Boeheim Named To USA Basketball Senior National Team Staff
11/28/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Craig Miller, USA Basketball
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Nov. 28, 2005) – USA Basketball Men's Senior National Team program Managing Director Jerry Colangelo officially announced today that Syracuse University (N.Y.) head coach Jim Boeheim, Phoenix Suns head mentor Mike D'Antoni and Portland Trail Blazers headcoach Nate McMillan have been named assistant coaches of the USA Basketball Men's Senior National Team program for 2006-2008. Duke University (N.C.) head coach Mike Krzyzewski was named on Oct. 26, 2005, head coach of the USA Senior Team for 2006-2008. The assistant coach selections were approved by USA Basketball's Executive Committee.
"Our goal was to assemble a first rate coaching staff with Mike Krzyzewski in the leadership role and a talented group of respected and successful coaches assisting him," said Colangelo, who was appointed Managing Director of the USA Basketball Men's Senior National Team program on April 27, 2005. "I'm very excited about this coaching staff."
The USA Basketball Men's Senior National Team will compete in the 2006 FIBA World Championship (Aug. 19-Sept. 3 in Saitama, Japan); if necessary the 2007 FIBA Americas Olympic Qualifying Tournament (dates and site TBD); and if the USA qualifies, the 2008 Summer Olympic Games (Aug. 8-24 in Beijing, China).
"This staff encompasses all the areas that need to be addressed. We have NBA experience. We have international experience. We have the backgrounds to teach different styles of basketball, including zone offense and defense. We also have coaches of different ages, which should give us the ability to teach and communicate well with a team of the best players in our country," said Krzyzewski. "We want to develop the team to produce gold medal-winning performances in 2006 and 2008. I am truly excited about the addition of Jim Boeheim, Mike D'Antoni and Nate McMillan to the USA staff. We are fortunate to have them on our team."
Since first fielding a USA Basketball team of legendary NBA stars in 1992, USA Basketball senior national teams comprised of NBA players have claimed gold medals in eight of 10 major international basketball competitions, while compiling an impressive 74-6 overall record (.925 winning percentage) in those international competitions and a record of 23-1 (.958 winning percentage) in exhibition games.
"There is no greater honor a basketball coach can have than to coach for your country and to work with such a great staff. I believe the whole country will unite behind this effort to win back the gold medal," said Boeheim.
Since taking control in 1976 of the Syracuse men's basketball program, Boeheim's teams have enjoyed outstanding success. In his 29 years (1976-77 through 2004-05) at the helm, the Orange has produced only winning records. Syracuse has earned postseason berths (NCAA or NIT) in all but one of Boeheim's seasons. He has pushed the Orangemen to three NCAA championship game appearances (1987, 1996 and 2003) and 24 NCAA tournaments. Boeheim guided the Orange to the 2003 NCAA Championship.
Owning a 707-243 overall record (as of Nov. 28, 2005), good for a .745 winning percentage, Boeheim ranks fifth among active Division I coaches in winning percentage and tied for sixth in victories. His 27 20-win campaigns place him in a second-place tie on the all-time Division I list, and he is also eighth in Division I NCAA Tournament wins with 40.
Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in September 2005, Boeheim is the winningest coach in Big East Conference history. During the 2004-05 season, Boeheim earned his 700th collegiate victory and became the 18th coach in NCAA Division I history to reach the milestone. He reached 700 wins in 939 games, the fifth-fastest tally ever in the Division I ranks.
A native of Lyons, N.Y., Boeheim enrolled at Syracuse in 1962 and was a walk-on with the basketball team that year. By Boeheim's senior season, he was a team captain along with the legendary Dave Bing. The Orange finished 22-6 overall that year and earned the team's second-ever NCAA Tournament berth.
After graduating with a bachelor's degree in social science, Boeheim played professional basketball with Scranton of the Eastern League. He was a member of two championship squads and earned second-team all-star honors.
In 1969 he turned to a career in coaching and was hired as a graduate assistant at Syracuse by head coach Roy Danforth. He was soon promoted to a full-time assistant coaching post and was part of the staff that guided the Orange to the program's first Final Four appearance in 1975. A year later he was appointed head coach at his alma mater.
A three-time Big East Conference Coach of the Year, Boeheim has been honored as District II Coach of the Year 10 times by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). During the 2000 Final Four he was presented with the Claire Bee Award in recognition of his contributions to the sport. In the fall of 2000, he received Syracuse University's Arents Award, the school's highest alumni honor, and on Feb. 24, 2002, Syracuse University named the Carrier Dome court "Jim Boeheim Court" in recognition of his many accomplishments.
