Another good aritcle on the Jr. National team this year, compares it too the Olympic team and the process used to select the players.
Withers starting for this team is a such a great accomplishment. It mentions Boeheim, Syracuse, as a big influence on selecting the team. Good to see he has no hard feelings about us beating them last year, with regards to Withers.
Next summer when they go to compete in the World championships there will be a lot of visibillity for this team, the coaches are really focused on this thing.
Interesting side note, mentioned in the article, if players declare for the draft after this season they can’t be on the team and go to the World championships.
i think I would like it, but then I think about it and the international teams are getting alot better and they have alot of pro players(nba) on there teams. maybe if we had a mixture or something. its a tough question/problem.
[b]Does anyone else besides me wish we could go back to the days when college kids and college coaches went to the olympics?[/b]
I wish ALL of the Olympic athletes were amateurs. They may not be the best in the world, compared to their professional counterparts, but they play for pride and not really anything else. This is pretty much just another event for those who get paid to play. Most of the athletes treat it that way, so why should we the viewing (or rather non-viewing) audience treat it any differently?
I’m with you. I really don’t care to watch the men’s basketball team play. It’s hard to seperate my disdain for the NBA from them playing in the Olympics, especially given how much I think they don’t care about it.
Bob Costas just gave a couple of interesting stats on them.
The NBA players are shooting 16% from behind the 3-point arc. This is the LOWEST percentage of any basketball team in the Olympics, men or women.
Percentage-wise they are the SECOND WORST shooting team overall in the games. The worst shooting team, the Russian women’s squad.
Give me back the college players, if we lose to players (pro) from other countries then, it’s fine, at least I know our guys will play with heart.
I can’t wait to see the spin the UNC Chapel Hill sports information office will put on Roy-boy upon his return to the Dean Dome next week. Good work with that clipboard!
I’d love to see the Olympic Team once again be made up of college kids. They would take some pride in winning.
HP, if those nba players keep losing, they may back off a little from the chapel hill propaganda spin. If they win the gold, we all know it’s gonna supposedly be because of the unc-chapel hill connection. We’ll be reminded who the coach was for the next decade.
The NBA has to really be embarrassed about this and HAS to take steps to change it. They are the premier league in the World but now they are getting their collective butts kicked! The league is going to have to incent its best players to participate, go for best team (Centers, PF’s, SF’s, SG’s and PG’s) and a better mix of talent which includes shooters, screeners, dirty work players etc. They are going to have to do whatever it takes to win OR they will want to get the NBA players out of the competition so that they do not get embarrassed.
Why can’t you guys read the article for what it is, rather than for inferring that he’s saying we should take college players again?
[b]No one seems to be questioning the Olympic team's chemistry or bench decorum yet. The biggest issues seem to be their poor shooting and defensive fundamentals. That's why picking the right players, not the best players, for this squad is the difference between the two national teams this summer.
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There you have it, from the story. Everyone is flaunting their “I hate the NBA b/c of tattoos and attitudes” lines when, in actuality the guys over there have done NOTHING to warrant that from everyone watching.
[b]how much I think they don't care about it. [/b]
Okay MKNiner. These guys are all multi-millionaires. Even Okafor is going to be. Do you really think these guys would be going to Greece to play basketball when it’s what they do 8 months of the year as their job, rather than go on extravagant vacations that you and I can only dream of??? I mean, why do people think they don’t care about it?? Why would they want to be known as the only USA team of NBA players NOT to win the gold.
This statement just doesn’t make any sense.
Tell me MK what your basis is for saying they don’t care about it?
