1984 Olympic basketball
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- čas přidán 6. 09. 2024
- Bob Knight built his best teams with a blend of talent and fit. It was never more evident than on the 12-man roster he selected for the 1984 U.S. Olympic team.
Sure, the General cut future Hall of Famers Charles Barkley and John Stockton. But he kept three others, each of whom later made the 1992 Olympic "Dream Team" - Patrick Ewing, Michael Jordan and Chris Mullin.
And for a coach who seemingly won everything - 902 games, three national championships, 11 Big Ten titles, Olympic gold and multiple coach of the year awards - it was his early scouting report on Jordan that might go down as his crowning achievement.
"If we're going to pick the three or four best athletes I've ever seen play basketball, he (Jordan) would be one of them. I think he's the best athlete I've ever seen play basketball, bar none," Knight said back then. "In the categories of competitiveness, ability, skill and then athletic ability, he's the best athlete, he's one of the best competitors, he's one of the most skilled players. That to me makes him the best basketball player that I've ever seen play."
Barkley, on the other hand, was an offensive star at Auburn who measured in at 284 pounds. Knight initially asked the 6-foot-6 forward to slim down to 215 and wasn't impressed with Barkley's defense.
"The word `interesting' is a good word to apply to Barkley," Knight said during the selection process. "He's an extremely talented player. He's got to become a much better defensive player. He has to work at sharpening what he does. If he can, he has an excellent chance [to make the team]. If he can't, he's not going to make the team."
He didn't.
Instead, Knight went with an eclectic mix of guys with all-conference and All-American credentials including Jordan's teammate at North Carolina, Sam Perkins. 11 of the 12 players on the team went in the first round of the 1984 or 1985 NBA drafts; nine were top-10 picks.
The names ranged from household, such as Ewing or Jordan, to college stars such as Joe Kleine and Jon Koncak to forgotten ones such as Vern Fleming, Jeff Turner or Leon Wood.
But each possessed some skill Knight appreciated, and the result was one of the most dominating Olympic performances in modern Olympic history albeit during the Soviet Union's boycott of the Los Angeles Games.
The U.S. team outscored opponents 95.4 to 63.3 on average.
Each of the eight wins came by double-digit margins including a 96-65 victory over Spain in the final game
Four players - Jordan (17.1), Mullin (11.6), Ewing (11.0) and Alford (10.3) - scored in double figures.
The GREATEST TEAM USA composed of COLLEGE PLAYERS 🐐
Yes .college player.....no money involved...Young fresh college player.....you see the best and pure form of the sport.........
Jordan became the GOAT in 1984. He was unstoppable. To quick.
Back when you had to try out. This 1984 team should’ve been in the HOF
"Now, hold on he's a bit different"
-Coach Knight.
This also sets Jordan apart from the rest .
What happened with Young LeBron at the 2004 Olympics? The first legit lost for the USA team in the history of Olympic basketball.
@@melazaconsabor20281980s USA vs Australia
Other countries were sending their professionals. The US was sending college kids.
It looks like somebody released a god damn cat onto the court
RIP Bobby Knight
We need to go back to College kids to the Olympic. 1960 was another dream team.
We would lose
@@kennethmurray1041 the best coaches and way to play baseball are NCAA. Almost every player at the Olympics was a NCAA player.
Just another reason MJ is the GOAT.
Music is way too loud bro can barely here your commentary...
that cuff dunk at 00:11 WHAT
I heard some good commentary but the music...
The level of basketball has emerged enormously since then...
Even the Japanese team of today would crush these teams with no hesitation. It is not takes away from the teams of that era, it is just a fact.
It is, what it is.
The music is too loud
charles got cut cause they couldnt afford to feed him lol
US were lucky CCCP (best team in Europe by far) didn't participate (due to boycott). LA would have enjoyed the prime Sabonis and the powerfull Takencho as the most spextacular twin towers ever (Sabbas 2,20cm, Tachenko 2,23cm)
Wonder if Kobe couldn't have handle this MJ.. 🤔
Kobe would have had The Worst defensive game in Kobe's time of playing basketball.
I wanted John Thompson over Bobby Knight coaching this team no way Bobby should have gotten the job to me it ruined it for me.
I agree. Selecting Alford, Koncak, Kliene, Jeff Turner over Barkley, Lorenzo Charles, Stockton was a joke. Bobby had a tendency to dominate the team. I didn't like that.
Can I ask why? Did you just not like Knights attitude?
@@6DoctorJ did it ever occur to you that the players he selected he probably thought would fit better in the system he put in??? Not everything is about ability its about getting guys who are happy to fill a role
@@johnnythekid4601 Yes, you are right.
Get over it, we won!