U.S. Olympic BBall Team | Final Roster Set (Redick, Morrison, Bryant, Wade)

[minibronco]

23 Named To USA Basketball Men's Senior National Team Program

-- 2006-08 USA Senior National Team Features 21 NBA Standouts, Two Collegians --


March 5, 2006 • Colorado Springs, Colorado

2006-2008 USA Men's Senior National Team Roster


2006-2008 USA Men's Senior National Team Player Abbreviated Bios
USA Basketball revealed today 23 players, including 18 who have played previously for USA Basketball teams, who have been named to the historic 2006-2008 USA Men's Senior National Team program. The selections were announced by USA Basketball Men's Senior National Team program Managing Director Jerry Colangelo.

" This is the first standing USA Men's Senior National Team and the 23 players selected will give us everything we need to form a great USA team," said Colangelo, who was appointed Managing Director of the USA Basketball Men's Senior National Team program on April 27, 2005. "We feel we have versatility, shooters, size, quickness, role players, and defensive stoppers. In making the player selections we took into consideration the style of play anticipated to be used by the coaching staff.
Six members of the 2004 bronze medalist U.S. Olympic Team were among the 23 players named today to the 2006-08 USA Basketball Men's Senior National Team. (Top to bottom, left to right) Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James, Shawn Marion, Lamar Odom, Amare Stoudemire, Dwyane Wade. (NBA Photos).


"The first major competition we are selecting a team for is the 2006 FIBA World Championship. This is an important competition and we are taking this as seriously as we take the Olympics."

Named to the 2006-08 USA Senior National Team were: Carmelo Anthony (Denver Nuggets); Gilbert Arenas (Washington Wizards); Shane Battier (Memphis Grizzlies); Chauncey Billups (Detroit Pistons); Chris Bosh (Toronto Raptors); Bruce Bowen (San Antonio Spurs); Elton Brand (Los Angeles Clippers); Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers); Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic); LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers); Antawn Jamison (Washington Wizards); Joe Johnson (Atlanta Hawks); Shawn Marion (Phoenix Suns); Brad Miller (Sacramento Kings); Adam Morrison (Gonzaga University); Lamar Odom (Los Angeles Lakers); Chris Paul (New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets); Paul Pierce (Boston Celtics); J.J. Redick (Duke University); Michael Redd (Milwaukee Bucks); Luke Ridnour (Seattle Supersonics); Amaré Stoudemire (Phoenix Suns); and Dwyane Wade (Miami Heat).
"I was very pleased with the entire selection process. The manner in which it was conducted included all parts of United States' basketball, from the professional level to the colleges and high schools. Everyone was considered. It is obvious that we're not trying to put a collection of all-stars together. The goal is to put together as good of a basketball team as we possibly can. I believe we've done that with this group of players," said USA and Duke University head coach Mike Krzyzewski.

USA Basketball experience is plentiful among the 23 players with 18 having suited up for USA Basketball previously. Six players, Anthony, James, Marion, Odom, Stoudemire and Wade, were members of the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team that captured a bronze medal in Athens, Greece.

Players owning USA Basketball playing experience include: Anthony (2004 Olympics, 2002 Junior World Championship Qualifier, 2001 Youth Development Festival); Battier (2001 Goodwill Games, 1997 Nike Hoop Summit); Billups (1995 U.S. Olympic Festival); Bosh (2002 Junior World Championship Qualifier); Brand (2003 Olympic Qualifier, 2002 World Championship, 1999 Olympic Qualifier; 1998 Goodwill Games, 1997 Nike Hoop Summit); James (2004 Olympics, 2001 Youth Development Festival); Jamison (1995 Nike Hoop Summit); Johnson (2000 U21 World Championship Qualifier, 1998 Nike Hoop Summit); Marion (2004 Olympics, 2002 World Championship, 2001 Goodwill Games); Miller (1998 World Championship, 1997 U21 World Championship, 1995 U.S. Olympic Festival); Morrison (2004 U21 World Championship Qualifier); Paul (2004 U21 World Championship Qualifier, 2002 Youth Development Festival); Odom (2004 Olympics); Pierce (2002 World Championship,1996 U21 World Championship Qualifier, 1995 U.S. Olympic Festival); Redd (1999 World University Games); Redick (2005 U21 World Championship, 2003 U19 World Championship, 2001 Youth Development Festival, 2000 Youth Development Festival); Stoudemire (2004 Olympics); and Wade (2004 Olympics).

