at-large berths at a regional qualifying tournament currently scheduled for next summer in Venezuela.

KirkHinrich12

It would be a black eye for USA basketball if Team America missed the Olympics.

bball4life

They better not miss it

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KingOfDaA404

Trust me they aint gone miss it

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KirkHinrich12

If they do, it'll be a black eye to American hoops