Beyond the Bling
In one of the quieter sports stories of the summer, the U.S. Mens basketball team has been marching steadily forward in the FIBA World Championships in Sapporo, Japan. There was a time when U.S. teams took World Championship and Olympic gold medals for granted. But in recent years, a new generation of international basketball players has humbled American hoopsters, resulting in an embarrassing 6th place finish in the last World Championships and a disappointing bronze in the 2004 Olympics in Athens.
So what’s different this time around? Two words: Coach K. Duke Head Coach and master motivator Mike Krzyzewski took over the reigns of the National Team last year and immediately went to what USA Today appropriately called Plan B–a true team.… Read the rest