USA Basketball Men's Senior National Team Notes:

Of the 23 players named to the USA roster, 21 play in the NBA, and two, Morrison and Redick, are collegians.
The 21 NBA players represent 18 NBA teams, with the Los Angeles Lakers (Bryant and Odom), Phoenix (Marion and Stoudemire) and Washington (Arenas and Jamison) the only clubs boasting of two players.
Nine (Arenas, Billups, Bosh, Brand, Bryant, James, Marion, Pierce, Wade) of the selected hoopsters were named to the 2006 NBA All-Star teams.
A member of each NBA championship team since 2000 are part of the USA selectees. Billups (2004), Bryant (2000, 2001,and 2002) and Bowen (2003 and 2005), were each members of NBA championship teams.
By the conclusion of the 2006 World Championships (Sept. 3), 19 of the 23 players will be 28-years-old or younger. Three will be 20 or 21 years old, five will be 22 or 23, four will be 24 or 25, four will be 26 or 27, four will be 28 or 29, and three will be 30 or older.
When training camp opens, Bowen will be the oldest team member at 35-years-old, while 20-year-old Dwight Howard will be the youngest player.
The 23 selectees are expect to report when the USA opens training in mid-July. The exact training dates and sites will be announced at a later date.

The USA Basketball Men's Senior National Team will compete in the 2006 FIBA World Championship (Aug. 19-Sept. 3 in Saitama, Japan); if necessary the 2007 FIBA Americas Olympic Qualifying Tournament (dates and site TBD); and if the USA qualifies, the 2008 Summer Olympic Games (Aug. 8-24 in Beijing, China).

The USA Senior National Team coaching staff for 2006-2008 is set. Krzyzewski was named on Oct. 26, 2005, head coach of the USA Senior Team program for 2006-2008. Named assistant coaches were Syracuse University (N.Y.) and Hall of Fame mentor Jim Boeheim, Phoenix Suns head mentor Mike D'Antoni, and Portland Trail Blazers head coach Nate McMillan.

Additionally, Rudy Tomjanovich, head coach of the gold medalist 2000 U.S. Olympic basketball team and head coach of the Houston Rockets NBA Championship teams in 1994 and 1995, was named Director of Scouting for the USA Basketball Men's Senior National Team program for 2006-08.

Since first fielding a USA Basketball team of legendary NBA stars in 1992, USA Basketball senior national teams comprised of NBA players have claimed gold medals in eight of 10 major international basketball competitions, while compiling an impressive 74-6 overall record (.925 winning percentage) in those international competitions and a record of 23-1 (.958 winning percentage) in exhibition games.

2006 FIBA World Championship
Held every four years and considered international basketball's diamond event, the US has had mixed results in World Championship play.

Placing sixth and finishing with a 6-3 record in 2002, the 1998 USA World Championship Team originally was to be a team comprising NBA players. But when labor problems in the NBA prevented the use of their players, the USA team ended up comprising American players who were playing professionally overseas, in the CBA or in college. Despite formulating the team just weeks in advance of the Worlds, the US rolled to a surprising 7-2 finish and the bronze medal.

The US last claimed gold at the 1994 World Championship in Toronto, Canada. Behind the play of World Championship MVP Shaquille O'Neal, and Reggie Miller, Dominique Wilkins, Joe Dumars and others, the US finished 8-0 to take the gold medal and did so in dominating fashion, winning its eight games by an average of 37.7 points a game.

