USA BASKETBALL: 2007 USA Men's Senior National Team And Women's National Team Selected Co-Recipients Of USA Basketball's Team Of The Year Honor

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE / Jan. 31, 2008 For further information contact Craig Miller, Caroline Williams or Jenny Maag at USA Basketball (719) 590-4800. *This release is also available on USA Basketball's World Wide Web homepage - http://www.usabasketball.com. 2007 USA Men's Senior National Team And Women's National Team Selected Co-Recipients Of USA Basketball's Team Of The Year Honor-U.S. Squads Secure USA's Entrance Into 2008 Olympics -COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Jan. 31, 2008) -- In recognition of their respective gold medal performances at the 2007 FIBA Americas Championships, USA Basketball today announced that the 2007 USA Basketball Men's Senior National Team and the 2007 USA Basketball Women's National Team were tagged co-recipients of the 2007 USA Basketball Team of the Year honor. In compiling perfect 10-0 and 5-0 records, respectively, the USA men and women also secured the USA's qualification for the 2008 Beijing Olympics."This past summer, both the USA Men's Senior National Team and the USA Women's National Team were not only successful in winning gold medals and securing the USA's trip to Beijing, but both teams were outstanding ambassadors for our sport,"said USA Basketball Executive Director Jim Tooley."We look forward to the future success of both teams.""Under USA Basketball Senior National Team Managing Director Jerry Colangelo's leadership, the USA Men's Senior National Team continues to grow stronger every year and this summer was no exception,"said USA Senior National Team and Duke University head coach Mike Krzyzewski."Our USA team played this past summer with tremendous passion and with great respect for our opponents. What has been special about this group is their commitment and dedication to bringing home Olympic gold. Each member of our team set aside his individual ego and committed to doing whatever asked for the sake of the team. I am proud of our team's performances in 2006 and 2007, and I'm proud to know these coaches and players as individuals because they are quality people who work hard on the court and off and are truly passionate about representing the United States the right way.""I am pleased to have our Women's National Team receive the co-Team of the Year Award because it reflects a commitment by our women to the process of getting our National Team ready to compete in Beijing,"said USA Women's National Team head coach Anne Donovan."These women have worked extremely hard to get back on the gold medal track, and this award is a reflection of their efforts.""I'm again very proud of how the men's senior national team represented the United States and USA Basketball last summer,"said USA Men's Senior National Team Managing Director Jerry Colangelo."The team came together magnificently, and from day one they were more focused on playing as a team than playing as individuals. 2007 was another step in our efforts to build a national team program that not only will be successful in international basketball competitions, but one that will set a standard that all Americans will be proud of and one which all basketball fans will enjoy.""I am very proud of what this team accomplished in 2007,"said USA Basketball Women's National Team chair Renee Brown, WNBA chief of basketball operations and player relations"The USA Basketball Women's National Team members were selfless in working together for their main goal this summer: to qualify the United States for the 2008 Olympics. They did so with class, pride for their country and sportsmanship that would make any American proud. The team, from the starters to the last player off the bench, respected their opponents, coaches, hosts in the various countries where they competed and were winners on and off the court. They also continued to work on their cohesiveness and made great strides toward the ultimate goal, which is defending the USA's three-time Olympic gold medal streak."The 2007 announcement marks the 12th time USA Basketball has presented the Team of the Year Award. The honor has been earned by the historic 1996 USA Women's National