Boeheim also possesses plenty of international coaching experience, having served on seven USA Basketball coaching staffs. Boeheim in 2001 led the USA Basketball Young Men's Team to the gold medal at the World Championship in Japan and later that fall he was named the USA Basketball 2001 National Coach of the Year. Boeheim also served as head coach of 2000 World Championship For Young Men Qualifying Team that finished with a 4-1 record and the silver medal. In 1998 he led the USA Junior World Championship Qualifying Team to a gold medal and 6-0 finish, and in 1982 guided the U.S. Olympic Festival East Team to a 2-2 finish and the silver medal. Boeheim has also served as an assistant coach on three USA Basketball coaching staffs: 1990 World Championship Team (6-2 /Bronze Medal); 1990 Goodwill Games Team (3-2 / Silver Medal); and 1989 World University Games (6-0 / Gold Medal).
Boeheim currently serves as chair of 2005-2008 USA Basketball's Men's Collegiate Committee, and was a member of the 10-member committee for 2001-2004.
Mike D'Antoni
"It's a personal honor to represent my country. It's also a terrific honor for me personally to be able to work with coach Krzyzewski, coach Boeheim and coach McMillan."
D'Antoni joined the Phoenix Suns coaching staff in June 25, 2002, as the lead assistant coach, and he brought with him a 30-year professional basketball background that included stints in the NBA, ABA and the Italian League.
Eighteen months after joining the Suns staff, he took the reigns of Phoenix as head coach on Dec. 10, 2003. He guided the NBA's youngest roster to a 21-40 mark after inheriting a trade-overhauled and injury-riddled Suns team.
In 2004-05, his first full season as Phoenix' head mentor, D'Antoni engineered the third largest turnaround in NBA history, guiding the Suns to a club record-tying 62 wins, a remarkable 33-game improvement over the team's 29-53 record in 2003-04. By claiming 62 victories, Phoenix became only the second NBA team (1979-80 Boston Celtics) to win 60 or more games after a 50-loss season. After finishing 11-30 on the road in 2003-04, the Suns finished a league-best and franchise-best 31-10 (.756) on the road, the seventh-best road winning percentage in league history.
His sideline efforts were recognized when he was named the winner of the Red Auerbach Trophy as the NBA Coach of the Year for the 2004-05 season.
D'Antoni, only the second Phoenix Suns coach to be honored as NBA Coach of the Year (Cotton Fitzsimmons, 1988-89), led the Suns' explosive offense to a league-best 110.4 points per game, as they became the first team since the 1994-95 Orlando Magic to average over 110 points. The team's 16.2-point increase from 2003-04 (94.2) ranked as the largest increase in team scoring since the advent of the shot clock. Phoenix topped 100 points in 68 of 82 games in 2004-05 and broke the NBA single-season record for 3-pointers made with 796 (previously 735 by Dallas in 1995-96).
This is the second NBA head coaching stint for D'Antoni, who served as head coach of the Denver Nuggets in the lockout-shortened 1998-99 season (14-36) and was the club's director of player personnel in 1997-98. He was also an assistant for Portland in 2000-01 and a scout for San Antonio during the 1999-2000 campaign.
During D'Antoni's Italian League tenure from 1990-97, he led his teams to the playoffs each season and was twice named the league's Coach of the Year. He returned in 2001-02 to the Italian League and once again coached Benetton Treviso, leading the club to the Italian League championship after a 28-8 season.
An Italian League legend, he coached Benetton from 1994-97 when his team captured the Cup of Europe and Cup of Italy in 1995 and won the league title in 1996-97 after a 22-4 regular season. Prior to that, D'Antoni guided Philips Milan for four seasons from 1990-94 and led the club to the 1993 Korac Cup. D'Antoni - a dual citizen of the United States and Italy - was an All-NBA Rookie second team choice in 1974 after the Kansas City-Omaha Kings selected him with the 20th pick in the 1973 NBA Draft. He played two-plus seasons for the Kings before joining the ABA's Spirits of St. Louis and NBA's San Antonio Spurs.
D'Antoni then moved to Italy where he played 13 seasons for Milan and became the club's all-time leading scorer. He was voted the league's top point guard of all time in 1990 and he paced his team to five Italian League titles, two Cups of Europe, two Cups of Italy, one Korac Cup and one Intercontinental Cup. He was also selected to play on the Italian national team for the World Cup in 1989 and was a part of the Milan team that competed in the inaugural McDonald's Open in 1987.
A native of Mullens, W. Va., D'Antoni played three varsity seasons (1970-71 to 1972-73) at Marshall University (W.Va.) and compiled a 59-21 win-loss record for a 73.8 winning percentage. Graduating as the school's career assist leader (659), while compiling 1,227 career points, D'Antoni earned CoSIDA Academic All-America honors in 1972 and 1973, and was invited to the 1972 U.S. Olympic Men's Basketball Team Trials.
Nate McMillan
"I was pleasantly surprised when I was asked to be a member of the coaching staff of the 2006-08 USA Basketball Men's Senior National Team program," said McMillan. "I am so honored to have been asked, this is the greatest achievement of my basketball career. There is nothing more gratifying than representing your country doing something you love."
