I guess they neede another big guy, but where's the love for Francis? http://www.usabasketball.com/usab/Men/booth_goodwill_010808.htmlBooth Named to Goodwill Games Team 2001 Men's Goodwill roster - Center replaces injured Mark Madsen -- COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., Aug. 8 -- USA Basketball announced Wednesday that Calvin Booth, a NBA restricted free agent who signed an offer sheet with the Seattle SuperSonics on July 31, has been selected to replace injured USA Goodwill Games Team selectee Mark Madsen (Los Angeles Lakers). Calvin Booth during NBA Playoffs 2001 with the Dallas Mavericks. (Glenn James/NBAE Photos) The 12-member 2001 USA Basketball Men's Goodwill Games Team, which for the first time in five Goodwill competitions will feature 12 young stars from the NBA, will compete Sept. 3-9 in the 2001 Goodwill Games in Brisbane, Australia. The player selection criteria developed by the USA Basketball Senior National Committee called for the 2001 Goodwill Games Team to be comprised of NBA players who were either drafted in 1999 or 2000, who were 22-years-old or younger, or who were rookies in the NBA in 2000-01. The players and coaches were selected by the USA Basketball Men's Senior National Team Committee. "I'm very excited to join all of the talented young NBA players assembled for this team," said Booth. "Having played in the 1998 Goodwill Games, I know this will be another great basketball and learning experience. I am really looking forward to this competition, and the opportunity to bring home a gold medal for the USA." "Calvin is a great addition to the Goodwill Games team," said Stu Jackson, chair of the USA Basketball Men's Senior National Team Committee. "He will give the team additional frontcourt presence with his great rebounding and shotblocking abilities. Calvin is a fine young player who will join a terrific group of talented NBA stars to represent USA Basketball in the upcoming tournament in Brisbane, Australia." The 12-member USA Goodwill Games team features: Shane Battier (Memphis Grizzlies); Booth; Baron Davis (Charlotte Hornets); Marc Jackson (Golden State Warriors); Rashard Lewis (Seattle SuperSonics); Shawn Marion (Phoenix Suns); Kenyon Martin (New Jersey Nets); Andre Miller (Cleveland Cavaliers); Mike Miller (Orlando Magic); Jermaine O'Neal (Indiana Pacers); Wally Szczerbiak (Minnesota Timberwolves) and Jason Terry (Atlanta Hawks). Minnesota Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders will serve as head coach of the USA Team, and Orlando Magic head coach Glenn Rivers, Michigan State University head coach Tom Izzo and University of Dayton (Ohio) mentor Oliver Purnell will serve as assistant coaches. "Calvin is an excellent shotblocker and an aggressive rebounder. He played for USA Basketball at the Goodwill Games in 1998, so he'll bring some additional international basketball experience to our team," Saunders said. "We will miss Mark's (Madsen) aggressive play, but I understand the need for him to take proper care of his injury so he is ready for the NBA season." The 6-foot-11, 241-pound Booth played in 55 regular season games in 2000-01, 40 games for the Washington Wizards and then 15 with Dallas after being traded on Feb. 22. He averaged 5.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.02 blocked shots (12th in NBA) per game for both teams. During Dallas' 10 NBA Playoff games, Booth posted averages of 3.8 ppg and 2.8 rpg. Booth is the third member from the 1998 USA gold medal-winning Goodwill Games Team to return for the 2001 Games, joining Andre Miller and Szczerbiak. In the '98 Games in New York, Booth played in all five games and averaged 2.2 points and 3.4 rebounds a game. The 2001 Goodwill Games basketball competition is being played Sept. 3-9 in Brisbane, Australia, and will be televised in the United States on Turner Network Television (TNT). The eight-team Goodwill Games basketball field also includes Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Cuba, Mexico and New Zealand. Divided into two preliminary round pools of four teams each, the USA is in Pool A with Argentina, Cuba and Mexico, while Pool B consists of Australia, Brazil, Canada and New Zealand. Each team plays a round-robin competition within its group (three games each). The two top teams from each group advance to the medal