All told, the USA has won nine medals in World Championship play - three gold (1954, 1986 and 1994), three silver (1950, 1959 and 1982) and three bronze medals (1974, 1990 and 1998). Overall, USA teams have compiled a 97-26 win-loss record in the World Championships for a 78.9 winning percentage.

[ludo21]

Well at least they have Reddick as their pure shooter.

I hope this team plays as a team this time, or else its bronze or worse again.

[Al Wilson]

Bosh will bring the gold.

[minibronco]

I like the idea of the two college kids. By that time, they'll be old.

[GonzoLays]

You have make a team the compliments each other instead of making a roster of twelve guys who average 25 points per game. You can't five guys on the court who need the ball in their hands to be successful. You need a guy like a Wally Scerzbiak who is catch and shoot player to be teamed with a guy like a Kobe Bryant who usually takes anywhere from 8-12 dribbles before he shoots. Dwayne Wade and Kobe Bryant would make a terrible USA team backcourt for the exact reason. You think Lebron James is going to set picks for Paul Pierce? Or Chris Bosh is going to accept a role as a defensive stopper and rebounder?

No matter who they pick from the 25 players they selected for the tryouts this team is still going to be flawed. Not enough role players.

[RhymesayersDU]

I think the team will be damn good. The reason we lost in the last Olympics is because we had a lot of athletes, a lot of guys who could play one on one, a lot of guys who could dunk, but nobody who could shoot. Opposing teams just crowded the lane and dared us to shoot, which we couldn't.

Are the guys on the list technically role players, in the true sense of the word? Not really. But with that said, we could have really used guys like Chauncy Billups and Michael Redd last go round. Chauncy will lead this team from the point, and I hope he is the starting PG. Redd is money from 3-point range, as is Reddick, and this go-round we'll be daring teams to play that 2-3 zone.

Chris Paul can also be great for us, he is a fantastic passer who makes his teamates better. I also think the likes of LeBron, Carmelo, and Bosh have done a lot of growing up and can be much better this time around.

Obviously we'd have to see who the final 12 are, but this team has the potential to be scary good.

[GonzoLays]

They invited two role players in Shane Battier and Bruce Bowen. Outside of Luke Ridnour and Lamar Odom the rest of the guys are the "man" on their team. When they call for the ball they get it. If they need an isolation play to take their man of the dribble, they get it. Now, the issue becomes who is going to do the dirty work? Who is going to set the crippling screen to free open the dribbler? Who is going devote all his energy toward defense and rebounding? These are real issues a team has to deal with. Take the Sac Kings for instance, this year they started four former all stars in Bibby, Miller, Abdur Rahim and Stojakovic. And all of these guys were recent all starts too so they were not washed upped. The fifth starter was Bonzi Wells. That team was what, 21-32 together under a half of fame coach in Adelman. What was that teams problem? Anytime you start four all stars in a lineup with a half of fame coach, you should atleast have a five hundred record right if NOT leading the league in wins. But who did the dirty work? Who set the defensive tempo? Who swallowed his pride and let Bibby do his one and done stop and pop down the court? None of them because whenever Bonzi got the ball from Bibby he was looking to shoot because he might not see the ball again for another three minutes. Same with Stojo and Shareef. They wanted their touches, their iso's but they never got it and quit being a team.

That is what the olympic team is going to deal with unless they get the right combination of players. The Bulls that won 72 games had one certifiable scorer in Jordan, a clear 2nd fiddle in Pippen and three role players starting. Guys who did the dirty work and didn't need the ball in their hands to make a contribution to the team. This is the model that should be followed but is seriously laking with the players selected for tryouts.

[epicSocialism4tw]

Good points, Gonzo. The team will always have problems if they do not find proper players to fill roles in a system. The world's teams play together for years and have those type of players who know what to contribute. USA Basketball has basically thrown together a bunch of all-star teams and expected them to win without any commitment to an international b-ball system. Viola, US B-ball got left behind.