Team/Olympic Team, 1997 USA Women's Junior World Championship Team, 1998 and 2002 USA Women's World Championship squads, 1999 USA Men's Tournament of the Americas Team, 2000 and 2004 USA Women's Senior National/Olympic teams, the 2001 USA World Championship For Young Men Team, the2003 USA World Championship for Young Women Team, the 2005 USA U19 World Championship for Women Team and the 2006 USA Men's Senior National Team. The USA Basketball Team of the Year selection was made by the USA Basketball Executive Committee, which includes: Val Ackerman, President; Jim Delany, Vice President (Commissioner, Big Ten Conference); Stu Jackson, Vice President for Senior Men, (NBA Senior Vice President for Basketball Operations); Renee Brown, Vice President for Senior Women (WNBA Chief of Basketball Operations and Player Relations); Reggie Minton, Vice President for Men (Associate Executive Director, NABC); Chris Plonsky, Vice President for Women (Women's Athletics Director / Director of Men's and Women's Athletics External Services, University of Texas); Robert Kanaby, Treasurer (Executive Director, National Federation of State High School Associations); Terry Holland, Secretary (Director of Athletics, East Carolina University); Dawn Staley, Athlete Representative (Three-time Olympian, three-time World Championship Team member; head coach, Temple University); and Scott Paddock, Athlete Representative (1995 Pan American Games Team member; Senior Manager, Gatorade Sports Marketing). 2007 USA Men's Senior National Team The 2007 USA Men's Senior National Team at the FIBA Americas Championship in Las Vegas, Nev., finished 10-0 to win gold and capture one of the FIBA Americas zone's two qualifying berths for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In winning 10 games in 12 days, the USA averaged 116.7 points per game, the most by a USA men's senior national team since 1994 USA World Championship Team averaged 120.1 points per game. The USA also defeated its opponents by an average of 39.5 points per game, the largest margin of victory by a USA senior squad since the 1992 U.S. Olympic Team defeated its opponents by 43.8 points a contest. The USA led the FIBA Americas Championship overall team statistical rankings in 13 of the 17 categories. The USA shot 58.7 percent from the field, 47.0 percent from 3-point and 72.0 percent from the foul line. The USA men averaged 59.7 points by halftime of its games, and its average lead at halftime was 23.0 points. Unselfish on the court, an astounding 61.7 percent of the team's made field goals were assisted on during the championship. The 2007 squad rewrote eight USA team records for Olympic qualifying action and added a pair of single game marks, while USA players wrote themselves into eight single game records and four competition records. The USA men's program culminated its July 20-22 mini-training camp with the 2007 State Farm USA Basketball Challenge, which featured 17 players from the Men's Senior National Team divided into Blue and White teams in a nationally televised contest. USA Blue earned a 105-104 win in front of 15,321 fans in Las Vegas, thanks to a Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers) jumper with just six seconds showing on the clock. Krzyzewski was assisted on the bench in 2007 by Syracuse University's Jim Boeheim, Phoenix Suns head coach Mike D'Antoni and Portland Trailblazers head coach Nate McMillan. The 2007 USA Men's FIBA Americas Championship Team included: Carmelo Anthony (Denver Nuggets); Chauncey Billups (Detroit Pistons); Bryant; Tyson Chandler (New Orleans Hornets); Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic); LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers); Jason Kidd (New Jersey Nets); Mike Miller (Memphis Grizzlies); Tayshaun Prince (Detroit Pistons); Michael Redd (Milwaukee Bucks); Amare Stoudemire (Phoenix Suns); and Deron Williams (Utah Jazz). Also listed on the USA Men's Senior National Team roster are: Gilbert Arenas (Washington Wizards); Shane Battier (Houston Rockets); Carlos Boozer (Utah Jazz); Chris Bosh (Toronto Raptors); Bruce Bowen (San Antonio Spurs); Elton Brand (Los Angeles Clippers); Nick Collison (Seattle SuperSonics); Kevin Durant (Seattle SuperSonics); Kirk Hinrich (Chicago Bulls); Antawn Jamison (Washington Wizards); Joe Johnson (Atlanta Hawks); Shawn Marion (Phoenix Suns); Brad Miller (Sacramento Kings); Adam Morrison (Charlotte Bobcats); Greg Oden (Portland Trail Blazers); Lamar Odom (Los Angeles Lakers); Chris Paul (New Orleans Hornets); Paul Pierce (Boston Celtics); J.J. Redick (Orlando Magic); Luke Ridnour (Seattle SuperSonics); and Dwyane Wade (Miami Heat). 