When did USA begin taking international basketball seriously?
338043
In the late 1980's because we couldn't dominate the World Games, Pan American Games, nor the Olympics in basketball anymore.
1098166
They can't, not in 2006 anyway. The USA plays less than competitive teams to rack up qualifying points. This means lack of better competition. They will not improve, no matter how talented there players become in the future while they play teams that are less competitive than themselves. Better to play a few friendly games and lose to the greater sides and learn something and have your experience grow than to win against feeble competition and have your standard of play remain the same. Just my opinion.
134168
They used to be prior to 1992, but in 1992 professionals were allowed to compete. This is how Torvill and Dean were able to compete in Lillehammer in 1994 and the American "Dream Team" basketball team could compete in Barcelona 1992 and Atlanta 1996
545152
The United States participated in the following World\nCups: 1930-Uruguay, 1934-Italy, 1950-Brazil, 1994-Host\ncountry of the World Cup, 1998-France, 2002-Korea and Japan,\nand 2006-Germany-yet to be determined.\n\nThe United States made it to the Quarter-finals once,\nwhich was in 2002 versus Germany and lost the match 1-0.\n\nThe only other time, that the U.S.A. furthered themselves\nin the World Cup, was in 1930 in Uruguay, which they lost \nto Argentina in the Semi-finals 6-1.
299028
Basketball was invented by Dr. James Naismith in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1891 (that's where the Basketball Hall of Fame is). You can find lots more about the history of the game at the Basketball Hall of Fame website (see link below).
204367
Well there are a lot of international players in the NBA, but they really shouldn't call themselves that.  THere's the Olympics and International tournaments to determine world champions.
300567
Jordan transcended the game just as Oscar Robertson did in his time. To compare them is comparing apples and oranges...the game was different just as the game is played different today than when Jordan dominated. How much triangle offense do we see anymore? Zones in the NBA? Whoda thunk it?!?! There is nobody in the game right now that is transforming the game or taking it to another level. Until that guy comes along, we will all still talk about Jordan. I mean, how many NCAA women did you see dunk the ball in the 90's? Candace has taken the game to the next level. Who do you compare her to, Miller? The game was a lot different then.
242386
I think that this team is a lot more balanced, and contains players who are a lot more committed than the previous Olympic team. However, the other international teams are also growing stronger in leaps and bounds. I have confidence that Team USA can bring back the Olympic title, though I think they will need more preperation time before the Olympics to really develop a good team spirit and to fully integrate into an effective team.
877189
In England in 1895 at Madame Ostenburg's College.\n\nNetball traces its roots to basketball, which explains why its rules are related. When James Naismith devised basketball in 1891 for his students in the School for Christian Workers (later called the YMCA), female teachers got curious and started to formulate a version for girls. The outfits of women back in the day hindered them from effectively executing important basketball moves such as running and dribbling, so the game had to be modified to accommodate these restrictions. Women’s basketball, or ‘netball,’ was conceptualized.\n\nNetball was first played in England in 1895 at Madame Ostenburg's College and quickly spread to all the British Commonwealth territories, but it did not yet have hard-and-fast rules. So loose were the regulations, in fact, that some games were played by nine players in each team, while some were played with only five players in each. The nets used were also ineffective – they were not open at both ends, so after each goal was scored, the umpire had to retrieve the ball from the top of the post.\n\nFinally, Clara Baer, a gym teacher from New Orleans, asked Naismith for a copy of the basketball rules, identified the areas within which women players can move, and consequently introduced the ‘zoning areas’ we know today. This was the start of netball’s formalization. This zoning rules along with many other provisions (such as elimination of the dribbling rule) were all included in the first draft of ‘Rules for Women’s Basketball.’ In 1901, this set of rules was ratified and netball officially became a competitive sport.
200044
No. 1985. Villanova wins the NCAA Tornament and they were an 8th seed. That was wild.
772858
Although little was recorded, Olympic baseball first appeared in 1904 St. Louis. Eight years later in 1912 Stockholm, a American team played against host Sweden, winning 13-3. In 1936 Berlin, two American teams played each other. The 1952 Helsinki event was a modified form of the sport, Finnish baseball, played by two Finnish teams. Australia played a one-game exhibition against the United States in 1956 Melbourne and Japan did the same in 1964 Tokyo.\n\nTom G is also correct here.  In 1992 the IOC changed the staus of baseball to an official event but it started in the Olympics in 1904 but not played every 4 years per the Olympic standard.
107027
Only Johnson and Jordan. Isiah never played on an Olympic Team. In 1980 the US Boycotted, in 1984 & 1988 pros weren't permitted to play, and 1992 Stockton got the other PG slot and they used Pippen at the 1 when Magic got injured.
224931
I would take away the foul rules.  It's gotten to the point that the officals would let them play rather than call fouls anyways.  Basketball now looks more like a mosh pit than a game.  If the officals were strict, both sides would basically be benched in the first 20 minutes of the game.
350525
USA beat England 1-0 in the 1950 finals. \nhttp://www.soccerhall.org/history/WorldCup_1950.htm
786765
In early December 1891, Dr. James Naismith, a Canadian physician of McGill University and minister on the faculty of a college for YMCA professionals (today, Springfield College) in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, sought a vigorous indoor game to keep his students occupied and at proper levels of fitness during the long New England winters. After rejecting other ideas as either too rough or poorly suited to walled-in gymnasiums, he modified a a childhood game titled "Duck on a rock" and wrote the basic rules.[1] He nailed a peach basket onto the 10-foot (3.05 m) elevated track. In contrast with modern basketball nets, this peach basket retained its bottom. Therefore balls scored into the basket had to be poked out with a long dowel each time. Women's basketball began in 1892 at Smith College when Senda Berenson, a physical education teacher, modified Naismith's rules for women. The first official basketball game was played in the YMCA gymnasium on January 20, 1892 with nine players, on a court just half the size of a present-day National Basketball Association (NBA) court. "Basket ball", the name suggested by one of Naismith's students, was popular from the beginning.
425816
One good place to find articles about USA basketball is the NBA.com webiste: http://www.nba.com/usabasketball. The interview with GM Jerry Colangelo and the interview with the head coach may be useful for outlining their vision for the team, as well as addressing issues related to find the right balance for teamwork and individual skill.
1131361
I cannot claim to know about all the teams you mentioned.  However, I know about the 1980 team and how much they meant to us as Americans.  There may have been better (technical) US teams, but they were the greatest US team.  I will never forget 2/22/80 as long as I live.