Five Questions with USA Basketball's Jerry Colangelo

This interview appears in the Thursday March 25, 2010 edition of the Business Mirror.

Five Questions with USA Basketball’s Jerry Colangelo

interview by rick olivares

pics provided by NBAE (thanks!)

A month after the announcement of USA Basketball’s new national pool of players, Jerry Colangelo, National Director for USA Basketball and the former owner of the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury, was able to squeeze in some time for an interview with Business Mirror about Team USA.

Rick: How does USA Basketball keep its NBA players focused on team play, winning, and the competition when on international duty? After the gold medal in Beijing, how do you prevent any letdown in intensity and focus?

Jerry Colangelo: All of the USA team members are professionals, and so competing to win, while focusing on playing as a team and setting aside personal goals are things that are part of their lives every time they step on the court. A question I’m often asked is about managing all the players’ egos and I can honestly state it has never been a problem because our players are aware that they are representing more than themselves or their professional teams. They know they are playing for their country which is the highest honor for an athlete. We also are very fortunate to have a very talented coaching staff led by Duke University’s Hall of Fame head coach Mike Krzyzewski. The players respect Coach K and he has a special ability of connecting with the players and getting buy-in from them. The composition of the USA Basketball teams for 2010-12 will be different than it was in 2008, just as the teams in 2006 and 2007 that represented the United States in various FIBA or FIBA Americas competitions were different than the 2008 Olympic Team. Each team develops its own chemistry and character, and while we have the entire coaching staff from the 2006-08 USA National Team back and some of the players from 2006-08 back as well, it will still take time for the players to find their roles and to play as a team. We do not expect any let down. We all know 2008 was a great experience and an accomplishment to be proud of, but that is in the past now. We’re starting the building of another USA Basketball national team all over again and the fact that the United States has not won a World Championship since 1994 is not lost on anyone involved with the 2010-12 USA Basketball national team.

Rick: Is it difficult to persuade an NBA player to be in the national pool? How do you account for fatigue because of the long NBA season?

Jerry Colangelo: I haven’t found it to be difficult to secure commitments from NBA players. You have to accept that there will be injuries and personal issues for some of the players. But we’re fortunate to have a tremendous pool of gifted players to be able to choose from. In building the 2006-08 national team, we were able to change the program’s atmosphere and its perception in a positive way. Thanks to the commitment of the 33 players who were part of our 2006-08 national team, it again became a prestigious and a desirable thing to the players to be part of. The players know what an honor it is to be selected to the USA team and to represent their country, and they also understand the commitment that has to be made if we are going to be successful. Most players in the NBA have reached that level because they are gifted and because they are extremely competitive. They love playing against the best and certainly the Olympics and World Championships present an opportunity to represent your country and play with and against the best players from around the world.

Rick: After Beijing, what countries look to offer the toughest competition to the US and why? What has Team USA learned from the past Tournament of the Americas and the Olympics in terms of playing the international brand of basketball and their skills improvement?

Jerry Colangelo: With a field of 24 teams competing in the World Championship there are a number of teams that should be considered medal contenders in 2010. Spain, Argentina, Greece, Lithuania, Croatia, Brazil, and Serbia are all excellent teams and there are any number of other teams that are also capable of putting a run together to win the World Championship. What makes this World Championship such an exciting competition is the format. From the Eight-Finals thru the quarterfinals, semifinals and the championship game, it’s whoever is best that day and we know there many teams that possess the talent required to win on any given night. And that’s all it takes, being the best on that one night. These aren’t the best of three or best of seven series. These are a series of sudden-death games where only the winner lives on to compete for the gold medal. The primary obstacles the U.S. faces whenever it fields a team in international competition are becoming a team, determining each players role on the team, and becoming familiar with the style of international basketball. It takes time to build a team and many of the other national teams that we will face have the advantage of having played together for years. Also, the international basketball style is different than the NBA style and what many of our players are used to. The games are shorter than NBA games, and the passion of the players and their fans can make games electrifying.

Rick: How fun is it to be at the helm of USA Basketball?

Jerry Colangelo: I’ve enjoyed my experiences with USA Basketball, it has been tremendously rewarding. It was rewarding in 2006-08 when I served as Managing Director of the USA Basketball Men’s National Team and had the opportunity to start and build a men’s national team program. It was gratifying to rebuild the men’s national team and see USA teams capture gold at the 2007 FIBA Americas Championship and the 2008 Olympics. I also take a great deal of satisfaction in seeing NBA stars once again really wanting to be part of the national team program, taking pride in representing their country, and in our teams doing so many positive things on the court for the sport of basketball and off the court as well.

Now that I have been elected Chairman of the 2009-12 USA Basketball Board of Directors, I’m enjoying having the opportunity to be involved with all of the USA Basketball teams, men’s and women’s teams at the national, collegiate and developmental levels. Our women’s program is remarkable. Our women are ranked No. 1 in the world by FIBA, they’ve won 63 of their last 64 games in major international competitions, and they’ve won an amazing four consecutive Olympic gold medals. USA Basketball has a tremendously successful tradition for its men’s and women’s teams and I’m looking forward to working with USA Basketball’s CEO/Executive Director Jim Tooley, his staff, and all of the coaches and players who will play for USA Basketball teams over the next couple of years and continuing to build on those successes.

Rick: Can you tell us what is so far your most memorable moment in your tenure with USA Basketball?

Jerry Colangelo: There honestly have been many. Obviously defeating Spain in that great gold medal game in Beijing at the Olympics was very memorable. So was seeing the joy on the faces of our players and coaches who had put in three summers of work. Recapturing the Olympic gold for the United States was incredible rewarding experience, but so too was seeing our program build over the three years and finish up by playing a beautiful game. Also seeing the USA men and women teams win Olympic gold is quite an achievement. All of the players involved not only played basketball at a very high level, but they respected the game and represented themselves and their country in an exemplary manner and I’m very proud of that. There are also a lot of other special memories - our numerous interactions with members of the U.S. Armed Forces, the many great people we meet during our travels. As I said, I have a lot of great memories from the past four years and I’m sure we’re going to have many more.

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Thanks to USA Basketball's Craig Miller!