Basketball
About USA Basketball
Competitions
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About USA Basketball
Based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
Basketball is a non-profit organization and the
National Governing Body for men's and women's
basketball in the United States. As the
recognized governing body for basketball in the
United States by the International Basketball
Federation (more commonly known as FIBA) and
the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), USA
Basketball is responsible for the selection,
training and fielding of USA teams that compete
in FIBA-sponsored international basketball
competitions, as well as for some national
competitions.
Actually, USA Basketball is an organization
made up of associations. Current USA Basketball
active members include the Amateur Athletic
Union (AAU), USA Deaf Sports Federation,
Continental Basketball Association (CBA),
National Association of Basketball Coaches
(NABC), National Association of Intercollegiate
Athletics (NAIA), National Basketball
Association (NBA), National Collegiate Athletic
Association (NCAA), National Federation of
State High School Associations (NFSHSA),
National Junior College Athletic Association
(NJCAA), National Pro-Am City League
Association, National Wheelchair Basketball
Association (NWBA), United States Armed Forces
and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association
(WBCA). These member organizations have
representation on USA Basketball's various
committees and ultimately determine how USA
Basketball operates.
USA Basketball was organized in 1974 and known
as the Amateur Basketball Association of the
United States of America (ABAUSA). The name
change from ABAUSA to USA Basketball occurred
October 12, 1989, shortly after the
International Basketball Federation (FIBA)
[Image] modified its rules to allow professional
basketball players to participate in
international competitions. USA Basketball then
admitted the NBA as an active member and made
the name change.
USA Basketball is governed by its Executive
Committee and Board of Directors which are
appointed and elected by active members. Russ
Granik, Deputy Commissioner/Chief Operating
Officer of the NBA, serves as President of USA
Basketball for the 1996-2000 term. The Vice
President is Tom Jernstedt, Deputy Executive
Director/Chief Operating Officer of the NCAA,
Vice President For Men is 1976 Olympian Quinn
Buckner and the Vice President For Women Chris
Plonsky, Associate Athletic Director for
External Affairs, University of Texas. Big Ten
Conference Commissioner Jim Delany and Val
Ackerman, President of the Women's NBA, serve
as Treasurer and Secretary, respectively, while
three-time Olympian (1988, 1984 and 1980) Anne
Donovan and 1987 World University Games team
member Billy King, are the athlete
representatives on the Executive Committee.
Serving since October 1992 as USA Basketball's
Executive Director is Warren S. Brown, a former
administrator for both the NCAA and the
National Federation of State High School
Associations.
Between the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games, over
450 men and women proudly represented USA
Basketball at 23 international competitions,
winning 21 medals -- including 12 gold, four
silver and five bronze. Some of the
competitions in which those teams competed,
like the Olympics, are well known in the U.S.
and around the world, while others like the
World Championships, Goodwill Games, Pan
American Games, World University Games, Junior
World Championships and the Hoop Summit are not
quite as familiar to the average basketball
fan. Although lesser known, these competitions
are the foundation on which the USA's Olympic
hoops success is built.
Last summer, USA Basketball fielded eight
different men's and women's teams for various
international competitions. Those teams
featured player skill and experience levels
that differed as much as the competitions.
There were USA teams that featured promising
high school hoopsters, teams involving some of
college basketball's best men and women stars,
teams featuring some of women's basketball best
post-college players, and the gold medal
winning 1996 men's and women's Olympic
basketball teams, USA Olympic squads consisting
of the world's best players.
1997 promises to be another busy summer for USA
Basketball. Currently at the beginning of
another four-year cycle that culminates with
the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia, the
summer of 1997 will see the USA field three
men's teams and four women's teams. USA
Basketball in 1997 will be selecting and
sending both men's and women's teams to the
World University Games, a men's squad will also
represent the United States at the FIBA 22 And
Under World Championship, a squad of top high
school players will form the USA's men's Hoop
Summit squad and women's teams will also
compete for gold at the Women's World
Championship Qualifying Tournament in Brazil,
the FIBA Junior World Championship also in
Brazil and the R. William Jones Cup in Taiwan.
In addition to the selection and training of
men's and women's basketball teams that
represent the USA in international and national
competitions, USA Basketball is also involved
in the sanctioning of U.S. basketball team
tours of foreign countries, foreign basketball
teams tours of the U.S., as well as overseeing
the certification of FIBA and USA Basketball
officials and the assignment of certified FIBA
and USA Basketball officials to international
competitions.
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Competitions
The various competitions in which USA
Basketball teams participate includes:
The Olympic Games
Men's and women's Olympic basketball
competition is held every four years (2000,
2004, etc.). The USA men have captured the gold
in 11 of the 13 Olympics they have participated
in, while the USA women have earned the gold in
three of the past four Olympics. Sydney,
Australia, is the site of the 2000 Summer
Olympics.
The FIBA World Championships
Men's and women's basketball competition is
held every four years at the FIBA World
Championships (1998, 2002, etc.). Unlike the
Olympics at which 12 team participate, 16 teams
compete for the World crown and in basketball
circles, the World Championship title is
considered as prestigious as the Olympic title.
The USA women captured the bronze medal at the
1994 World Championship, while the USA men
earned the gold medal at the 1994 World
Championship. The next World Championship
competition is scheduled for 1998 in Greece for
the men and in Germany for the women.
The 22 And Under World Championship for Men
Held every four years, 1997 marks the second
FIBA 22 And Under World Championship for Men,
scheduled to be held in Melbourne, Australia,
August 1-10. The 1993 USA Men's 22 And Under
Team earned the inaugural 22 And Under World
Championship gold medal and finished with an
unblemished 8-0 record in Spain.
The Pan American Games
Started in 1951 for men and 1955 for women, the
Pan American Games are held every four years
(1999, 2003, etc.) in the year preceding the
Olympics. Only countries from COPABA (North,
South and Central America) are eligible to
compete. The USA teams have a distinguished
record in the Pan American Games. The USA men
have compiled an impressive 75-7 overall
record, winning eight of a possible 12 gold
medals. The USA women have won six of ten gold
medals and rolled up a 58-7 record. The 1999
Pan American Games competition will take place
in Winnipeg, Canada.
The World University Games
The World University Games (WUG) are held for
men and women every two years, summer and
winter, and only current university
student-athletes or recent graduates are
eligible. Basketball competition is part of the
summer WUG. The next summer WUG is scheduled
for June 10 through July 11 in Palma de
Mallorca, Spain.
The Junior National Teams
USA Basketball also fields men's and women's
junior national teams. Men and women
19-years-old or younger are eligible for Junior
teams that compete in FIBA Junior World
Championships every four years and other events
that emphasize player development.
The USA Basketball Select Teams
In an attempt to continually develop younger
talent, USA Basketball sponsors men's and
women's select teams that tour foreign
countries and participate in international
tournaments in the hope of gaining valuable
foreign experience and cultural exposure.