2007 Women's National Team The 2007 USA Women's National Team at the FIBA Americas Championship in Valdivia, Chile, finished with a perfect 5-0 record to win gold and capture the lone FIBA Americas zone's qualifying berth for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The USA won its five FIBA Americas Championship games in five days, averaged 98.0 points a game, and defeated its opponents by an average of 40.6 points per game. Posting a pair of victories over rival Cuba, including a convincing 101-71 win in the championship game, the USA ranked first or tied for first in 15 of 19 statistical categories and averaged 98.0 ppg. and held opponents to just 57.4 ppg. The USA team shot 52.4 percent from the field, 36.6 percent from 3-point and 80.8 percent from the foul line. Of the USA's 188 made field goals, a striking 67.6 percent were assisted on. The squad set 10 new USA team records for Olympic qualifying action, including five single-game and five competition marks, while USA players set four individual records. The 2007 USA FIBA Americas Championship Team included: Seimone Augustus (Minnesota Lynx); Sue Bird (Seattle Storm); Rebekkah Brunson (Sacramento Monarchs); Swin Cash (Detroit Shock); Kara Lawson (Sacramento Monarchs); DeLisha Milton-Jones (Washington Mystics); Courtney Paris (University of Oklahoma); Candace Parker (University of Tennessee); Cappie Pondexter (Phoenix Mercury); Katie Smith (Detroit Shock); Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury); and Tina Thompson (Houston Comets). Assisting Donovan along the sidelines in '07 was Gail Goestenkors of the University of Texas, Dawn Staley of Temple University and Mike Thibault of the Connecticut Sun. Compiling a 19-0 overall record in 2007, the USA Women's National Team began 2007 with four victories in an April Tour of Italy. The USA women first recorded a 77-47 win over the Italian National Team on April 11; a 72-49 victory over Phard Napoli on April 12; a 82-42 toppling of Viterbo on April 16; and a 81-41 trouncing of the Pomexia All-Stars on April 17. The Tour of Italy roster included: Alana Beard (Washington Mystics); Bird; Cash; Tamika Catchings (Indiana Fever); Jessica Davenport (New York Liberty); Katie Douglas (Connecticut Sun); Sylvia Fowles (Louisiana State University); Lindsey Harding (Minnesota Lynx); Taj McWilliams-Franklin (Los Angeles Sparks); Paris; Smith; Michelle Snow (Houston Comets); Taurasi; and Thompson. Next up was two weeks of training in September, which saw Donovan and her USA squad earn two exhibition wins over the Australian National Team, including a 96-64 blowout in Trenton, N.J., on Sept. 16, and a narrow 70-66 victory in Uncasville, Conn., on Sept. 19. The USA roster for the Australia exhibitions listed: Augustus; Beard; Bird; Brunson; Davenport: Fowles; Asjha Jones (Connecticut Sun); Lawson; Milton-Jones; Paris; Parker; Thompson; and Candice Wiggins (Stanford University). The USA National Team capped its 2007 training with an eight-game, coast-to-coast College Tour that stretched from Oct. 31 to Nov. 15. In posting a perfect 8-0 record, the red, white and blue averaged a 26.8 point margin of victory as the USA women recorded wins over then No. 4 Maryland (90-73), No. 2 Connecticut (90-74), No. 1 Tennessee (83-72), No. 15 Baylor (82-56), No. 12 Arizona State (82-48), No. 11 Texas A,M (75-24), Southern California (88-64) and No. 5 Stanford (97-62). The USA's College Tour roster was comprised of Augustus; Bird; Kara Braxton (Detroit Shock); Cash; Katie Feenstra (Detroit Shock); Lawson; Lisa Leslie (Los Angeles Sparks); McWilliams-Franklin; Loree Moore (New York Liberty); and Taurasi. In addition to the players involved in the 2007 training, the 2007-08 USA Women's National Team roster also includes: Cheryl Ford (Detroit Shock); Janel McCarville (New York Liberty); Sheryl Swoopes (Houston Comets); and Lindsay Whalen (Connecticut Sun).