round, while the remaining teams play off in a classification round to determine fifth through eighth place. The United States begins preliminary play Monday, Sept. 3 (1 p.m. Brisbane local time) against Mexico, then faces Argentina on Sept. 4 (1 p.m. Brisbane local time) and wraps-up preliminary play versus Cuba on Sept. 5 (1 p.m. Brisbane local time). After a two-day break, play resumes Saturday, Sept. 8, with semifinals action, and the bronze and gold medals games are slated for Sunday, Sept. 9. The USA is the defending Goodwill champions having won the gold in New York at the '98 Games with a thrilling 93-85 overtime win over Australia. The USA has medaled in all four Goodwill Games competitions and in the process compiled an overall win-loss record of 19-6 (76.0 winning percentage). The USA captured gold in 1998 and 1986, silver in 1990 and bronze in 1994. All four of those USA Goodwill Games teams were comprised of college players. The Goodwill Games are being held Aug. 29-Sept. 9, 2001, in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, and will feature 14 sports: athletics, basketball, beach volleyball, boxing, cycling (track), diving, figure skating, gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, swimming, trampoline, triathlon, weightlifting and surf lifesaving. The Goodwill Games were founded by AOL Time Warner Vice Chairman R.E. Turner in 1986 to ensure that the world's best athletes have the opportunity to compete in world class competition. The five previous Goodwill Games have alternated between the United States and Russia; however, future Goodwill Games will be staged in countries around the world in both winter and summer formats. TNT is the host network for the Goodwill Games. Nine Network Australia will broadcast the 2001 Goodwill Games locally. Goodwill Games, Inc. is a division of Turner Sports, the sports programming and production business unit of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. The USA Basketball Men's Senior National Team Committee which was responsible for selection of the coaching staff and the players, consists of nine members and a non-voting chair. Jackson serves as chair of the Committee, and the Committee is made up of: Bryan Colangelo, President and General Manager of the Phoenix Suns; Billy King, General Manager of the Philadelphia 76ers; Mitch Kupchak, General Manager of the Los Angeles Lakers; Kevin O'Connor, Vice President of Basketball Operations of the Utah Jazz; Garry St. Jean, General Manager of the Golden State Warriors; Rod Thorn, President of the New Jersey Nets; NCAA appointee C.M. Newton, former athletic director at the University of Kentucky; Athlete representatives Joe Dumars, Detroit Pistons president and a member of the gold medal 1994 USA World Championship Team, and Steve Smith, a member of the gold medal 1994 World Championship and 2000 Olympic teams. Ex-official members of the Committee include Tom Jernstedt, President of USA Basketball and Senior Vice President of the NCAA; Quinn Buckner, USA Basketball's Vice President for Men; and Billy Hunter, Executive Director of the National Basketball Players Association and USA Basketball Board of Directors member.
Good Article Hoop-T. Thanks. I really like what the USA Basketball Committee is doing. I think getting a TEAM of players that are not all superstars is the way to go. Too many egos are not a good mix. I mean look at Portland. With that being said, Francis still should have made the team. Maybe he's just too good.
Not Cato? He's got the big contract! And that 10-foot high dunk that was featured on ESPN's SportsCenter.
I DO wish someone could shed light on how they're selecting the roster. Aside from Francis, fellow top picks Elton Brand and Lamar Odom are conspicuously absent as well. And all three players seem like good guys with whom I'd feel comfortable representing the States, unlike some guys on the Olympic squad (i.e. - Carter). But I agree with Matador that I wouldn't want the US team to be a team of big names either, if for slightly different reasons.
Maybe the selection commitee wasn't comfortable with the shady pasts and hinted at attitude problems of showboats Francis and Odom...
Perhaps to level the playing field they have reached into the depths of NBA mediocrity to assemble the USA team. My money is on Lithuania to sweep. LOL
