Team USA strengthens ties to Las Vegas

After winning the men's gold medal in the Beijing Olympics, USA Basketball saw no reason to mess with success.

After three straight summers of Team USA training in Las Vegas to prepare for the Olympics, managing director Jerry Colangelo said the team will return to town in advance of two major competitions in the next four years.

In preparation for the 2010 FIBA World Championships in Turkey, the U.S. team will train at UNLV and Valley High School this year from July 22 to 26 and next summer just prior to heading to Turkey.

The team will return to Las Vegas in 2011 to begin preparations for the 2012 London Olympics and will train here in 2012 before leaving to attempt to defend its gold medal.

"It makes too much sense not to be in Vegas," Colangelo said. "We were thrilled to be there. The support we received from the community was outstanding and it's the perfect place for us to train and be together."

Details of the four-year deal are being finalized with Las Vegas Events. Negotiations began months ago.

"We'll be there," Colangelo said. "We just have a few things to work out. Nothing major."

Las Vegas Events president Pat Christenson said having Team USA in town raises the city's athletic profile.

"I'm very confident we'll come to an understanding," he said. "We put a strong brand on our association with USA Basketball. We're talking (about) the best basketball players training and playing in our city. We're talking the national and international media reporting on it. And (when) you get a game like we've had in each of the last three years, it's like having the NBA All-Star Game every year, except it means something."

Colangelo said his plan is to bring 24 players to Las Vegas camp this summer, most of them having little or no experience with the national program.

"We want to use this summer as sort of an indoctrination period as to what we do," he said.

No coach has been named for Team USA, and that decision probably won't be made until this fall, Colangelo said. He said he will consult with 2008 Olympic coach Mike Krzyzewski from Duke in Chicago during the next couple of weeks, but Krzyzewski is not expected to return for a second tour.

"We've got plenty of time for deciding who our coach will be," Colangelo said. "I have some people in mind. But I want to talk to Coach K first and get his input before I proceed."

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913.