When Jerry Colangelo was handed the keys to USA Basketball in April 2005, he was entrusted with the task of rejuvenating a program that had been knocked from its perch as the most dominant force in international basketball. A bronze medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens showed that the post-Dream Team practice of simply throwing together 12 All-Stars would no longer work against international teams that were improving and spending more time together playing in international competition.
One of Colangelo’s first moves was to hire Mike Krzyzewski as his head coach, and since that point USA Basketball has strengthened its position as the best in the world.