<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>April 7 -- Last October, Duke University's Mike Krzyzewski was named as the head coach of the USA Basketball Men's Senior National Team. He will head a program of 23 players that have made a three-year commitment that starts with a training camp in Las Vegas this July. There, 15 players will be selected to participate in the World Championships this August in Japan. If the United States wins gold in the World Championships, they automatically qualify for the Olympics in 2008. If not, they will have to participate in a qualifying tournament in 2007. This past Thursday, Coach Krzyzewski and other members of USA Basketball were at the Pentagon to celebrate the Hoops for Troops program, which is teaming with the Department of Defense's America Supports You to encourage Americans to show their support for the U.S. Armed Forces. We talked with Coach Krzyzewski about the program and his preperation for the World Championships. NBA.com: Can you talk a little bit about the Hoops for Troops program? Mike Krzyzewski: I think that it's a great partnership. We should be doing more than just playing basketball for the United States. We should be helping our country while we're playing basketball and hopefully build that unity. The best team in the whole world is our military team. They function at such a high level. For us to be associated with them, hopefully some of that committment, that enthusiasm to serve, the sense of purpose will rub off. It's not so much them being on our team. We're on their team. That's what it's all about and I think it gives greater meaning to what we're doing. NBA.com: And you had a clinic at the Pentagon on Thursday? MK: There were a lot of kids there from different military installations in the D.C. area. Some of their parents are oversees right now. It was really good. They were all dressed in USA shirts. David Robinson, Ruthie Bolton, Chasity Melvin, Chris Mullin, Buck Williams and Chuck Daly were all doing things with the kids. And they had it at the Pentagon, where so many of our military people are. They felt appreciated and it was so genuine. I thought it was a great day and it kicks off the three-year commitment that we have made. They're good people to have on your team. NBA.com: Is there anything in your military background that you use today as a coach? MK: We see in our military forces a great sense of commitment ... of doing things with dignity ... of teamwork. What we want to do is embody those same principles in this U.S. team. I have a son-in-law stationed in Baghdad right now. He's a captain, Chris Spatola. He was just back home for two weeks and he left yesterday to go back for five more months. He has a burning desire to serve, and also a deep belief in what he's doing. That's what we want our players to do, to have that same desire to serve and a burning inside to really represent our country in the best possible manner with USA Basketball. NBA.com: Have you started preparing for the summer? MK: Really, throughout the year, I talk to Jerry Colangelo about once a week. We started preparing as soon as I was chosen and approved. Right now, it's a lot of the logistical items, of how we set up the tour, how we conduct the practices, things like that. We're trying to figure out if I can get on the road and meet with some of the players. Once the NBA regular season is over, we'll try to get my staff together in Phoenix to maybe spend a couple of days and plan things out. So quite a bit of work has already been done. The training camp and the tour has really take shape already. It's just a matter of what kind of offense and defense we're going to run. NBA.com: Have you done any X's and O's preperation? MK: I've just started to watch some tape, but I'm not going to do any of that until I speak with my staff. I should use my resources. I have too many good people to just have a staff meeting and tell them "Here's what I want done." And I want to talk to the players too, so we can personalize our system for this team instead of imposing a system on this group of players and coaches. That's kind of the way I've always done it, but it's especially important when you have this level of talent and experience, both with the coaches and with the players. I have to keep a real open mind as to what would be best for the unit. NBA.com: Will you have to choose your 12 players and three alternates after training camp in July? MK: There won't be any alternates. We'll come out of Las Vegas with 15 players on the team, because the final 12 for the World Championships doesn't have to be submitted until a couple of days before we start the competition. And it doesn't mean the others not on the team anymore. They can be on call and they might be on the team next summer if we need to qualify, and it certainly doesn't preclude them from being on the Olympic team. NBA.com: What do you think will be the team's best asset? MK: Obviously, our main asset is our athletic ability and hopefully, our desire to win. We have to be a team that's on a mission. I think you can be a team that plays great defense and is amazingly quick in the open court, and we have to develop a style that will make use of those talents that we have. And we should be a deep team. Any member of the team should be able to, not just play, but contribute in a very good way. I think you can use the athleticism on both ends. It's just a matter of what system you're playing and how comfortable the guys feel playing together. We don't have that much time, but it's one of the reasons to keep the group together for a few years ... so that you get familiarity with the coaches and with your teammates. You play a lot quicker when you're on familiar ground. NBA.com: Do you have a key concern when preparing for the competition? MK: You know what, I don't think that way, so that's a bad question for me. I don't think of concerns. I think of what our strengths are. How do we put it together? I don't think about losing, because then you go in that direction. I think about winning and playing great basketball. If you play great basketball, the winning will take care of itself. A coach is always concerned about injuries and how well he can develop a unit. Make sure we're healthy and make sure we're together. If we play hard, we're healthy and we're together, then good things are going to happen. NBA.com: Have you received any word about Amare Stoudemire's status at this point? MK: As with everyone, we'll see what their injury status is at the end of season. Right now, we're planning on having him with us, but that's a few months from now. His initial injury was a very difficult one. That's the reason you have a team with more than 12 people on it. NBA.com: Do you watch these players a lot in the NBA? MK: All the time. I'm not watching with strategy in mind, but I like to see their competitiveness, their enthusiasm and stuff like that. Obviously, I'm very impressed with the guys that were chosen. They've done a good job.</div>
I hope the USA can play some great basketball this summer. This'll be both a fun and good team to watch