McMillan was named head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers on July 7, 2005, after serving as head coach of the Seattle SuperSonics for five seasons and compiling a record of 212-183 (.537 winning percentage). Having spent his entire 12-year playing career with Seattle, McMillan was named the Sonics interim head coach on Nov. 27, 2000, after serving as assistant coach for the previous two seasons.
As the 12th head coach in the Seattle's history, and the youngest in the NBA at the time of his naming, he directed Seattle to a 38-29 record in the 2000-01 season. The Sonics removed the interim status from McMillan's title on Jan. 5, 2001, and signed him to a four-year contract on March 27.
He led the Sonics to their most successful month in March, when the team won 10 of 11 games.
In McMillan's first full NBA campaign as a head coach, he guided Seattle to a 45-37 regular-season record and the seventh seed in the 2002 Western Conference Playoffs. In 2004-05, McMillan led the Sonics to a 52-30 record, the league's sixth best record, and the Northwest Division Championship. He advanced his squad to the Western Conference semifinals before falling to eventual champion San Antonio in six games.
As a player, McMillan was originally selected by the Sonics out of North Carolina State University with the 30th overall pick in the second round of the 1986 NBA Draft. Spending his entire professional playing career in Seattle, he became known affectionately in the Seattle community as "Mr. Sonic." McMillan retired from his NBA playing days after the 1997-98 season and left the hardwood as Seattle's all-time leader in assists (4893) and steals (1544). He is now ranked second in both categories and ranks in the Sonics all-time top-10 in eight other statistical columns.
One of the top defensive players during his NBA career, McMillan was named to the All-NBA Defensive Second Team in 1994 and 1995. He led the league in steals in 1993-94, averaging a career-high 2.96 per game. On Feb. 23, 1987, versus the Los Angeles Clippers, McMillan tied the single-game rookie assist record when he handed out a career-high 25 – a record he still shares with Ernie DiGregorio.
In his 12 years with Seattle the team qualified for the postseason 11 times and McMillan appeared in more playoff games (98) than anyone in team history. His dozen years as a Sonics player also ranks second only to Fred Brown in number of seasons served with the franchise.
On March 24, 1999, McMillan had his Sonics' number 10 jersey retired at halftime during a game against the Washington Wizards. He is just the fifth Sonics player in the history of the franchise to have his number retired, joining team legends Fred Brown, Jack Sikma, Lenny Wilkens and Gus Williams.
On March 19, 2001, the National Junior College Men's Basketball Coaches Association inducted McMillan into their Hall of Fame as a player. McMillan played for Chowan College in Murfreesboro, N.C. from 1982-83 to 1983-84, where he led the team to the 1984 NJCAA National Tournament and was named NJCAA All-American. He played his next two seasons for North Carolina State University.
USA Basketball
Based in Colorado Springs, Colo., 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 (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.
USA Basketball is governed by a 10-member Executive Committee and 25-member Board of Directors, who are appointed and elected by active members. Ackerman serves as President of USA Basketball for the 2005-2008 term. Serving since January 2001 as USA Basketball's Executive Director is Jim Tooley. Tooley, who has been with USA Basketball since 1993, is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the organization's day-to-day operations and business operations.
USA Basketball is an organization made up of associations. Current USA Basketball active members include the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU); Continental Basketball Association (CBA); National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC); National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA); National Basketball Association (NBA); National Basketball Association Development League; National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS); National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA); National Pro-Am City League Association (NPACLA); National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA); United States Armed Forces; USA Deaf Sports Federation (USADSF); Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA); and the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). These 15 member organizations have representation on USA Basketball's Board of Directors and various committees, and ultimately determine how USA Basketball operates.
During the 2001-2004 quadrennium, over 925 men and women players and 125 coaches participated in USA Basketball, including the USA Basketball men's and women's Youth Development Festivals, USA Basketball trials, and USA Basketball teams. Between 2001-2004 the USA competed in 22 major international events and won medals an astounding 19 times, including gold or top finishes 14 times, silver once and bronze medals four times.
The competitions in which USA teams regularly compete include the Olympics, World Championships, Pan American Games, World University Games, U21 World Championships, U19 World Championships, Hoop Summit and Youth Development Festivals.
USA Basketball also sanctions U.S. basketball team tours of foreign countries and foreign basketball team tours of the U.S., as well as oversees the certification of FIBA and USA Basketball officials and the assignment of those officials to international competitions.
2006-08 USA Basketball
Men's Senior National Team Program Coaching Staff
Head Coach: Mike Krzyzewski, Duke University (N.C.)
Assistant Coach: Jim Boeheim, Syracuse University (N.Y.)
Assistant Coach: Mike D'Antoni, Phoenix Suns
Assistant Coach: Nate McMillan, Portland Trail Blazers
