U.S. surprises with Goodwill gold
Posted: Saturday July 25, 1998 09:58 PM
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The U.S. team was brought together just two weeks before a tournament that many believed would be almost impossible to win, and they got the gold AP |
NEW YORK (CNN/SI) -- It wasn't the "Miracle on Ice," but it wasn't too
shabby, either.
Eighteen years after the United States hockey team stunned the
Soviet Union on that winter night in 1980, the Americans
reclaimed their spot atop the basketball world with a dramatic
93-85 overtime victory against Australia to win the gold medal
in the Goodwill Games.
"Fantastic. I feel fantastic," U.S. coach Clem Haskins said
after Friday night's win. "I've to give all the credit to 12
players who refuse to lose. No one expected us. We beat all
the odds. That's what you have to do."
The victory arguably was the biggest for USA Basketball in 12
years. Not since the 1986 World Championships had an American
team of amateurs won the gold in an international tournament.
This U.S. team was brought together just two weeks before a
tournament that many believed would be almost impossible to win,
with the other countries -- playing with professionals --
preparing for next week's World Championships in Athens, Greece.
But after blowing a 19-point, second-half lead and losing their
opener to Puerto Rico on Sunday, the Americans used their
athleticism and hustle to overcome a lack of size and
experience.
"We weren't prepared, we weren't ready for the game against
Puerto Rico," said Utah point guard Andre Miller, who took over
down the stretch in the gold-medal game to lead the U.S. to
victory. "That loss kind of hurt us so we went back to work."
Miller, who led Utah to the NCAA tournament title game in March,
scored the United States' final six points in regulation. He then
put his team ahead for good with a short jumper from the right
wing 25 seconds into overtime against Australia.
"We just caused a few turnovers down the stretch and capitalized
on them," said Miller, shunning the spotlight for the team
aspect that was the United States' motto during the week-long
tournament.
Most fans who showed up at Madison Square Garden during the week
had heard of Miller. But the same could not be said of Wally
Szczerbiak, who had been buried in relative anonymity playing
for Miami of Ohio.
His obscurity was lifted, however, after leading the U.S. squad by averaging 17.1 points per game.
"It's a great feeling for me and for the team to do it for the
United States," said Szczerbiak, a native of Cold Spring Harbor,
Long Island, who got to play in front of his friends and family.
Keith Carter, from the small town of Perryville, Arkansas,
suffered the ultimate heartbreak when his Mississippi team was
bounced in the first round of the NCAA tournament by Valparaiso
on Bryce Drew's miracle buzzer shot. The Goodwill Games was his
chance to ease some of that pain while also making a name for
himself.
"Any time you come to New York, with all the media, it's kind of
a showcase," said Carter, in the Big Apple for the first time. "We put team first and self second and it really worked out well
for us."
"It's a great feeling to win at Madison Square Garden," added
Connecticut's Khalid El-Amin, who did just that three times
during the college season. "We won the gold medal. No one
thought we could do it. We proved everyone wrong."
The United States also won the inaugural Goodwill Games gold
medal in 1986 before settling for the silver four years later
and the bronze in 1994.
But in recent years, the use of NBA
players in international tournaments had moved the college stars
to the background. And with the continued improvement of the
international teams, very few thought it possible for a team of
college players to win an international tournament.
After dropping the opener to Puerto Rico and sneaking past
China, something clicked as the Americans routed Brazil and
Lithuania before the dramatic victory over the Australians, who are one of the favorites to win the World Championships in Greece.
"I just want to congratulate my team for an excellent job
tonight and in the tournament," added Haskins. "It was a total
team effort."
"We're the U.S.A. and that means a lot in basketball," said Szczerbiak.
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