NEW YORK -- USA Basketball met last week in Indianapolis and its 10-member Selection Committee convened in New York over the weekend to dissect America's lousy sixth-place finish at the 2002 World Basketball Championships and to devise an invincible game plan regarding the qualifier tournament. Specifically, who will coach and who will play next summer at a still-to-be-determined site (Mexico City, Puerto Rico or Toronto) and, if eligible, in the Athens 2004 Olympics.
Luckily for you, some pertinent info has trickled out of the hush-hush summit that harmonizes with the stuff I knew to be true.
First of all, Hall of Famer Larry Brown is all but a living lock to get the nod as a result of his long-term affection and connection with USA Basketball. Aside from his impeccable coaching credentials, Brown has assisted on two Olympic champions (1976 and '96). In '96 he replaced Rudy Tomjanovich (health) and piloted the team to a qualifying victory in Puerto Rico, and was a member of the 1964 team in Tokyo that won the gold.